With an eye-popping cover that is sure to catch your attention, Fit for Eternal Life is not your typical, Catholic fare. Blending spiritual fitness with physical fitness and eating right, Fit for Eternal Life offers a balanced, Christian approach to a healthy lifestyle. With a background in weightlifting and fitness training, Kevin Vost, Psy. D. shares his expertise, giving common sense answers to cardiovascular workouts, dieting, and strength and endurance training. Fit for Eternal Life blends spiritual fitness with a Christian approach to physical fitness, “a theology of the bodybuilder.” For those of us who would rather curl up with a book, than jog around the block or lift weights, Vost hopes to encourage us to see the importance of caring for our bodies as much as our souls. He wants to remind us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and if we treat them well, we will feel better, achieve more in all areas of our life, and live longer. Quoting Pope John Paul II and Pope Piux XII, he hopes we will see the value of proper and orderly exercise. “There is a need to find free time in order to exercise strength and dexterity, endurance, and harmonious movement, so as to attain or guarantee that physical efficiency necessary to man’s overall equilibrium” (Pope John Paul II). This book would especially appeal to those interested in fitness training, specifically weightlifting, aerobic exercise, and a balanced diet, yet reaches out to a wider audience. In fact, it might be a sneaky way of exposing a weak Catholic to the importance of living a virtuous life as he learns to do better bench presses. You won’t find any grapefruit diets or pleas to buy his super vitamins, because he doesn’t sell any. Vost does share plenty of tips on the HIT (high intensity training) methods, offers sample weekly workouts, and explains how to get the results you want. He gives lots of specific advice to encourage everyone to gain maximum strength with the minimum amount of time, yet seek a balanced, healthy lifestyle. I especially like the section that acknowledges that yard and house work are actually aerobic exercise. Logically laid out, the book takes you step by step through the process of finding a fitness program that works for you. Building on virtue and not sheer will power, Vost knows most good intentions fall easily by the wayside if not established on the proper foundation. To encourage and motivate you along the way, each chapter and section begins with quotes from a variety of sources, St. Thomas Aquinas, Aristotle, Xenophon, and others. For women, older people, and teens, Vost includes additional advice, so that they too can tailor the program to fit their specific needs. To keep the reader going, especially those who might not normally spend time reading, the chapters are short and easy to breeze through. His pleasant, engaging voice gives an informal, confidential tone as though he is there for you as your personal fitness coach. Even though the cover displays a rather brawny bicep, the focus is not to imitate the false images of the world, obsessed with physical beauty, but to lead a balanced, healthy lifestyle for the right reasons. If you are wondering where to begin a sensible, Christian approach to health and fitness, Fit for Eternal Life may be the ticket for you.