Didn't finished. Unfortunately this book didn't quite worked out for me as I quickly lost interest in this specific subject. Thank you for the opportunity

I'm really at the point where I need to encompass my whole health, not just physical and this book is perfect for getting started on the track.

This book was just not to my liking. I just never got into it. I finished reading the book out my obligations to reading the book for a review. I have read other books by Ronnie Floyd and Living fit just wasn't the same to me as his other writing. Maybe some people will enjoy the book. I just wasn't one of them.

Ugh! I was so disappointed with this book. I felt like it was overly preachy and just one big pat on the back. I'm sure there were good bits to find inside, but I was just put off by the way the author construed his point. Also, he did 5 subjects poorly instead of one or two subjects well. Also, the author thinks he's pretty great!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Thank you B & H Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC.

This book had some good tips on living a more holistic life. It was written by a pastor which is reflected throughout the book and for me it took away from the health content at times.

Despite the name, this book has very little to do with physical fitness or physical health. It is an extraordinarily long sermon by the Baptist pastor of a southern mega-church. The book is divided up into 5 sections of your life and how to use the bible to make the most of them.

Summing up the five sections:

The section on spirituality is obviously the longest. The main advice is to read the bible daily, pray often, the standard stuff (most surprising advice here -- the author uses an iPad app to keep track of all of his prayers and update them when God grants them). Physical fitness comes next and the basic premise is that your body belongs to God and you need to take care of it as much as your soul. Practice self control, exercise, eat right, etc. The third section is about relationships and basically you need to build them, forgive everything, and be selfless and giving. The fourth section is financial fitness and he quotes Dave Ramsey heavily. The biggest advice is to have no debt and to give at least 10% of your income to your church at the start of every week. Give as much as possible away because everything you own is really God's. The last section is emotional fitness, and it talks about how terrible everybody's attitudes are these days with the sins of skepticism, ungratefulness, entitlement, cynicism, etc.

The author points out that many preachers won't call you out for things like being in debt, eating junk food, only loving some people, or not exercising enough, but that to be a good Christian you have to do the right thing in all aspects of your life and not just your spiritual life. If you're looking for a bible-based talking to about why you need to shape up in these areas, this is likely to serve that purpose really well. If you're looking for diet, exercise or health advice, you're better off with another book.

I read a digital ARC of this book for the purposes of review.

Living Fit is a health guide that is NOT focusing on eating right and exercising. The author is a Christian Pastor, and the most positive thing about this book is that he is taking a more "whole" person approach to health than many authors writing in the health or fitness genres are at present. However, even though Pastor Floyd presents his book as a whole person approach, it is an entirely religious and Christian approach. The core principles throughout the book are God and spirituality. Pastor Floyd uses biblical quotes and spiritual text to illustrate and substantiate his points; his message is very clear: You must take care of yourself because this is what God wants, and by "living fit" as advised by Pastor Floyd in each of these areas, you will be serving God as you should be.

The book focuses and provides guidance and inspiration in five major areas: Living Fit Spiritually, Living Fit Physically, Living Fit Physically, Living Fit Relationally, Living Fit Financially, and Living Fit Emotionally. He basically says that sometimes Christians just focus on their spiritual health, and they don't think about the importance of the other areas of their lives; to their detriment and to the detriment of their service to God. He stresses that all the other areas are important, and uses Christian principles to relate each of those areas to serving God, and that by making sure all areas are healthy, you can best glorify God.

Please note: There is no specific nutritional advice, guidance or diet suggestions in this book, nor is there any recommendations, advice or guidance regarding exercise, or physical fitness. When the author discusses Living Fit Physically, he speaks more about being present in the world, and being disciplined and appreciating the gifts that God has provided.

While this book is not to my personal taste, it is very well written, and I think would be very inspirational and motivating for those that wish to integrate their faith into all areas of their health and well-being, including their health, fitness, relationships, emotional exploration, and financial management.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Living Fit: Make Your Life Count By Pursuing a Healthy You is a great book on the importance of holistic fitness in the life of the believer. If you’ve ever been tempted to neglect everything except your spiritual life, this is an encouraging wakeup call.

Though the title may imply physical fitness, this book is about far more than simply weight loss or exercise. It is about pursuing spiritual, physical, relational, financial, and emotional fitness. This book is applicable for every believer, and there are probably some areas in each of our lives that deserves some more in-depth thought, analysis, and attention.

We Need Holistic Fitness
At the heart of Living Fit is the need and desire to be wise Christians who are conscious of our overall well-being. Ronnie Floyd reminds us that “Living Fit will reveal the importance of your mind, will, emotions, and body being under the authority of God’s Spirit as it becomes mightier and controlled daily, consistently, and regularly” (p. 3). We must resist the temptation to compartmentalize our lives in such a way that we fail to care for ourselves holistically.

What does holistic fitness look like? It means taking care of ourselves spiritually, physically, relationally, financially, and emotionally. As you consider these ways to pursue fitness, it is clear that there is great overlap. This overlap is not something we should ignore or take lightly because it when we are unhealthy in one area, it often leads to unhealthiness in other areas as well.

We Need The Gospel
I thought this was going to be a book about health, but I was pleasantly surprised! Floyd begins with the need for the gospel and God’s grace as we pursue spiritual health. He states clearly in the opening chapter:

I have been saved by grace. I did not work for my salvation, but it was given to me freely. And I received it with a grateful heart...As I repented of my sins and turned by faith to Jesus fully and completely, I was saved by grace. This is the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. What Jesus did for me, He will do for you. While our stories are different, the result is the same. Jesus changed our lives.

This is a profound foundation for this book. Without spiritual health and being rooted and grounded in the gospel, we will fail in our pursuits of fitness in the other areas of our lives.

Are You Fit?
As I read, I picked up some vital practical insights on overall fitness. I enjoyed being challenged to think about my spiritual habits, physical care, relationships, finances, and emotional health. This was a good way to consider my overall life in a relatively short amount of time. Living Fit was jam-packed with practical tips and questions to assess myself and make a plan for growth. I was neither overwhelmed or underwhelmed at the depth Floyd takes his readers to in assessment of their lives.

Reading books like these can often be a time to boast and look for the faults and needs of others. But we really need to practice humility and honesty with ourselves as we consider our needs and weakness. Only when we follow “doctor’s orders” will we begin to take steps in the right direction.

One Potential Weakness
As I was reading the chapter about living lovingly, a paragraph jumped out at me. I am not one to drop the label “antinomian” or “free grace teacher” too quickly, but there is a paragraph that could be misunderstood if in the wrong hands:

God loves you regardless of how you live, how you conduct yourself, and how you treat Him and others. He loves you unconditionally. As much as and in the same way that He loves you, He loves the drunk on the street, the homeless man cuddled up in a blanket on a park bench, the drug addict close to an overdose, and the meanest person you know . . . unconditionally (p.99).

In reading the footnote, I was able to see that He was speaking of Romans 5:8 which says, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” For many, his paragraph will sound like easy believism and once-saved-always-saved (as opposed to the biblical doctrine of the perseverance of the saints). But in fairness to Floyd, he clearly states God’s predestining purpose to conform people to Christ’s image:

Our God who knows everything from the beginning has also predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. God is fashioning each of us into the image of Jesus. When we experience spiritual rebirth, God puts us into His family and sets His purpose into our life (p.99).
Therefore, the weakness is only a lack of explanation, not necessarily a weakness of his theology or view of the gospel.

A Good Choice
As Christians living in materialistic age defined by postmodernism, materialism, and narcissism, it is wise to consider our holistic fitness as a part of our discipleship. Living Fit is a great book to do this. If you’re looking for a groundbreaking theolgical treatise, you won’t find it here. If you’re looking for a diet and exercise plan, you find that either. If you’re looking to be more healthy in all aspects of your life, you’ll want to take a look at Living Fit.