The other day I received an email from a fellow Aussie homeschooler questioning why I seemed to advertise books by Bill Phillips (Body for Life) and Tom Venuto (Burn the Fat). You can see the page in question here. I thought that maybe other’s might have thought the same, so here is my response.

Hi,

Thanks for your email. I’m not quite sure what you mean about not expecting to read about exercise/fitness on my site. Firstly, I’m not advertising them. I don’t receive any commission or any profit whatsoever from my sites or writings. I write about things that have helped me in my walk [as a believer in Christ, a woman and a homeschooler].

Have you read BFL or Tom’s Burn the Fat book? If so, what did you think of them? [If any reader’s have read the books and/or used the programs, feel free to leave a comment].

Over the years I have struggled with my weight and have tried virtually every diet and exercise program known to man. I know of them all- but applying them by doing them is another story. However, I am learning more and more about it all. I am learning how important resistance training is for women. Oh I know that most homeschool mums want to learn about nutrition but sadly, the physical side of health is often neglected in homeschool circles.

Homeschooling is a marathon, not a sprint. Homeschooling long term requires endurance both physical and emotional. Nutrition, strength and fitness are essential for endurance. I don’t believe that [only] cardio is enough to develop and maintain good health and fitness.

Then, I read Body for Life which taught me about resistance training and how beneficial it is for weight loss but also for health. I also read Tom Venuto’s book. These are the best books on the subject, IMO. They provide balanced information.

I used to be an athlete (many years ago) but since getting married, I let my fitness go. My daughter is an athlete and being in good physical shape is important to her sport. While my other children have not chosen to pursue a career or an interest in sports I still think it is vitally important to be strong and healthy and fit, especially for males. So, I want to set a good example- by living it! I can’t expect my sons to pursue health, fitness and strength if I’m not prepared to be an example!

We need a healthy measure of good nutrition, cardio exercise and strength training. Building strong bones and muscles is important in the prevention of osteoporosis. It is also a key to losing weight! Jeannie Fulbright’s messages are the BFL program in a nutshell…and she is a Christian as well. But I don’t believe that we can’t learn things from people just because they aren’t professing believers. Just like anything else found on the Internet, there are extreme’s…but I?m not one to throw the baby out with the bath water. I tend to take the meat and spit out the bones! 🙂

While I do take care with providing links from my site I do have a disclaimer as well. However, after research I know of no reason why I shouldn’t mention these fellows’ work.

After much trial and error and finding the long way round things, I thought I’d share what I have found to be the best ways to health and fitness.

I hope this answers any questions. If not, feel free to ask me to clarify further. 🙂

In His Grace,