There is the Holy Bible for mankind’s spirit and soul, but what about the body’s health? More specifically, what is there published for body building? A lot!… just like any subject, especially if it can also be related to looking good.
Looking good to others is probably something that I care the least about when compared to other reasons for being fit. I’m not saying that I wouldn’t be challenged if I had to spend the rest of my life in a deformed body. According to society, getting old these days is viewed as becoming deformed.
I, however, think its an honor to God when someone appreciates the way a healthy body naturally ages. When I say this, I’m not just including plastic surgery as an insult to God (tragedies, like getting burned in a fire or marred by a car accident, are exceptions since those things are unrelated to aging). I’ll even go so far as to say that dying the hair to hide gray color coming in is a form of rebellion against what nature intended.
For example, since its been proven that the brain absorbs the chemicals in shampoo through the scalp from repeated washings, its only logical that hair dye also seeps into the brain. The dye from tattoos slowly poison the body. Mercury from corroded amalgam fillings are another toxin (I know that from personal experience). Even ‘wearing’ underarm deodorants have been proven to have a negative affect on the body’s health over the long range. If a person stinks without such aids, most likely its because of bad body chemistry leaking out acidic odors usually due to a poor diet. If it wasn’t true that bad health can manifest itself through unpleasant odors, then dogs wouldn’t be able to detect things like cancer through scent.
Enough said about external influences. Now about the internal bodily mechanisms. Just as the planet earth has a delicate eco-system, every human body also has one. What we need to do is be in communication with what our bodies are trying to tell us. That’s easier said than done, especially considering how powerful and easy it is to deceive oneself. Even so, common sense can be enough for good health. But with all the books there are about healthy living, how many are there which are based on good sense? I have two favorites I’d like to mention.
My favorite book on nutrition is by Rex Russell, M.D., titled What the Bible Says About Healthy Living: Three Biblical Principles That Will Change Your Diet and Improve Your Health. There are several editions of this book. From what I recall, there are many who agree with me that those which include the ISBN numbers 0800717686, and are between the 1996 and 1999 editions, are the best copies. The hardcover copy I have has beautiful photographs throughout the book that makes it nice to have laying out where people can see it to browse through (e.g., the coffee table). With the way it’s written, it is highly enjoyable to read and easy to comprehend. Plus, it contains enough information about nutrition so it isn’t necessary to have other books on the same topic in order to understand how foods affect the body.
My favorite book on exercise is by James Villepigue, Hugo Rivera, Robert Kennedy, and Nicole Rollolazo, titled The Body Sculpting Bible for Women, Revised Edition: The Way to Physical Perfection.¹ There are several different Body Sculpting Bibles for men or women and for general body building or specific areas. The exercise routines maximize healthy results while instructing readers how to successfully achieve these goals using a minimum amount of time. The trick is in knowing when to do what and in what order. They explain the importance of ‘periodization training’ (also known as ‘muscle confusion’) for preventing the body from reaching a plateau where continued effort brings little-to-no result.
If either one (or both) of the books I mentioned are not enough to change the way you think about how the body works, then I also recommend None of These Diseases by S. I. McMillan. I doubt that S. I. McMillan is still living. However, in March of the year 2000, he was still alive while being over 102 years old! Besides having become a centurion, Dr. McMillan was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Medical School and the London School of Tropical Medicine, a medical missionary in Africa (for many years before he established a medical practice in New York), a college professor, and a Bible scholar. This book is also available in several editions. The best copies include the ISBN numbers 0800780302, and are between the 1993 and 1996 editions. The most recent edition, None of These Diseases: The Bible’s Health Secrets for the 21st Century, is not as good as the earlier ones before McMillen’s grandson, Dr. David E. Stern, M.D., joined as co-author. David Stern is trained in internal medicine and is listed in “America’s Top Physicians,” published by the Consumer Research Council. He added some updated materials in the revised editions.
It doesn’t make sense to read a ‘how-to’ book if it doesn’t also explain in enough detail ‘why-to’ do what it’s in there. That’s what I love the most about these books I’ve mentioned in this post.
¹Even though the Body Sculpting books include exercises using gym equipment, you can still apply most of the routines in these books by having only a few inexpensive aids; such as: an exercise ball, floor mat, and weights. It also helps to be creative when searching for a substitute. For example, doing the High Chair Scissors exercises can be done if you have a tree nearby with a couple of branches available to rest your arms on (placing folded towels underneath to cushion the pressure).
