Prayfit: Your Guide to A Healthy Body and A Stronger Faith in 28 Days [Hardcover]

Jimmy Pena (Author)

Book Description

Release date: December 6, 2010

From the exercise physiologist of Tyler Perry and Mario Lopez comes PrayFit, a whole person fitness system designed to strengthen body and deepen faith. At its core, PrayFit is about effort: giving your best in two areas that are vital to well-being—faith and fitness. The underlying approach is simple: Make a daily appointment to spend quality time with the Lord and to exercise.
This 28-day plan guides readers of any fitness level to begin a workout routine that can be done at home with little to no equipment, to make small but effective changes in their diet and to grow in biblical knowledge and spiritual strength. As they follow the specially designed meal plans and workouts, readers will see the physical results of their efforts almost immediately—and as they reflect on the daily devotional reading (contributions from Pastor Jimmy Page, VP of Field Ministry and National Director of Wellness for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes) and Scripture verses, they will begin to understand the eternal dimension of giving their best. Living God’s promised abundant life isn’t only about faith . . . though that’s where it starts. PrayFit is the best way to claim that promise both inside and out.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Jimmy Pena, wrote a great book called "PrayFit". This is a good read to get you motivated and started. If you want to take your life back, this book can help you. God bless!"- Tyler Perry

 

“Jimmy Pena is one of the most knowledgeable fitness writers I know. He’s one of our nation’s leading fitness resources. Respect.” –LL Cool J

 

“Not only is Jimmy Pena one of my best friends, but whenever I want to get dialed-in for a role or photo shoot, he’s my only call. And I love starting my day at PrayFit.com, building spiritual and physical muscle. A one-of-a-kind concept from the best in the business.” –Mario Lopez

 

About the Author

Jimmy Peña is the founder of PRAYFIT and the exercise physiologist for Tyler Perry and Mario Lopez, among others. He received his master's degree in clinical exercise physiology from the University of Texas at Tyler in 1998. Jimmy served as the fitness director for Muscle & Fitness and Muscle & Fitness Hers magazines for more than a decade, authoring and editing hundreds of articles on training and fitness--making him one of the nation's most published training experts. He designed the women's training programs for LL Cool J's New York Times best-seller Platinum Workout, served as creator and host of the Muscle & Fitness DVD series The Rock-Hard Challenge and contributed to Mario Lopez's Knockout Fitness. Jimmy is an ongoing resource for NBC's EXTRA and is the co-author of the New York Times Bestseller, EXTRA LEAN by Mario Lopez.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Regal (December 6, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780830756513
• ISBN-13: 978-0830756513
• ASIN: 0830756515
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 0.9 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #76,399 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

92 of 95 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Balance of Faith and Fitness December 13, 2010

By Catrina Vargas-Cormell

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I didn't really know what to expect with the PrayFit book, but what I found was a book tailor made for those who REALLY want to grow in their faith, develop a deeper understanding of nutrition and get fit by beginning or continuing a body-weight-only exercise program. As with any exercise book or program, it's only as good as how much work you put into it, but there are no gimmicks here, these concepts are tried and true and only require commitment on our part to see results.
Each day contains seven components, Faith (the daily reading and devotion), Pastors Point (which are personal reflection questions based on the devotion), Today's Prayer, Walking with Him (a spiritual exercise for the day), the Workout, Firm Believer (a fitness tip) and Food Byte (nutritional info). There are also recipes thrown in once a week. In the back of the book you'll find a breakdown of the exercises, menu options, a sample menu week, PrayFit nutrition basics and a few essays. The book actually contains two 28 day programs.
Starting with the "Faith" portion, I was pleasantly surprised to see how much emphasis was placed on the spiritual side. I somewhat expected the book to be mostly about fitness with a little 'faith' thrown in for good measure, after all, it's written by an Exercise Physiologist. But there is equal attention given to one's spiritual health. I particularly liked the follow-up questions (Pastor's Point), because as someone who enjoys fitness I can easily 'read' the devotional just to get it done to get to the 'important part.' The Pastor's Point forced me to slow down and really reflect on what I had just read. And what I found is, the questions will do me a load of good if I force myself to answer them, not just read them and move on.... I know, earth shattering stuff, but again, what we get out of it is solely determined by what we're willing to put into it.
The "Fitness" portion of each day, at first seems overly simplistic, that is until you actually DO the work! I love that they're body weight exercises, no fancy, expensive equipment to buy and also no excuses, everyone has a body. Rest days are included. I love the idea of making your maximum from yesterday your minimum today. In other words, constant progression. In the introduction, Jimmy says "The body will only change to the level it is stressed... If you keep challenging yourself, your body will keep getting stronger, fitter, leaner, faster." Sounds good to me! I definitely think this program is good for someone just starting out or something that someone can add to their 'regular' fitness routine.
I didn't get the feeling while reading this book that the author was withholding info to save for another release, this book is chock-full of helpful stuff, I felt like I had everything I needed to get in shape both physically and spiritually, from the "bytes" of nutritional info to the daily fitness tips via the "Firm Believer" segments.
My only two complaints are that Jimmy Pena's devotions seemed to be on average, shorter than Jimmy Page's and I would've liked him to have expanded on his thoughts a bit more, he has a lot of good stuff to say. The other thing is, it's mentioned in the introduction that there is Journal Space included with each day and I really didn't find it. There was blank space at the end of MOST days but I guess I was looking for a spot that said "Journal" or "Notes" because like I said, the "blank space" was hit and miss. Nothing major, just things I noticed.
The reader is encouraged to go to Prayfit.com to start a workout journal and that's an excellent idea since accountability is so important to success. I love that an email is provided if one has additional questions, [e-mail], that made me feel like I had support and I also love that they're on Facebook and Youtube because apparently I was doing the lunge wrong!
Final thought: In the essay at the back of the book Jimmy talks about "back in the day" when kids used to go out side and play for hours, I was one of those kids. After school we were ordered outside to play and didn't come in till it was time for dinner. And sometimes we went back out to play till it was bedtime. That doesn't happen anymore, as a nation, we've stopped playing (exercising) and insist on being entertained (for hours) and we are paying the price for it. I don't have children, but this definitely has me thinking about my nieces and nephews and how I can model for them the importance of staying active and living a healthy life.

Update: Having finished the 28 day program I can definitely say that it builds strength in one's physical and spiritual life. Wow, what a workout! I've been working out pretty consistently for some time but this was an awesome challenge for me. The whole PrayFit model of progressive workouts is amazing, trying to beat your own times and reps each day sets you on a fast track to building strength. It also shined a monster spotlight on my weak areas, which I am tackling now (post '28 days').
The spiritual component has helped me build a habit of daily reading the Bible and a devotion and I feel like something is off if I don't 'get it in' as part of my day, and that was a very weak area of my life.
The 28 days was challenging, sticking to it and not giving up really tested me but I'm so glad I finished. It showed me so much about who I am and what I need to be working on both physically and spiritually.
I can not recommend this book enough. Read more ›

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is AMAZING!!! January 6, 2011

By Jacqueline M. Morales

Format:Hardcover

If you want a book that will lead you to TOTAL health and fitness; not just for mind and body, but for your spirit as well, then PrayFit is it! I was so amazed with how easy it was to start using this program, and how great I feel knowing that I am improving both my body and my soul. This book really has it all: devotions, workouts, meal plans... I just love logging onto PrayFit.com each morning and starting my day off right. What an amazing way to start the New Year! :)

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Prosper - Spirit, Soul and Body December 17, 2010

By Inspired by Books

Format:Hardcover

In this inspirational, challenging devotional, the authors help you "workout" every part of who you are. It isn't enough to work on your body...your soul and spirit need to be "defined" and trained as well.

Each of the days is a wonderful encouragement to give the Lord your best in every area of your life. The body resistance exercises are doable...push to failure and then the next day push further.

One of the most innovative elements of the book is the ability to have Jimmy Pena, trainer to Mario Lopez. LL Cool J and others, train you for the price of the book! You can access training videos through a web link. What a great idea! Exercise done right; life done right.

Buy this book...you will change...spirt, soul and body.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Yeah for this book June 9, 2011

By adayriddle

Format:Hardcover

28 days to a stronger faith and a healthy body - too good to be true? - not with this book.

I am thankful that this book is not about conforming to the world's standards of weight loss but is focused on a whole person experience of fitness. Each day has four sections: 1. The Exercise: daily scripture readings with a study to help you dig deeper into scripture, 2. Pastor's Point: a few questions that make the reader think more in depth about the scripture passages, 3. Walking with Him: This is the spiritual exercise designed to help the reader develop a closer walk with the Lord, 4. Journal space for your thoughts on the passages and bible study. This is all followed by the fitness part.

I have greatly enjoyed the bible study part! However, the exercise was a bit intimidating to me. I am not physically fit at all. So when day one opened with an inclined push up my mouth dropped open! I did it though, and intend to keep trying to do more (I don't think 3 is a great number to start at, but three is good for someone who has had no previous exercise regimen other than chasing after toddlers all day. I do not think this book is discouraging in anyway. Rather it creates in the reader a desire to seek physical fitness as well as spiritual fitness.

In fact I found that the main emphasis is on the spiritual fitness, with the follow-up being the physical.

Thank you Gospel Light for this review copy.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Prayfit is very fit to read! July 28, 2011

By Tom A. Fabrizio

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Prayfit is a great and realistic book to help get the workout we all need. It is simple to follow, hits both our physical as well as our spiritual needs and really works. It does not matter how fit, or not, you may be, the plan laid out in the book will work for anyone. I really like the spiritual aspect too since that side we often ignore yet is probably the most important aspect we need to work on so that we have a proper view of our self worth. Great job!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommend this book July 26, 2011

By Rebecca Ann

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I purchased this book for both my son and husband, and I love it. It is a great balance, inspiring the reader spiritually, physcially and the food tips are helpful. I have begun the program myself and can testify this book is a wonderful gift to pass along.

Rebecca.