Fitness and Health – What’s the Mitzvah? is a mussar-like handbook to guide the reader on a daily and weekly basis towards a greater level of kavana (consciousness) and hishtadlut (effort) in shmirat haguf (caring for the body). It is a response to a growing awareness that Jewish communities have not paid enough attention to shmirat haguf. We have the same stats as the general public. We have tragic levels of often-preventable conditions like diabetes and cardio-vascular disease. Our Torah and avodah (spiritual practice) are greatly handicapped because we are not meeting this challenge. Yet we have tremendous Torah wisdom and medical knowledge on how to improve this situation! This book brings some of that together in a pragmatic way. It was written under the guidance of rabbanim, doctors and dieticians.

Table of Contents:

Part 1 (Weeks 1-8)
What is the Torah Perspective on a Healthy Lifestyle?……….. 4
Part 2 (Weeks 9-14)
What is the Moral Imperative of Healthy Living?……….. 28
Part 3 (Weeks 15-35)
What is a Healthy Lifestyle?……….. 44
Part 4 (Weeks 36-49)
Special Jewish Health Topics, Challenges & Solutions……….. 106

Appendices
A: How to calculate your BMR….. 134
B: Body Mass Index (BMI)….. 136
C: Seven special under-appreciated foods….. 139
D: Sugar substitutes….. 144
E: Types of exercise….. 146
F: Food-related disease risks….. 147
G. Wisdom from the American Diabetes Foundation
….. and other sources……….. 149
H: Food calorie guide….. 158

The book has been completed and accepted for publication by Mosaica Press, who have achieved excellent market penetration. They are highly enthusiastic about this book. Mosaica, like most smaller presses, works on a “co-publishing” model: we need to provide up-front typesetting and printing costs. To that end, I would like to invite you to place a dedication in the book. You and your loved ones (whomever you do the dedication to) will have a chelek (portion) of this mitzvah.

When we reach $3,000, Mosaica will begin the editing and typesetting. When we reach $10,500 we will be able to go to press. Funds raised beyond that net will be used for creating educational programs and chavurot (learning groups) around this subject.

All contributions are fully tax-deductible….and….

All contributions of $100 or more will receive a free copy of the book as our way of saying thank you.

Tizku l’mitzvot!