I have known Phil since 1993, when his white hair was short and I was founding editor of Inside Triathlon magazine. A fellow athlete and journalist Hal Walter turned me onto Phil and the first edition of In Fitness and In Health. The book was an eye-opener regarding a spate of topics: fat burning during aerobic workouts, proper nutrition, handling stress. What the book emphasized is that one can be fit with ripped abs and bulging pecs but can be plagued with health woes and chronic ailments due to a compromised immune system. Phil's book taught one how to listen to one's body in order to stave off preventable illness and health concerns.

If only I had paid closer attention to Phil's sage counsel after I left the magazine and later started a new career writing books about politics and the media. As I got older but not necessarily wiser, I watched both my health and fitness hit rock bottom. Just after I turned 50, I was desperate for help--and not the expensive and usually worthless variety dispensed by the HMOs. I was addicted to Advil, eating pizza three times a week, downing a six-pack of Coke every two days, sleeping poorly, and doing little exercise. My moods were black as coal, my energy level zilch. But with Phil's guidance, which is mapped out with perfect clarity in the new, revised and fifth edition of In Fitness and In Health, I began changing my diet (he smartly told me to avoid those pricey de-tox diet kits and eat healthy foods instead like eggs, broccoli, and spinach) and got to work on improving my aerobic conditioning. Which meant walking 20-30 minutes a day, five or six days a week. I did this consistently for six weeks before I began slowly jogging. I also threw away my high-tech running shoes, per Phil's recommendation, because these types of shoes with built-up soles and heel support can cause foot and knee damage, and used cheap, flat shoes instead. Additionally, based on what I learned from reading In Fitness and In Heath, I stopped eating wheat-based foods and weaned myself from an addiction to Coke and root beer. I haven't had a soft drink in several months.

I know that the road back to sound health and fitness can be a long, slow journey. But it sure helps when your travel guide is Phil. He will keep you and your body out of harm's way. Bottom line: if you are looking for one book that offers a comprehensive, holistic approach to better fitness and better health, you need to look no further. Ignore those quick-fix fitness and lose-weight-now! titles that are always appearing on the best-seller lists. They are like cheap flings. The romance will sour quick enough, and you'll be back to your own bad habits. In Fitness and In Health teaches you to how to break crummy lifestyle habits through eating well, working out the right way, stress management, and of course, by learning how to pay attention to your body’s needs. Keep a copy of his book in your car, by the bed, or in the bathroom. Buy it for your friend who’s always complaining about his or her weight or are wheezing just going up a flight of a stairs. Tonight, I am going on an hour mountain run. I wouldn't be able to do this without Phil's help.

– Bill Katovsky, San Francisco, CA USA

Bill Katovsky is editor, author, and co-author of several books, including Bike for Life: How to Bike to 100 and Embedded: The Media at War In Iraq, which won Harvard’s Goldsmith Book Prize. He’s finished the Hawaii Ironman twice and is founder of Tri-Athlete magazine.