Drop Dead Healthy: One Man's Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection From the bestselling author of The Year of Living Biblically and The Know-It-All comes the true and truly hilarious story of one person’s quest to become the healthiest man in the world. Hospitalized with a freak case of tropical pneumonia, goaded by his wife telling him, “I don’t want to be a widow at forty-five,” and ashamed of a middle-aged body best described as “a python that swallowed a goat,” A.J. Jacobs felt compelled to change his ways and get healthy. And he didn’t want only to lose weight, or finish a triathlon, or lower his cholesterol. His ambitions were far greater: maximal health from head to toe. The task was epic. He consulted an army of experts— sleep consultants and sex clinicians, nutritionists and dermatologists. He subjected himself to dozens of different workouts—from Strollercize classes to Finger Fitness sessions, from bouldering with cavemen to a treadmill desk. And he took in a cartload of diets: raw foods, veganism, high protein, calorie restriction, extreme chewing, and dozens more. He bought gadgets and helmets, earphones and juicers. He poked and he pinched. He counted and he measured. The story of his transformation is not only brilliantly entertaining, but it just may be the healthiest book ever written. It will make you laugh until your sides split and endorphins flood your bloodstream. It will alter the contours of your brain, imprinting you with better habits of hygiene and diet. It will move you emotionally and get you moving physically in surprising ways. And it will give you occasion to reflect on the body’s many mysteries and the ultimate pursuit of health: a well-lived life. |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - annhepburn - LibraryThingAs ever, AJ Jacobs writes a funny, self-deprecating work that sneaks in some really useful information. I found myself sitting up straighter and eating better just by reading it. Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - klburnside - LibraryThingThis book chronicles the experiments of A.J. Jacobs to improve his health. It was not my favorite A.J. Jacobs book. I think I felt unsatisfied because he spent so little time on each experiment and ... Read full review
Contents
1 | |
The Heart | 29 |
The Ears | 53 |
The Immune System | 75 |
The Genitals | 101 |
The Lower Intestine | 131 |
The Brain | 165 |
The Endocrine System | 183 |
The Stomach Revisited | 223 |
The Heart Revisited | 247 |
The Bladder | 269 |
The Nose | 293 |
The Back | 313 |
The Skull | 335 |
Five Tips on Treadmill Desks | 357 |
Authors Note | 371 |
Other editions - View all
Drop Dead Healthy: One Man's Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection A. J. Jacobs No preview available - 2013 |
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