A. J. Jacobs's hugely entertaining book is about his experiences and lessons after he consulted an army of experts, from sleep consultants and sex clinicians to nutritionists and dermatologists. That's not all. Jacob also subjected his normal body to many different workouts - from Strollercize classes to Finger Fitness sessions, from bouldering with cavemen to a treadmill desk. Did I forget to mention that Jacob also tried a lot of diets: raw foods, veganism, high protein, calorie restriction, extreme chewing, and what not.To top it all, he bought all kinds of gadgets which would make his body superhuman.
The book is divided into chapters by months and body parts - eyes, finger fitness, aerobic exercise, weight training, adrenal gland, energy, longevity, brain aging, hearing, lungs, skin, foods and our bodies, different diets, body pains, feet and more.
Main ideas from a great read:
1. There is tons of information and theories (and experts) on how to be fit, but most of it often repititive or otherwise contradictory.
2. The main obstacle to super health is self control.
It is as simple as this.
3. Jacob's 3 tricks to induce self-control.
- Basically, Jacob practices Negative Motivation. When he has trouble giving up a favorite snack, he writes a large check to the American Nazi Party and vows to mail it next time he gives in to temptation. H
- Jacob digitally aged a photo of himself, using an app, so that he could better imagine himself in the future. Being able to picture his future self ("old A.J.") helped Jacob to stick to his fitness -goals.
- Jacob took inspiration from two people in their 90s.
His grandmother and fitness expert Jack La Lanne: He learnt from their ideas of healthy and long living.
If you liked this, please check out these great collections of useful advice:
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