Drop Dead Healthy: One Man's Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection

When I first sat down to read this book on my kindle, I had a pretty clear idea of how committed this writer really is to experimentation and research. I've read The Know-it-all and The Year of Living biblically and enjoyed them both. This author has the perfect balance of facts and humor that I've ever read.Not only does he plunge himself into the subjects he tackles but he does so for months or even years, reading every book on the subject he intends to document.So when I heard that he was completing his, what he calls, "Mind, Body and Soul Trilogy", I had to buy it right away. Chances are I will read it again.Since this is a non-fiction book, I decided to review it in three ways: entertainment, interesting and what I've learned.Is it entertaining?Yes, extremely. I marveled at the wealth of facts he's unearthed on health myths and just how far some people will go to remain healthy. Some fanatics are so into their own health clicks that they don't even know they are causing more harm than good. Like his other books, there were times when I had to put the book down because I had to walk off a laugh-out-loud moment. My wife thought I was crazy. I was so immersed and interested in knowing these healthy weirdoes. I laughed at the fact that there are people out there in public parks running around like cavemen thinking that doing so is the pinnacle of healthy living. I doubled over in a giggle fit finding out that the writer hurt his shoulder kayaking on the Wii console, or through his misadventures during a Laugh-Yoga class, or finding out that cursing alleviates stubbed toe pain. Yes, the laughs are not on every single page but there were more than enough to keep me reading.Is it interesting?I would say so. I was particularly surprised at just how many Health habits aren't good for you. There are people addicted to exercising or never getting sick. There are people obsessed with Whole Foods when really you will still find sugar around every corner and the only thing getting slimmer is your own wallet. As for the diets, he's tried them all. He even covered the South Beach Diet which I was on at one point. Yes it made me slim down slightly but I felt miserable the whole time.What I've learned?Since reading this book, I've become a firm believer in Chewdism. While I won't spend a full minute chewing my food, I do find myself slowing down and chewing my food more. I know that chocolate, especially dark chocolate, is good for your heart. I've become more health conscious, joining weight watchers to track my meals and doing Power90 exercises (35 minutes on weekdays) and feeling good about it. Whenever I can, I get up and walk around. I'm actually interested in buying a pedometer to measure how many steps I take in a regular work day. I used to be part Hypochondriac and part OCD but now I'm actively taking steps to limit those stray thoughts and feeling less worrisome about it. I now make a list of things I know I should not have: No Soda, No Ice Cream, No Burritos. In short, this book motivated me to get fit quick.As for the people who try to knock this one man's efforts, I would say that they should know that it isn't really all that healthy leaving a bad review to a well-researched, two-year invested, delightful escape into one subject that is so easy to laugh about. I mean, come on, the guy wrote this entire book while on a treadmill, that's commitment right there.

I like A.J. Jacobs. His books always focus on a particular area, which he tackles like the journalist that he is. He shares facts you might not even know you wanted to know! Because they are in the context of a memoir-type book, he also mixes in some humor and personal insight with the skillfully relayed information, and I eat it up.When I saw the audio was available for his newest book, I snatched it up.Jacobs devoted two years to this project, exploring different health trends (both in fitness and in nutrition), and also devoting periods of time to specific body parts (ears, feet, etc.). For example, in the ear section, he wears noise-canceling headphones to reduce noise pollution and interviews an expert in the field about sources and ways to avoid this "danger."While Jacobs was working on increasing his health and longevity, his grandfather's health was failing. This made for an interesting contrast, and also gave the book a personal and emotional element.I didn't enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed his other two books that I've read, however some of the facts have definitely stuck with me. For example, I try harder not to be sedentary as much, since I (and most Americans) spend far too much time just sitting. The facts he shared about more activity increasing health hit home. No, I won't be building a treadmill desk like Jacobs did, but I do find myself choosing to stand while I'm on the phone or sorting the mail. Every little bit helps.I still recommend Drop Dead Healthy for fans of A.J. Jacobs or those who are interested in health news and trends.AUDIOBOOK NOTES:This book is read by the author, which is always a mixed blessing to me. With the rare exception, the quality is not the same as when it's done by a professional, but the upside is that the person reading the book actually penned the words, so he or she obviously has a connection to the text. Jacobs has a nasally New York accent, which goes along perfectly with the setting of the book. I liked knowing that the "real" A.J. Jacobs was the one relaying these anecdotes. I actually first discovered A.J. Jacobs with the audio of The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World, which was not read by the author, and though I thoroughly enjoyed it, it did seem a bit too professional for the style of the book.

Like A J, I wanna be fit and healthy, and yeah, sure I'll do whatever it takes (within reason of course. As long as it doesn't cost me to-o-o-o much, in money, in pain, in time, in effort. Like most of us), So, what to do?Cos if you follow ALL the advice, as A J shows, firstly you'll get dizzy, bouncing all the way from a to z and back again, cos the advice is many-times contradictory; secondly if you're serious about this, it'll take over your life; AND, thirdly, you'll look a right idiot - see the picture of A J on the back cover of the print book. Do YOU want to go out looking like that? In public??But hey, maybe ... what if it works????And that's where A J comes in, bless him. Cos he tries it. All. One bit at a time. And it's hilarious. I love A J,. If you enjoy dry New York wit, add in A J's totally daft approach to the challenge (and the reactions of his long-suffering wife), mix it with his journalist's writing skills and ... enjoy the ride!!(I doubt you'll get any fitter. But you might be a bit wiser. And you'll have had a lotta fun :-) ).

I have read all of this author's pervious books and while i appreciate that he has deadlines, bills etc. i feel that this project was not carried out over a long enough time period for the author to fully explore all the options. Written with Mr Jacobs unique engaging honest manner i cannot praise the writting style highly enough and the effort put into the project is obvious but it feels rushed and SOME of the concepts are not investigated to what in my opinion is a satisfactory conclusion. That being said as soon as his next book is released i will still purchase it as the enjoyment and insight from the authour is immense

I was really excited to read this book because I'd heard Tim Ferriss talk about it on his podcast. It was entertaining and witty but I didn't come away learning too much. It would probably be unfair to say "he didn't try hard enough" but that's kinda how I feel. Maybe it's because he doesn't really labour how difficult changing elements of his life were?Overall, entertaining and funny but don't come here expecting to learn everything about health. This is a journey about his struggles with becoming healthy which I'd recommend to a friend.

Entertaining look at various fitness and nutrition fads. It's enjoyable to read and reasonably informative. This is more light entertainment than insightful journalism!

Amusing and in the process of amusing you he imparts much useful health information . Funny man . ( I'm not sure about how practical his preferred method of evacuating your waste is though ! )