Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collections
Publication
Helsinki : Nemo, 2012
Description
"Having sanctified himself in The Year of Living Biblically and sharpened his mind in The Know-It-All, A. J. Jacobs had one feat left in the self-improvement trinity: to become the healthiest man in the world. He didn't want just to lose weight, or finish a triathlon, or lower his cholesterol. His ambitions were far, far greater: Maximal health from head to toe.The task was massive. He had to tackle a complicated web of diet and exercise advice, much of which was nonsensical, unproven, and contradictory. He had to consult a team of medical advisers. And he had to subject himself to a grueling regimen of exercises, a range of diets, and an array of practices to improve everything from his hearing to his sleep to his sex life all the while testing the patience of his long-suffering wife. He left nothing untested, from the caveman workout to veganism, from the treadmill desk to extreme chewing. Drop Dead Healthy teems with hilarity and warmth and pushes our cultures assumptions about and obsessions with what makes good health, allowing the reader to reflect on his or her own health, body, and eventual mortality"-- "One mans comedic journey to discover how to live as healthfully as possible"--… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member debnance
I like to rate books the way I rate food; books and food can be (1) delicious and (2) nutritious. Some books, like chick lit and mysteries, are mostly just delicious. Some books, like history books, are mostly just nutritious.
A. J. Jacobs’ books are a little of both. Yummy and good-for-you.
Especially this book. Drop Dead Healthy, like all of Jacobs’ books, is the story of Jacobs attempting to challenge himself to do something very difficult. This time Jacobs takes on the challenge of becoming very healthy. Very, very healthy. And, like all of his books, Jacobs loves to push himself to extremes. (Who can forget the chapter in Year of Living Biblically when Jacobs tells how he went to the park in NYC and began to follow the Biblical edict to stone adulterers?)
Jacobs, in his quest to become very, very healthy, attempts to eat right, exercise properly, experience quiet, lower his stress, de-toxify his home, breathe better, have a perfect night’s sleep, stand up straight, see better….Whew! It is exhausting to just read the list of all the things he attempts to do in order to try to be the world’s healthiest person.
Yes, exhausting but also hilarious. Jacobs doesn’t do anything halfway. He is torn, at one point in the book, between trying to decide whether to wear earphones (to mute the noise of city life) or a helmet (to protect his skull). (His poor wife. I always think about his poor wife when I read his books. Did she have any idea what she was in for when she married him?!)
You can’t help but take in a little of the knowledge about good health that Jacobs shares in bits and pieces all through the book.
A. J. Jacobs’ books are a little of both. Yummy and good-for-you.
Show More
Especially this book. Drop Dead Healthy, like all of Jacobs’ books, is the story of Jacobs attempting to challenge himself to do something very difficult. This time Jacobs takes on the challenge of becoming very healthy. Very, very healthy. And, like all of his books, Jacobs loves to push himself to extremes. (Who can forget the chapter in Year of Living Biblically when Jacobs tells how he went to the park in NYC and began to follow the Biblical edict to stone adulterers?)
Jacobs, in his quest to become very, very healthy, attempts to eat right, exercise properly, experience quiet, lower his stress, de-toxify his home, breathe better, have a perfect night’s sleep, stand up straight, see better….Whew! It is exhausting to just read the list of all the things he attempts to do in order to try to be the world’s healthiest person.
Yes, exhausting but also hilarious. Jacobs doesn’t do anything halfway. He is torn, at one point in the book, between trying to decide whether to wear earphones (to mute the noise of city life) or a helmet (to protect his skull). (His poor wife. I always think about his poor wife when I read his books. Did she have any idea what she was in for when she married him?!)
You can’t help but take in a little of the knowledge about good health that Jacobs shares in bits and pieces all through the book.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bragan
A.J. Jacobs spent a little over two years on a project to become as healthy as possible, concentrating on different health regimes and different parts of the body at different times, and he reports the results of both his research and his personal experiences here. He tries out a number of
It's a quick, easy, breezy read, and some of the odd corners of fitness and medicine he explores are fairly interesting, but I have to say, I don't feel all that much more enlightened on health issues for having read it. Some of that is no doubt due to the fact that each chapter is pretty short, so no one topic is explored in great depth, but I think it's probably mostly because all the best, most well-established health advice is still common-sense stuff you already know, but, if you're like me, find ridiculously difficult to actually live by: eat less junk food and more vegetables, get some exercise or at least try to be less sedentary, get enough sleep, don't smoke, don't stress, have friends. All of which is worth being reminded of, but not necessarily all that exciting to read about.
And with some exceptions (mostly involving visits to his elderly grandfather, who seemed like an interesting person), I also found Jacobs' personal experiences and insights in this one less compelling than I did in his The Year of Living Biblically. Which is odd, considering that I don't have a religion but do have a body. But there it is. Ultimately, I found this one perfectly readable, but also pretty forgettable.
Show More
different health and fitness philosophies, from the well-established to the decidedly fringe, but he generally does a reasonable job of trying to maintain a healthy skepticism (um, so to speak), and to make it clear whether the scientific support for a particular health recommendation is solid, iffy, or non-existent. (Most of it, honestly, seems to come somewhere in the "iffy" category.)It's a quick, easy, breezy read, and some of the odd corners of fitness and medicine he explores are fairly interesting, but I have to say, I don't feel all that much more enlightened on health issues for having read it. Some of that is no doubt due to the fact that each chapter is pretty short, so no one topic is explored in great depth, but I think it's probably mostly because all the best, most well-established health advice is still common-sense stuff you already know, but, if you're like me, find ridiculously difficult to actually live by: eat less junk food and more vegetables, get some exercise or at least try to be less sedentary, get enough sleep, don't smoke, don't stress, have friends. All of which is worth being reminded of, but not necessarily all that exciting to read about.
And with some exceptions (mostly involving visits to his elderly grandfather, who seemed like an interesting person), I also found Jacobs' personal experiences and insights in this one less compelling than I did in his The Year of Living Biblically. Which is odd, considering that I don't have a religion but do have a body. But there it is. Ultimately, I found this one perfectly readable, but also pretty forgettable.
Show Less
LibraryThing member SqueakyChu
In this book of "immersion journalism", author A.J. Jacobs works on a two-year program for getting himself healthy. He does this by focusing on one body part at a time in order to increase his personal health. I loved his "check-in" pages. Those were pages in which he gave his weight and other
One thing I especially liked about this book was that the author was not a "health nut" which meant that he could look at many ideas of "getting healthy" with curiosity as well as skepticism. During this time, his wife was a patient partner, but sometimes merely an onlooker. What touched me most about this book, though, were the descriptions of the relationships he had with his grandfather and his eccentric aunt. What do they have to do with health? Read the book, and you will find out.
Drop Dead Healthy was such a fun read that I was sorry it ended. I had no idea that this book was going to be so funny. The only chapter that was not funny, oddly enough, was one about a laughing club. However, I thoroughly enjoyed all of the other laughs provided by this author and hope to pick up at least one more of his books soon.
Show More
interesting statistics. I was checking to see if he and I were losing weight at the same rate or not (well, it varied!).One thing I especially liked about this book was that the author was not a "health nut" which meant that he could look at many ideas of "getting healthy" with curiosity as well as skepticism. During this time, his wife was a patient partner, but sometimes merely an onlooker. What touched me most about this book, though, were the descriptions of the relationships he had with his grandfather and his eccentric aunt. What do they have to do with health? Read the book, and you will find out.
Drop Dead Healthy was such a fun read that I was sorry it ended. I had no idea that this book was going to be so funny. The only chapter that was not funny, oddly enough, was one about a laughing club. However, I thoroughly enjoyed all of the other laughs provided by this author and hope to pick up at least one more of his books soon.
Show Less
LibraryThing member kaylaraeintheway
I have to admit, I was really hesitant to read a health book, but it turns out that this book isn't just a regular, boring book about all the stuff you have to go without to be healthy. Jacobs spends 2 years focusing on specific areas of the body and, through research and talking to various doctors
Jacobs has a humorous and self-deprecating writing style, which makes this book all the more entertaining. I want to pick up his other books (about his year of living biblically and about the time he decided to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica).
Show More
and experts, he tries different diets, practices, exercises, and a myriad other things to become "the healthiest man alive". Of course, that's nearly impossible to do. But through Jacobs' stories and experiments, I learned a lot about the human body and the creative, and sometimes insane, things people do to be healthy. I was even inspired to start living my life in a more healthy way (although I won't be running around barefoot with noise-cancelling headphones).Jacobs has a humorous and self-deprecating writing style, which makes this book all the more entertaining. I want to pick up his other books (about his year of living biblically and about the time he decided to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica).
Show Less
LibraryThing member mountie9
The Good Stuff
I think this is my favorite non-fiction books this year
Author is self deprecating and you know I adore that in a writer
Truly fascinating, unique and positively hilarious
Touched by his obvious love for his wife and children and the appreciation he has for them putting up with all
I need to read all the rest of his books now
Has a "Super Size Me" feel to it
He is a master at transitioning from one topic to the next - very impressive!
Classy and tactful
I have never laughed this hard while reading a non-fiction book before & I have read ALOT of hilarious non-fiction
Enjoyed the comments from his wife about some of the things he did -- she sounds like a fabulous woman
Best idea ever for motivating someone to stop doing something - don't want to spoil it for you but page 231 in my ARC
The bit about Coco Chanel will make you laugh
Inspired me to make some changes in my life
The Not So Good Stuff
If he was my husband I would have killed him by now with all the crazy stuff he does
When I read about the Dr who actually performs surgery to change the sounds of your farts - I laughed so hard the cat jumped off my lap and left nasty scratch marks on me -- A.J. you owe me some polysporin
Now have sudden urge for dried mango's
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"I want to be around to teach the importance of having compassion and why the original Willy Wonka is superior to the remake."
"If done properly, with enough protein and B12 supplements, it's certainly better than the Standard American Diet. (Then again, eating nothing but asbestos sandwiches is probably better than the Standard American Diet.)
"His quotes are both hilarious and inspiring: "Fifteen minutes to warm up? Does a lion warm up when he's hungry? 'Uh-oh, here comes an antelope. Better warm up.' No! He just goes out there and eats the sucker." I printed that out and put it on my wall next to the passage about Carl Sagan."
"Though in the case of my children, the rate is much higher. It's amazing how a strip of sticky plastic will make my kids' pain vanish. Lucas will be howling about a stepped-on finger, but as soon as the SpongeBob Band-Aid touches his pinkie, he is all smiles. My sons are so convinced of the magical healing powers of Band-Aids, they think they can solve almost any problem. A couple of years ago, when our Sony TV blew a fuse, Jasper stuck a Band-Aid on the screen hoping to revive it."
What I learned
About who created the graham cracker and why he created it (No I am not telling you - go buy the book - or go to your local library and pick up a copy - and while you are there tell the Library workers how wonderful they are -- and maybe bring them some chocolate)
Tons of other fascinating facts about health and diet that sorta scared me at times
About Blueberries - trust me that was interesting
Who Should/Shouldn't Buy
Yup this one is a highly recommended read for everyone
This will be a Christmas purchase for the brother in laws -- all FOUR of them
5 Dewey's
I received book from Simon and Schuster in Exchange for an honest review
I think this is my favorite non-fiction books this year
Author is self deprecating and you know I adore that in a writer
Truly fascinating, unique and positively hilarious
Touched by his obvious love for his wife and children and the appreciation he has for them putting up with all
Show More
his shenanigans I need to read all the rest of his books now
Has a "Super Size Me" feel to it
He is a master at transitioning from one topic to the next - very impressive!
Classy and tactful
I have never laughed this hard while reading a non-fiction book before & I have read ALOT of hilarious non-fiction
Enjoyed the comments from his wife about some of the things he did -- she sounds like a fabulous woman
Best idea ever for motivating someone to stop doing something - don't want to spoil it for you but page 231 in my ARC
The bit about Coco Chanel will make you laugh
Inspired me to make some changes in my life
The Not So Good Stuff
If he was my husband I would have killed him by now with all the crazy stuff he does
When I read about the Dr who actually performs surgery to change the sounds of your farts - I laughed so hard the cat jumped off my lap and left nasty scratch marks on me -- A.J. you owe me some polysporin
Now have sudden urge for dried mango's
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"I want to be around to teach the importance of having compassion and why the original Willy Wonka is superior to the remake."
"If done properly, with enough protein and B12 supplements, it's certainly better than the Standard American Diet. (Then again, eating nothing but asbestos sandwiches is probably better than the Standard American Diet.)
"His quotes are both hilarious and inspiring: "Fifteen minutes to warm up? Does a lion warm up when he's hungry? 'Uh-oh, here comes an antelope. Better warm up.' No! He just goes out there and eats the sucker." I printed that out and put it on my wall next to the passage about Carl Sagan."
"Though in the case of my children, the rate is much higher. It's amazing how a strip of sticky plastic will make my kids' pain vanish. Lucas will be howling about a stepped-on finger, but as soon as the SpongeBob Band-Aid touches his pinkie, he is all smiles. My sons are so convinced of the magical healing powers of Band-Aids, they think they can solve almost any problem. A couple of years ago, when our Sony TV blew a fuse, Jasper stuck a Band-Aid on the screen hoping to revive it."
What I learned
About who created the graham cracker and why he created it (No I am not telling you - go buy the book - or go to your local library and pick up a copy - and while you are there tell the Library workers how wonderful they are -- and maybe bring them some chocolate)
Tons of other fascinating facts about health and diet that sorta scared me at times
About Blueberries - trust me that was interesting
Who Should/Shouldn't Buy
Yup this one is a highly recommended read for everyone
This will be a Christmas purchase for the brother in laws -- all FOUR of them
5 Dewey's
I received book from Simon and Schuster in Exchange for an honest review
Show Less
LibraryThing member Meggo
God, A. J. Jacobs is irritating! I really don't know why I keep buying his books, because they all follow the same pattern - - magazine writer picks a topic, then tries to milk the hell out of it, in bite sized snippets. Never developing any theme to any depth, his writing is like a hummingbird
Show More
flitting from flower to flower. This latest book is narcissistic in the extreme, chronicling Jacobs' attempts to become "the world's healthiest man". By halfway through the book I was hoping for a medical emergency. Clearly, I am no longer empathizing with Jacobs the author. Show Less
LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
While not as funny as some of Mr. Jacob's other books, this one still manages to be interesting, particularly as he explores a wide range of ideas about healthy habits. One of the charms of Mr. Jacob's book is the randomness of the topics he covers and the funny pictures of himself that are
Show More
included. In the end he lists some of the habits he has incorporated in his quest to become healthier. Show Less
LibraryThing member Katya0133
I didn't enjoy this book as much as The Know-It-All or The Year of Living Biblically and I'm trying to figure out why. I think at least part of it is because this book didn't have a natural "journey" to it. In The Know-It-All, Jacobs was trying to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. In The
I did learn a few interesting things, though.
Show More
Year of Living Biblically, Jacobs was working through the Bible. This project didn't have a clear end goal or way of measuring progress or (indeed, he arbitrarily extended the project by a few months).I did learn a few interesting things, though.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Stbalbach
One of the tenets of creative non-fiction is to make your vegetables taste good, that is, to impart factual information in an entertaining way. Jacobs has a unique approach to this by involving himself personally in the story as an experimental subject. For my taste, while this book is easy to
Show More
swallow, every time things got interesting he would move on, so it seemed that style triumphed over substance. Broad and shallow pop culture but great infotainment. Show Less
LibraryThing member Clara53
A.J.Jacobs certainly has a way with words! The book is hilarious, informative, fun and easy to read, and has some substantial food for thought into the bargain.
LibraryThing member Jenners26
I’m a huge fan of A.J. Jacob’s particular brand of humorous, participative journalism. Whether he is trying to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica (The Know-It-All) or attempting to follow all the rules of the Bible (The Year of Living Biblically), Jacob’s has made a living out of
Show More
treating his life like a bizarro experiment. In this book, he attempts to live healthier … even if it kills him. As readable and fun as always, the book will give you some food for thought and a few laughs. It was also surprisingly sad at times when Jacobs deals with a few deaths in the family. Although this wasn’t his best effort, it is still worth reading and I’ll continue to follow him wherever he wants to go. Show Less
LibraryThing member khiemstra631
Jacobs, who wtote The Year of Living Biblically, which I did not read but which received great reviews, has penned another winner. In this work, he undertakes the task of becoming the healthiest man in the world. While he does not necessarily succeed, in the course of 25 months he focused on
Show More
improving his health while imparting all sorts of useful tidbits to his readers on what might work and what likely would not. He also introduces us to his wife, their three young sons and numerous members of his extended family. The glimpse into the life of a New York City apartment dweller was interesting for someone from a more rural part of the country. This is nonfictiion at its best. Show Less
LibraryThing member realbigcat
AJ Jacobs is known for his books about "The Know it All" and "The Year of Living Biblically" where he tried to become the worlds smartest man by reading the entire set of encyclopedias and a spent a year living exactly how the Bible says. Now in this book Jacobs tries to become the worlds
Show More
healthiest man. I found this book both entertaining and informal. Jacobs make becoming healthy a serious request and enlists numerous experts to help him in every aspect of health. Jacobs has great self deprecating humor and the story of his grandfather is touching. The book is funny and helpful at the same time. If you have an interest in health, exercise and diet you will find it very interesting. Show Less
LibraryThing member jepeters333
Having lifted his spirit in The Year of Living Biblically and sharpened his mind in The Know-It-All, AJ Jacobs had one feat left in the self-improvement trinity: to become the healthiest man in the world. He doesn't just want to lose a couple of points, or finish a triathlon, or lower his
Show More
cholesterol. Show Less
LibraryThing member JackieBlem
A.J. Jacobs always entertains, and it is certainly true of this book. This is a result of slightly over 2 years of Jacobs taking on the concept of health, with a not completely tongue in cheek goal of being the healthiest human alive. Meets up with all sorts of health gurus, checking out, and often
Show More
trying out, all sorts of health suggestions. Each month he focuses on a part of his body (stomach, heart, ears, but, immune system, etc.), and talks about what he's learned, what seemed to work, what didn't work, and what his "take-away" about it all was. He pokes a lot of fun of himself, but he also disseminates quite a bit of information throughout the book. You learn while you are laughing, and that is really all I have to say about it, isn't it? Show Less
LibraryThing member satyridae
This was fun, light, humorous and engaging. Now I want a treadmill desk, though. I liked the authorial voice enough that I will likely pick up his other books.
LibraryThing member mossland
This guy is funny, thorough and freakishly dedicated to his obsessions. In this book he never makes you feel bad for eating Doritos while gobbling up his amusing chapters. Best takeaway, noise cancelling headphones.
LibraryThing member skinglist
first off, I want to say I should get bonus points for "weight lifting" a hard cover, my first dead tree book in a while. I ducked into the library yesterday as much for AC as for a book, and saw A.J. Jacobs' Drop Dead Healthy which had been on my wishlist since I transitioned from Kindle to iPad
I was curious by early reviews of this book. I've tried to read Jacobs before but failed to get through either The Know it All or The Year of Living Biblically but I heard this one was lighter and I decided to give it a go. I think its chapter length and breaking the book up into a seemingly series of articles made it easier reading.
My favorite line came early: "I'm Jewish, but I'm Jewish in the same way the Olive Garden is Italian. Not very." and it's symbolic of the book. Jacobs had a light style of writing that made me feel like I was on this journey with him. I was hearing this from a friend, not reading one of an unending series of weight loss and health books. By the same token, I liked that he approached the extremes (in ether direction) with a healthy dose of skepticism, it's what kept the book readable. He wasn't preaching any one of the causes even if it worked well for him, like the weight loss associated with his raw food trial.
"But it also had banana chips, which included refined cane sugar, coconut oil, and best of all, banana flavor. When you need to add banana flavor to bananas, there's something askew with the world of food."
The amount of food, sugar an salt that we eat in the typical American diet was a theme throughout his book. I liked that he kept most elements confined to their chapter/month of focus, while others continued through. It showed how much our bodies are interconnected. When I first started the WLJ in 2010 I had to go cold turkey on candy because I didn't trust myself to handle it in moderation. Now, I trust myself and I track it, but by allowing myself it, the cravings never totally go away. I think I need to go cold turkey on the sugared candy again. I am guilty of not reading labels as much as I ought to beyond NI, and that's something this book really made me think of.
I think "eccentric Aunt Marti" and Grandpa Ted affected him more than he realized, and I like how Jacobs incorporated them into the story in a natural way. I also admire his ability to incorporate Julie and his sons into this. May they enjoy cupcakes soon.
My only complaint: his end of month summaries which included things like avocados eaten, flax seed oil consumed but he hadn't covered why he was doing all of those things in the chapter. While he obviously couldn't cover everything he tried in the 2+ year journey, I think he should have mentioned only what he discussed in the summary
Overall, a really good read. I can tell I've been spoiled rotten by ebooks. I wanted to adjust the font. Uh... no. On the plus side, it was easier to read in the sun.
Show More
and my bootlegged copy no longer worked. I had reservations about lugging around a hardcover and finishing it before it was due while I was racing to finish A Race Like No Other (no pun intended) before its due. No worrying needed, I finished this before I left the beach today. It may also be the quickest review posted since the dog-ears are physical and I can't just copy my notes/highlights into a draft post.I was curious by early reviews of this book. I've tried to read Jacobs before but failed to get through either The Know it All or The Year of Living Biblically but I heard this one was lighter and I decided to give it a go. I think its chapter length and breaking the book up into a seemingly series of articles made it easier reading.
My favorite line came early: "I'm Jewish, but I'm Jewish in the same way the Olive Garden is Italian. Not very." and it's symbolic of the book. Jacobs had a light style of writing that made me feel like I was on this journey with him. I was hearing this from a friend, not reading one of an unending series of weight loss and health books. By the same token, I liked that he approached the extremes (in ether direction) with a healthy dose of skepticism, it's what kept the book readable. He wasn't preaching any one of the causes even if it worked well for him, like the weight loss associated with his raw food trial.
"But it also had banana chips, which included refined cane sugar, coconut oil, and best of all, banana flavor. When you need to add banana flavor to bananas, there's something askew with the world of food."
The amount of food, sugar an salt that we eat in the typical American diet was a theme throughout his book. I liked that he kept most elements confined to their chapter/month of focus, while others continued through. It showed how much our bodies are interconnected. When I first started the WLJ in 2010 I had to go cold turkey on candy because I didn't trust myself to handle it in moderation. Now, I trust myself and I track it, but by allowing myself it, the cravings never totally go away. I think I need to go cold turkey on the sugared candy again. I am guilty of not reading labels as much as I ought to beyond NI, and that's something this book really made me think of.
I think "eccentric Aunt Marti" and Grandpa Ted affected him more than he realized, and I like how Jacobs incorporated them into the story in a natural way. I also admire his ability to incorporate Julie and his sons into this. May they enjoy cupcakes soon.
My only complaint: his end of month summaries which included things like avocados eaten, flax seed oil consumed but he hadn't covered why he was doing all of those things in the chapter. While he obviously couldn't cover everything he tried in the 2+ year journey, I think he should have mentioned only what he discussed in the summary
Overall, a really good read. I can tell I've been spoiled rotten by ebooks. I wanted to adjust the font. Uh... no. On the plus side, it was easier to read in the sun.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bpreed
Cute at first but I quickly got too bored to finish the book.
LibraryThing member jrsearcher
This book was a funny and informative way to learn about the latest "trends" and the science (or lack thereof) behind them.
LibraryThing member klburnside
This 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 each topic and I really wanted more complete explanations. I realize the book would have to be
Show More
thousands of pages to accomplish this goal, but nevertheless, it somehow felt incomplete. I wanted to know more about diet, memory and cognition, the benefits of meditation, toxins in the home, etc. This was the first book where Jacobs started to annoy me a bit, but it was still an entertaining read. Show Less
LibraryThing member dukefan86
This was an enjoyable listen during my commute to work and to the gym. I did pick up a few tips, but it's mostly stuff I've heard before. Still, I like Jacobs' style. I'm glad I finally got to finish this one, after returning it to the library last year when I didn't have time to finish by the due
Show More
date. Show Less
LibraryThing member annhepburn
As 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.
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2012-04-10
Physical description
384 p.; 22 cm
ISBN
9789522401625