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

I am a longtime fan of the experimental books by AJ Jacobs who is best known for writing about the year he spent reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica (the know-it-all) and the year in which he followed all the rules of the bible (The Year if Living Biblically) and now this one where he tries to get “healthy” but because everyone has a different idea of health and how to achieve it he spends a lot of time bumbling between one crazy idea to another without the normal discriminating gaze of an experienced athlete. He does eventually settle on some kind of routine but it is unclear what he was doing. I know that near the end of the book he was benching 185 lbs x 15 reps which is very good for a middleweight and fantastic for a person of his size with so very little experience- he could also do about 170 push-ups in one go. How did he achieve these feats? We may never know. The parts I was most interested in, like his exact workout routine and diet are seldom discussed- more time is focused on new experimental or silly fads. I do know that he spent a lot of time on the wii which gave him a training injury and that much of the book was written while on a treadmill allowing him to walk over a thousand miles – I may need to get one of those. I can't emphasize enough that this is not a “health book” it is a pseudo intellectual humor book about health. It is fun natured and he quotes a lot of the most popular currently trending health books that he got from TED (so he knows these people)- but I do not know what all he kept at the end of the experience other than a lot of tips on eating small portions- He said in an interview that the healthy lifestyle almost killed him- I may been dozing off a little here and there but I don't remember anything like that in there. So the book is very fun but terribly incomplete

The other books by AJ Jacobs are really just prequels to this one- same genre- same charicters- different experiments. One certainly has to admire his adventurous spirit, attempting everything at least once- reminding me of what a close minded curmudgeon I really am. I am glad to have his opinion of so very many angles of the health world including a couple I had not heard of before

I spent a lot of the book wondering when he was going to get down to business and start the REAL MAN exercises- He did do them at some point but didn't write about it. I feel cheated. Sounds like they worked well, too. Also, a Before and after PDF would have been nice.

More of a collection of fun antidotes than a story. This is not a self help book.

This is the first introduction to AJ Jacobs. I guess I expected this book to be less narrative. I was expecting more about what was learned and less about what was going on in his life while he researched for the book. It's more a diary than a self help book.

Jacobs should have gotten a professional to read the audio book. I'm not sure what it is about his voice that distracts me from the words he is saying, but it is very distracting.

As a 50-year-old in search of better health and longer life, I purchased this book as a reference and found myself enjoying it as a well told story. A.J. Jacobs is a crafty writer who delivers thoughtful pearls like he's handing out candy. I found myself laughing often. And learning much.

The book title explains it all. I'm not sure what i was hoping to find when i decided to read this, but for some reason I was disappointed. I suppose I was hoping to hear more about cutting edge research and definitive advice.

But as Jacobs says fairly early in the book, there's not much in the way of definitive anything when it comes to exercise and nutrition. None of the experts or the studies can agree about much beyond the basic stuff.

Jacobs mentioned about 5-7 times in his book that he is a writer for Esquire magazine and it shows in his writing, which is witty and entertaining. But like most magazine articles, his writing just presents information (we can't call them facts because, again, the experts disagree a lot) and then moves on to the next thing. Jacobs doesn't appear to be much in the mood for drawing conclusions or even analyzing the information he's presented. He just randomly picked something to research and try and then waited to see if there was any change.

Even as the book draws to a close, there is little in the way of revelation or even a sense of journey's end. It all just seems like he set a 2 year limit for when he would stop trying new things and when the time came up he just stopped.

Essentially, reading this book was similar to listening to a friend tell a long winded story that they didn't think through to realize that didn't have an ending for. They just kind of trail off and the listener and the storyteller wind up staring at each other in awkward silence wondering how to get out of the situation. This book was kind of like that. It was amusing at parts but ultimately awkward.

Yes, I would listen to Drop Dead Healthy again. I already have. There is so much information, good information, in this book. I wouldn't feel like I got my moneys worth if I didn't.

The author is scared of "all things germ ". So, when one of his sons drops his ice cream cone on the ground, and then gets down on his knees and begins to lick up his ice cream straight from the floor. It is great to listen to the author 's reaction (he is horrified) . All the while his wife is cheering him on.

The author is also the narrator, so you can hear his dismay and his pride as he tells his story.

He makes his stories come to life. It is like a 3D movie, compared to a standard movie.

Read my headline.

This is the second book that I have read by A.J. Jacobs. It was his first book. I would recommend that book too.

It was a reasonably good listen. I like the whole concept of participatory journalism and, being susceptible to health and fitness fads myself, the core idea of the book was attractive. In the end, it was a little bit too light-weight and insubstantial for me. I know he was not attempting a truly "serious" book on the subject but it ended up feeling like not being one thing or another - not truly satirising the whole health and fitness obsession but not really fully committing to it either. I did like the descriptions of his grandfather and aunt.

I would be slow to recommend it because I did have to force myself to finish it.

I did not like the narrator's voice at all. Ironically it was not strong or punchy enough in delivering the material. I suspect I would have given a higher rating to the book if someone else had narrated it. I sometimes listen to audiobooks on a cheap docking station and his voice was barely intelligible.

His book is quite personal so I don't think there was much lacking with regard to insights into his personal life.

Wanted to like it more than I did ....

Jacobs is a relatable, anxious, narrator. He is honest about his life and his health status.

He is not consistent in his monthly reporting. I want to know how many pounds he weighed each month so I can hear how he is improving, etc. He does not try diets that are truly sensible - I'd love to hear how he did on a recommended and healthy diet rather than just a juice fast.

He's funny and willing to try things like accupuncture.

Yes, Jacobs is a very entertaining writer and his reading is just terrific. The information is good, because he is able to access people who are experts in the field that he is talking about.

There were many wonderful chapters, but the chapter on germs was one of my favorites.

I was not familiar with AJ Jacobs, but now I feel as though I know his entire family! He is not only a great writer, but he is a wonderful narrator. This is a truly entertaining book, and I literally laughed out loud at some of his health experiments....I'm pretty sure my ears are healthier by listening to the book instead of reading it. It's an aural thing.