'Endlessly fascinating and full of surprises. Easily one of my books of the year' BILL BRYSON The myth-busting science behind our modern attitudes to exercise: what our bodies really need, why it matters, and its effects on health and wellbeing. In industrialized nations, our sedentary lifestyles have contributed to skyrocketing rates of obesity and diseases like diabetes. A key remedy, we are told, is exercise - voluntary physical activity for the sake of health. However, most of us struggle to stay fit, and our attitudes to exercise are plagued by misconceptions, finger-pointing and anxiety. But, as Daniel Lieberman shows in Exercised, the first book of its kind by a leading scientific expert, we never evolved to exercise. We are hardwired for moderate exertion throughout each day, not triathlons or treadmills. Drawing on over a decade of high-level scientific research and eye-opening insights from evolutionary biology and anthropology, Lieberman explains precisely how exercise can promote health; debunks persistent myths about sitting, speed, strength and endurance; and points the way towards more enjoyable and physically active living in the modern world. 'Myth-busting, illuminating, brilliant - Lieberman will completely change the way you think about your body' Professor ALICE ROBERTS, presenter of Our Incredible Human Journey

The Indoor Epidemic is an accessible, readable book that educators, parents, policymakers, and general readers can use to develop an in-depth understanding of the role the outdoors has played in our evolutionary and cultural history-and how it affects their own daily life. Readers will be astounded by the depth to which a sedentary, indoor lifestyle has negatively affected their ability to live a fulfilling life. But it's also a story, the story of our connection with the world, its inhabitants, and our own relationship with nature. It's the story of what we know is right for our children, and yet what we deny them because of the imagined importance and fabricated effectiveness of indoor schooling. The book's readability, and its emphasis on practicality, will deeply engage readers. Furthermore, it serves as a guide to parents who are seeking to understand how to utilize the natural pathways to learning-simply by getting children outside.

Yoga was created as a science for liberation, but in modern times it is used by many to improve physical and mental health, helping us become more productive at work, more caring in relationships, more responsible contributors to society, and better inhabitants of this planet. If yoga does accomplish all that--as many practitioners report--how exactly does yoga do it? How does yoga work? Believe it or not, the answers lie in how the human body and mind function. Eddie Stern's One Simple Thing: A New Look at the Science of Yoga and How It Can Transform Your Life explains from both a yogic and a scientific perspective how the human nervous system is wired. It describes the mechanics taking place beneath the surface of our bodies and shows how we can consciously use yogic practices to direct and change our lives in positive ways. Drawing on modern neuroscience, ancient wisdom, and decades of practice and teaching, Eddie Stern reveals how what we do--from diet to chanting, from postures to meditation, from ethical practices to breathing techniques--affects who we become, and how a steady routine of activities and attitudes can transform our bodies, our brain functions, our emotions, and our experience of life.

During the course of any sporting event, critical cognitive and physical tasks are performed within a dynamic, complex, collaborative system comprising multiple humans and artifacts, under pressurized, complex, and rapidly changing conditions. Highly skilled, well-trained individuals walk a fine line between task success and failure, with only slightly inadequate task execution leading to the latter. Promoting cross-disciplinary interaction between the human factors and sports science disciplines, Human Factors Methods and Sports Science: A Practical Guide provides practical guidance on a range of methods for describing, representing, and evaluating human, team, and system performance in sports domains. Traditionally, the application of human factors and ergonomics methods in sports has focused on the biomechanical, physiological, environmental, and equipment-related aspects of sports performance. However, various human factors methods, applied historically in the complex safety critical domains, are suited to describing and understanding sports performance. This book delineates the similarities in the concepts requiring investigation within sports and the more typical human factors domains. The book's focus on cognitive and social human factors methods rather than mainly on the application of physiological ergonomics approaches sets it apart from other books in either field. It covers eight categories of human factor methods: data collection, task analysis, cognitive task analysis, human error identification, situation awareness measurement, workload measurement, team performance assessment, and interface evaluation methods. Constructed so that each chapter can be read non-linearly and independently from one another, the book provides an introduction and overview to each Human Factors topic area, and of each method discussed, along with practical guidance on how to apply them. It also includes detailed descriptions of the different methods, example applications, and theoretical rationale. This allows the concepts to be easily found and digested, and the appropriate method to be easily selected and applied.

A full-color, step-by-step guide to get fit, prevent injury and end pain using your foam roller Foam rolling is not just a fad; if you're active in sport or work out regularly, you know how crucial it is to keep your muscles limber and pain-free to stay active and mobile. As a form of Myofascial Release Therapy, foam rolling is an effective technique for unlocking your tight muscles and restrictive myofascial connective tissue. Foam rolling helps increase your overall body mobility and joint range of motion, decreases pain and shortens recovery times--and it generally supercharges your body to reap the benefits of your active lifestyle! Written in an easy-to-follow, no-jargon style by NFL physical therapist and trainer for 26 years Mike Ryan, Foam Rolling For Dummies shares proven roller tips usually reserved for professional athletes to help you quickly restore healthy harmony between your muscles and joints. Once you know the science behind foam rolling, you'll understand how to use specific body-rolling techniques to address specific problems and goals, whether they're eliminating painful muscle trigger points, loosening tight fascia, improving body flexibility, or just relaxing muscles faster after a workout. Enhance athletic performance Improve injury prevention Learn rapid roller techniques Manage fibromyalgia Reduce soft tissue injuries Understand your myofascial system Reduce painful muscles Whether you want to maximize your fitness program, manage your muscle pain or pursue other health goals, this guide puts on a roll for an enhanced body--and an enhanced life.

The Ultimate Chinese Martial Art - The Science of the Weaving Stance Bagua 64 Forms and the Wellness Applications has three well integrated parts. Part One describes the cultural, historical and scientific background of the mysterious inner style martial art - Bagua Palm - which used to be taught in a small circle of the Royal families in China. Part Two gives a brief and yet detailed instructions on the techniques and step by step exercises of Bagua Palms with illustrations, including the example of the famous Weaving Stance Bagua 64 Forms. Part Three summarizes the wellness applications of the Bagua Palms as an inner style Chinese martial art.The aim of this book is to help all people on this planet to have a better understanding about wellness and the most effective way to achieve it. The book will thus ultimately make its way to the short list of books which truly leave their marks on the progress of human civilization. The less than sophisticated style of writing makes this book an easy and helpful reading for people from all walks of life.This book is not just about Chinese martial art. It is also about the link between Chinese culture and martial art. With practical instructions on the actual exercise, this book will benefit not just practitioners and trainers in Chinese martial art but effectively all people who read it. This book is not only going to be the martial art book of the year, but the martial art book of the 21st century.This is the first martial art book written by martial art practitioners who have thorough understanding of both physics and actual fighting, with a solid background in Chinese culture. All the three authors of the book have over 40 years of extensive experience each in Chinese martial art. In contrast to conventional Chinese martial art scripts, this book is written by three Chinese authors in plain and vivid English, which is both filled with true understanding of the unique part of Chinese culture and tuned to the cognitive habits of the westerners.

Orthopaedic surgeon Ray Long blends modern science and the ancient art of hatha yoga to create an indispensable resource for every yoga practitioner -- from beginners to experts. A scientific approach to understanding the practice of hatha yoga: through full-colour, three-dimensional illustrations of major muscles, tendons, and ligaments, Ray Long describes the correct positioning of hatha yoga poses (asanas) and their benefits. Specific anatomical descriptions highlight which muscles to activate in each pose, bringing the experience of the pose to new sensory heights. A novel approach to learning yoga poses: each of the four mat companions focuses on one type of yoga pose: standing poses, forward bends and hip openers, back bends and twists, and arm balances and inversions. The illustrations and descriptions describe the major movements that enable the poses, how to deepen the posture, and sequences of muscle activation. The concealed wire-bound pages make the books perfect mat resources during practice.

Stunningly innovative. . . . This is the first book in which the different causes of back pain are identified and assigned appropriate yoga poses. Individuals of any age, even those unfamiliar with yoga, will be able to follow Dr. Fishman s simple instructions. Joan White, Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States

Let internationally renowned rehabilitation specialist Loren Fishman, MD, be your personal instructor for a healthier back With down-to-earth techniques and instruction for all levels, Cure Back Pain with Yoga helps you: distinguish between the nine major causes of backache; target your source of pain through diagnosis-specific yoga poses; manage, reduce, and ultimately end your pain. Depending on the severity and chronicity of your pain, the postures in this guide, described in detail and illustrated by photographs, will help you determine how to start your own yoga practice or alter your existing practice in order to achieve lasting comfort and strength."

This valuable book provides a complete manual for the study and practice of Raja Yoga, the path of concentration and meditation. This new edition of these timeless teachings is a treasure to be read and referred to again and again by seekers treading the spiritual path. The classic Sutras (thought-threads), at least four thousand years old, cover the yogic teachings on ethics, meditation, and physical postures, and provide directions for dealing with situations in daily life. The Sutras are presented here in the purest form, with the original Sanskrit and with translation, transliteration, and commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda, one of the most respected and revered contemporary Yoga masters. In this classic context, Sri Swami offers practical advice, based on his own experience, for mastering the mind and achieving physical, mental, and emotional harmony.

Bhakti Yoga explores one of the eight 'limbs' of yoga. In the simplest terms, bhakti yoga is the practice of devotion, which is the essential heart of yoga and of Hinduism in general. In recent times, the term has come to be used in a rather simplistic way to refer to the increasingly popular practice of kirtan, or chanting in a group or at large gatherings. But bhakti yoga is far more complex and ancient than today's growing kirtan audiences are aware, and embraces many strands and practices. Edwin F. Bryant focuses on one famous and important school of bhakti and explores it in depth to show what bhakti is and how it is expressed. And he supplies his own renderings of central texts from that tradition in the form of 'tales and teachings' from an important work called the Bhagavata Purana, or 'The Beautiful Legend of God.' This clarifying work establishes a baseline for understanding, and will be welcomed by all serious students of the spiritual heritage of India.

There's plenty of conventional wisdom on health and fitness--but how much of it is scientifically sound? The truth is: less than you'd think.

In Which Comes First, Cardio or Weights?, physicist and award-winning journalist Alex Hutchinson tackles dozens of commonly held beliefs and looks at just what research science has--and has not--proven to be true:

Should I exercise when I'm sick? - Do I get the same workout from the elliptical machine that I get from running? - What role does my brain play in fatigue? - Will running ruin my knees? - To lose weight, is it better to eat less or exercise more? - How should I adapt my workout routine as I get older? - Does it matter what I'm thinking about when I train? - Will drinking coffee help or hinder my performance? - Should I have sex the night before a competition?

This myth-busting book covers the full spectrum of exercise science and offers the latest in research from around the globe, as well as helpful diagrams and plenty of practical tips on using proven science to improve fitness, reach weight loss goals, and achieve better competition results.

Widely regarded as one of America's leading strength and fitness professionals, Brad Schoenfeld has won numerous natural bodybuilding titles and has been published or featured in virtually every major fitness magazine. Now the best-selling author brings his expertise to a resource that has everything needed for completing a total-body transformation in just six months. The M.A.X. Muscle Plan 2.0, Second Edition, is packed with step-by-step directions for 106 of the most effective exercises and over 200 photos that demonstrate the revolutionary muscle-building program. Schoenfeld provides a science-based program specifically designed to promote lean gains and help you reach your ultimate muscular potential. The book's three-phase total-body program can be customized to your individual needs to dramatically transform your physique in just six months' time. For those who are relatively new to resistance training or are coming back from a prolonged layoff, there is a M.A.X. break-in routine designed to prepare the body to deal with the rigorous nature of the M.A.X. Muscle Plan program. Further, there are chapters devoted to providing cardio training guidelines and nutrition recommendations, based on the latest scientific research, that complement the M.A.X. Muscle Plan program. The second edition has been completely revamped to include updated science and research-based evidence as well as 12 sidebars that break down specific topics and offer applied examples. Two new chapters have also been added: a chapter with detailed information on the M.A.X. Muscle Plan warm-up and a Q&A chapter that provides answers to 13 common questions Schoenfeld has received since the first edition of the book. Results from The M.A.X. Muscle Plan 2.0 speak for themselves; thousands have successfully transformed their bodies by following the program. It is the blueprint for achieving-and maintaining-maximal muscle development. CE exam available! For certified professionals, a companion continuing education exam can be completed after reading this book. The M.A.X. Muscle Plan 2.0, Second Edition, Online CE Exam may be purchased separately or as part of the The M.A.X. Muscle Plan 2.0, Second Edition, With CE Exam package that includes both the book and the exam. Please note: This book is not affiliated with Joe Wells Enterprises or MAX Muscle Sports Nutrition.

Breakthrough Women's Running is written just for you-a woman runner who has big goals and needs a plan to achieve them. In her trademark fun and upbeat style, professional runner and coach Neely Spence Gracey will set you up for success with an inside look at her own story in the sport-paired with the science, experience, strategies, and insights that have worked for her and countless other female runners who set challenging goals and achieved them. Told with engaging storytelling and packed with colorful images and practical recommendations to improve your running, Breakthrough Women's Running offers 5K, 10K, half-marathon, marathon, and run-walk training plans to suit your current distance or pacing goals. With the strength and mobility workouts included in the plans, you don't have to wonder where and how to fit in these important (but often overlooked) components of a successful running training program. Learn how to breathe in rhythm and how to focus with mantras and mindfulness exercises. Get specific guidance on how to best manage unique challenges that women confront such as hormone fluctuations; training through the menstrual cycle, while pregnant, or after childbirth; and training while also raising a family. Know how to train to prevent injury as well as how to return to running should an injury occur. And fuel your training with five simple recipes that are nutrient dense and simple to prepare. You'll hear from well-known, successful women runners such as Sara Hall and Nell Rojas on how even elite runners experience highs and lows in their training as well as how they themselves overcame obstacles to reach their goals. At the ends of chapters, you'll find Breakthrough Goals-a section of small, tangible actions that you can apply in your own training to overcome specific obstacles. If you're looking for a strategic and progressive approach for breaking through your physical or mental barriers to achieve more successful and fulfilling running, you've found it with Breakthrough Women's Running. CE exam available! For certified professionals, a companion continuing education exam can be completed after reading this book. The Breakthrough Women's Running Online CE Exam may be purchased separately or as part of the Breakthrough Women's Running With CE Exam package that includes both the book and the exam.

You already know that running can be invigorating, therapeutic, fun, and challenging. And you are likely painfully aware that it can lead to stiffness, muscle imbalances, and overuse injuries such as knee pain, shin splints, sciatica, and hamstring and groin strains. Let Yoga for Runners show you how to incorporate yoga and breathing techniques into your workouts, help you eliminate chronic aches and pains, and keep you running stronger and longer. Each of the featured yoga poses was exclusively selected for runners and is described in detail to ensure correct execution and improve strength, mobility, and flexibility. Every part of the body is addressed to help you strengthen the spine, core, upper body, hips, hamstrings, knees, and feet and ankles. Accompanied by full-color photos, the poses are also arranged into 13 yoga sequences to address specific areas of concern such as core stability, strengthening and lengthening the hamstrings, increasing mobility of the hip joint, speeding up the recovery process after a practice run or race, and loosening the neck and shoulders, which is particularly beneficial for runners who sit much of the day. Anatomical illustrations and descriptions explain how the poses and sequences decrease your risk of acute or chronic injury as well as why they are beneficial to your training regimen. Yoga for Runners also features breathing and mindfulness techniques to help you become more alert to the signs of a possible injury developing and to know when you can push your body a bit harder. Now is the perfect time to start a yoga program that will help your endurance, strength, breathing, and mental sharpness and make your running experience more productive, pain free, and enjoyable for years to come. CE exam available! For certified professionals, a companion continuing education exam can be completed after reading this book. Yoga for Runners Online CE Exam, Second Edition, may be purchased separately or as part of the Yoga for Runners With CE Exam, Second Edition, package that includes both the book and the exam.

Yoga for Happy Mums focuses on the real issues that mums of young children face: lack of sleep, low energy levels, stress, negative emotions (anxiety, guilt, depression, anger and irritability), fluctuating hormones, a weakened immune system, issues with body confidence and difficulties with addictions and relationships. Each chapter includes a discussion about how the particular issue applies to mums, a questionnaire so you can identify which are particularly relevant to you, some suggested points for reflection, guidance from the Kundalini Yoga tradition (including Top Tips such as dietary suggestions), a breathing practice, a physical Yoga set and a meditation. The book is fully illustrated, with easy-to-understand instructions so that you can practise at home. You do not need any previous experience, or to be particularly flexible or physically fit in order to practise these sets. Kundalini Yoga is a comprehensive form of Yoga that uses the breath, sound (mantra), postures and meditation. It is an ancient tradition which can empower you to meet the challenges of modern life with grace and equanimity. Unlike other forms of Yoga which were originally practiced in isolation, Kundalini Yoga has always been a householder's yoga, designed for people with the commitments of family and work.

Look 15 years younger in 2020 with Eva Fraser's easy facial workout ___________ Facial Yoga is THE non-surgical way to achieve a facelift - and help you look 15 years younger! 'Facial exercises may significantly reduce signs of ageing' New York Times In the ORIGINAL facial fitness classic, Eva Fraser shows you how straightforward exercises can help eliminate dark circles, firm your jaw line, tone your neck, plump cheeks and so much more . . . leaving your skin with a natural, youthful glow. For nearly 40 years, Eva Fraser has been practicing her facial workout techniques - and the results are remarkable. The premise is simple: the muscles in your face, if left inactive, will become as saggy as those in any other part of your body. In order to tone them up, they need to be exercised. This book includes information on why the face ages, how skin works and what can be done about it, as well as the easy exercise plan that Eva swears by. ___________ What do readers think? 'They really do work!' 5* Reader Review 'I have only been doing them for 4 weeks and they have made a difference' 5* Reader Review 'Eva Fraser gives a fool proof method to a younger face' 5* Reader Review 'A chemical free way to firm up those looks!' 5* Reader Review

Throughout history and in contemporary times, people worldwide have danced to cope with the stresses of life. But how has dance helped people resist, reduce, and escape stress? What is it about dance that makes it a healing art? What insights can we gain from learning about others' use of dance across cultures and eras? Dancing for Health addresses these questions and explains the cognitive, emotional and physical dimensions of dance in a spectrum of stress management approaches. Designed for anyone interested in health and healing, Dancing for Health offers lessons learned from the experiences of people of different cultures and historical periods, as well as current knowledge, on how to resist, reduce, and dance away stress in the disquieting times of the 21st century. Anthropologists and psychologists will benefit from the unique theoretical and ethnographic analysis of how dance affects communities and individuals, while dancers and therapists will take away practical lessons on improving their and their patients' quality of life.

'Without Simon Waterson's help and guidance, I literally wouldn't have made it through fifteen years of playing James Bond ... It's been an honour working with him.' Daniel Craig _________________________ 'Working with Simon is the nearest you get to actually being a superhero, in the sense you are at your absolute peak of physical health. That makes you feel incredibly robust in these challenging times.' Benedict Cumberbatch _________________________ Drawing on his vast experience as the elite trainer who transformed Daniel Craig's physique for five James Bond films, Simon Waterson reveals how to enhance your energy, sleep and confidence with his intelligent approach to fitness. A former marine, and now the film industry's most in-demand fitness trainer, Simon Waterson's client list reads like a who's who of A-list actors. He has transformed Daniel Craig into the formidable James Bond for five blockbuster films, shaped Chris Evans into superhero Captain America, trained Chris Pratt for Guardians of the Galaxy and prepared actors such as Thandiwe Newton and John Boyega for the recent Star Wars films. Sharing his practical and highly accessible approach to reimagining your body and transforming your fitness, Simon encourages you to focus on training, recovery and nutrition to build on your performance, rather than aesthetic. This is a training manual for any age and any fitness level, packed with expert advice and achievable goals that will motivate you to reboot your body.

You want chiseled abs but haven't seen results. Ultimate Abs: The Definitive Guide to Developing a Chiseled Six-Pack offers a science-based approach to abdominal training designed to help you finally achieve the elusive six-pack. Featuring 130 of the best abdominal exercises, certified strength and conditioning specialist and fitness expert Gareth Sapstead helps you successfully reach your training goals by providing progressions and regressions of each exercise to accommodate your specific fitness level. Whether you are training in a fully equipped gym or at home, Sapstead provides programming that will help you achieve results based on the equipment you have available. Sapstead's distinctive approach to delivering effective and innovative fitness content has made him one of the most followed fitness experts on social media and earned him the moniker "the Fitness Maverick." In Ultimate Abs, he addresses the principles that underpin effective ab training and addresses the misconceptions surrounding abdominal training to cut a direct path to the most effective way to develop a six-pack. Most resources focus on the concept of core strength training, but Ultimate Abs offers an unapologetic guide to developing chiseled six-pack abs. Although stabilization exercises are included within the book, looks are the priority, providing you with the tools to achieve your goals faster. Filled with expert coaching cues and an abdominal exercise library like none other, Ultimate Abs is a must-have guide for achieving the abs you have always dreamed of. CE exam available! For certified professionals, a companion continuing education exam can be completed after reading this book. The Ultimate Abs Online CE Exam may be purchased separately or as part of the Ultimate Abs With CE Exam package that includes both the book and the exam.