From the bestselling author of The Year of Living Biblically and The Know-It-All comes the true and truly hilarious story of one person’s quest to become the healthiest man in the world. Hospitalized with a freak case of tropical pneumonia, goaded by his wife telling him, “I don’t want to be a widow at forty-five,” and ashamed of a middle-aged body best described as “a python that swallowed a goat,” A.J. Jacobs felt compelled to change his ways and get healthy. And he didn’t want only to lose weight, or finish a triathlon, or lower his cholesterol. His ambitions were far greater: maximal health from head to toe. The task was epic. He consulted an army of experts— sleep consultants and sex clinicians, nutritionists and dermatologists. He subjected himself to dozens of different workouts—from Strollercize classes to Finger Fitness sessions, from bouldering with cavemen to a treadmill desk. And he took in a cartload of diets: raw foods, veganism, high protein, calorie restriction, extreme chewing, and dozens more. He bought gadgets and helmets, earphones and juicers. He poked and he pinched. He counted and he measured. The story of his transformation is not only brilliantly entertaining, but it just may be the healthiest book ever written. It will make you laugh until your sides split and endorphins flood your bloodstream. It will alter the contours of your brain, imprinting you with better habits of hygiene and diet. It will move you emotionally and get you moving physically in surprising ways. And it will give you occasion to reflect on the body’s many mysteries and the ultimate pursuit of health: a well-lived life.

Chronicles the efforts of an NPR contributor to read the "Encyclopedia Britannica" from A to Z, sharing the humorous mishaps that occurred as a result of the endeavor, from changed family relationships to his efforts to join Mensa.

Recovery, Movement, and Nutrition. That is what it takes to live a long and healthy life. This is not groundbreaking information. Most people intuitively know this to be true. The challenge arises in defining how often, how much, when, where, and what "healthy" rest, activity, and food look like. Death Resistant breaks "healthy" down into manageable segments that can be understood and applied. Readers start by grasping the system from a general point-of-view, then gradually they begin to break down the individual components and implement them into a personalized definition of "health." Commitment to a healthy and active lifestyle is a life-long journey. Play the long game. Start thinking in terms of living to be 120 years old and what it will take to get there with a sharp mind and a functional body.

From the senior editor of "Esquire" magazine comes a book of essays on all of his hilarious adventures as a human guinea pig, including "My Outsourced Life" and "My Life as a Hot Woman."

An eBook boxed set that features the first three of A.J. Jacobs's riotous—and surprisingly informative—ventures into experiential journalism. The Know-It-All: Puzzle along with A.J. as he endeavors to read—and retain—the entire encyclopedia, and discover what exactly it is he learns along the way. The Year of Living Biblically: Discover what life would be like in the 21st century if you lived precisely by the dictates of the Bible—the insights gained about religion might surprise you. My Life as an Experiment: Join A.J. on a roller-coaster tour of life as a human guinea pig: he explores both the perks and pitfalls of various undertakings in a series of charming essays, including those titled “My Outsourced Life" and "My Life as a Beautiful Woman."