Daniel E. Lieberman

Lieberman’s inquisitiveness as both a researcher and a fitful fitness adherent allows him a distinct vantage on the subject… Drawing on his expertise and knowledge of the way evolutionary forces work, [Lieberman] takes ideas that have been spun and spun again, often based on shaky information, and cracks them open… In addition to exorcising myths and detailing what kinds of exercise we’re good at, as well as why these particular activities matter for our physical well-being, Lieberman also gives us permission to be kind to ourselves if we’d rather not bother… Most important, Lieberman doesn’t judge those who find exercising difficult, even after knowing that they should be doing it, because exercise still isn’t all that fun.

Exercised makes important progress in the research topic for which Mr. Lieberman himself has become best known—the physiology of human running… my favorite passage of the book concerns dancing. Dance in many societies is a physical activity connected to ritual, a highly social activity with deep symbolic meaning to its participants. It reminds us that beauty, joy and rites of passage are central to human life, and that physical activity can be exuberant and ecstatic… I find Mr. Lieberman’s voice of moderation to be welcome in a world where barefoot running and paleo diets have become fads… Instead of looking to a mythological view of our evolutionary past, we should be looking around us at a broader array of real humans, all of them moving—happily—through their lives. Getting Exercised is a start.”

Riveting… Highly appealing… Lieberman begins a process of myth-busting about exercise… An irresistible aspect of Exercised is Lieberman’s firm stance that no shame or stigma be attached to those who find it challenging to sustain an exercise program… Another exceptionally informative part of the book discusses the damage-and-repair cycle brought on by exercise. Lieberman explains more clearly than I’ve ever read what exercise does to the body, and how the body then begins to repair itself afterwards… Lieberman makes a superb guide for anyone wishing to understand why it can be hard to commit to exercising, and why we should do it anyway.”

Were we born to run, to walk, or to sit on a couch? One of our leading human biologists takes us through millions of years of evolution and diverse cultures around the planet to give us surprising, yet simple, answers. Part user manual for the human body and part detective story exploring our evolution, Exercised will change the way you think about exercise, diet, and your own well-being.

Monumental … an epic voyage that reveals how the past six million years shaped every part of us—our heads, limbs, and even our metabolism…. Through Lieberman’s eyes, evolutionary history not only comes alive, it becomes the means to understand, and ultimately influence, our body’s future.

Fascinating…. A readable introduction to the whole field and great on the making of our physicality.

Sweeping…. Convincingly makes the case for a wholesale rethinking of how we live our modern lives.

Riveting, enlightening, and more than a little frightening…. No one understands the human body like Daniel Lieberman or tells its story more eloquently.

In thoroughly enjoyable and edifying prose, Lieberman … leads a fascinating journey through human evolution. He comprehensively explains how evolutionary forces have shaped the human species as we know it…. He balances a historical perspective with a contemporary one … while asking how we might control the destiny of our species. He argues persuasively that ‘cultural evolution is now the dominant force of evolutionary change acting on the human body.