I thought overall the book was excellent. It was not what I was expecting however. I was expecting from the name, the cover, and the fact that it had a professional bodybuilder with a masters in something like sports science to have a real in depth review of physiology and how fitness affects different aspects of your body...which it does but briefly. The main bulk of the book goes through an in depth look at many diseases that exercise affects. It covers such things like arthritis, cancer, osteoporosis, gastrointestinal disorders, heart disease. It does so very well and is a very interesting read. This book seems to be more of a target of people in their early 40's who haven't quite reached the point where these diseases will affect them but are looking to prevent them or for older people who are looking to improve their health.
Like I said before, its just simply not what I was expecting from the name and cover. It has made me more dedicated to forcing myself to the gym 4-5 times a week, makes me happy knowing I'll have a 50% smaller chance of getting colon cancer...whew! It also made me worried more about my parents who have very little physical activity in their lives and are at risk for many of the diseases the book warns about.
So if you're looking for a good book explaining exercise physiology this really isn't the best book to buy. If you're looking at in depth reviews of how exercise prevents different diseases, this book is excellent.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Understanding Fitness: How Exercise Fuels Health and Fights Disease (The Praeger Series on Contemporary Health and Living) (Hardcover)
