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Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding Paperback – Dec 7 2021

4.6 out of 5 stars 1,588 ratings
4.2 on Goodreads
9,890 ratings

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If exercise is healthy (so good for you!), why do many people dislike or avoid it? These engaging stories and explanations will revolutionize the way you think about exercising—not to mention sitting, sleeping, sprinting, weight lifting, playing, fighting, walking, jogging, and even dancing.

“Strikes a perfect balance of scholarship, wit, and enthusiasm.” —Bill Bryson, New York Times best-selling author of The Body

• If we are born to walk and run, why do most of us take it easy whenever possible?
• Does running ruin your knees?
• Should we do weights, cardio, or high-intensity training?
• Is sitting really the new smoking?
• Can you lose weight by walking?
• And how do we make sense of the conflicting, anxiety-inducing information about rest, physical activity, and exercise with which we are bombarded?

In this myth-busting book, Daniel Lieberman, professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University and a pioneering researcher on the evolution of human physical activity, tells the story of how we never evolved to exercise—to do voluntary physical activity for the sake of health. Using his own research and experiences throughout the world, Lieberman recounts without jargon how and why humans evolved to walk, run, dig, and do other necessary and rewarding physical activities while avoiding needless exertion.

Exercised is entertaining and enlightening but also constructive. As our increasingly sedentary lifestyles have contributed to skyrocketing rates of obesity and diseases such as diabetes, Lieberman audaciously argues that to become more active we need to do more than medicalize and commodify exercise.

Drawing on insights from evolutionary biology and anthropology, Lieberman suggests how we can make exercise more enjoyable, rather than shaming and blaming people for avoiding it. He also tackles the question of whether you can exercise too much, even as he explains why exercise can reduce our vulnerability to the diseases mostly likely to make us sick and kill us.

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Review

"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."
—T New York Times

"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."
—T Wall Street Journal

"Riveting...Highly appealing... Liebermanbegins a process of myth-busting about exercise...An irresistible aspect ofExercisedis 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."
—Nʸ

"Lieberman’s clarity never wavers...His answers to physiological questions... inspire... The science beneath his arguments is revelatory, with thrilling implications for evolutionary biology. Written in a brisk prose, with ample graphs,
Exercised is an excellent compendium on the broad medical advantages of exercise and a roadmap out of our pandemic to better health."
—T Boston Globe

"Entertaining and informative...The book is full of helpful tips... conveyed in a humorous and sympathetic style."
The Guardian

“Persuasive... Refreshing... [Lieberman's]illuminating and frequently humorous work will delight fitness mavens and make those pesky workout sessions more rewarding for everyone else."
Publishers Weekly

"Brilliant...This makes for captivating reading."
Booklist [starred review]

"A good choice for those seeking a macro view of the history of movement...In appealing, accessible language, the author tells interesting stories."
Kirkus

"Lieberman writes in a clear, approachable style, even when explaining complex research and concepts. "
Library Journal

“Endlessly fascinating and full of surprises. Daniel Lieberman strikes a perfect balance of scholarship, wit, and enthusiasm for his subject. This is easily one of my favorite books of the year.”
—Bill Bryson, New York Times best-selling author of A Walk in the Woods and The Body

“Mythbusting, illuminating, brilliant – Daniel Lieberman will completely change the way you think about your body”
Alice Roberts, presenter of Our Incredible Human Journey

“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.”
—Neil Shubin, Robert R. Bensley Distinguished Service Professor of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, and best-selling author of Your Inner Fish

“Excellent. Well-written, amusing, and touching on all our lives. Seldom if ever have I so enjoyed reading a book on any subject, and this one is for all of us—those of us who like to exercise and those of us who don’t.”
—Richard Leakey, co-author of Origins Reconsidered: In Search of What Makes Us Human

“Fantastic. Such a surprising, erudite, and revelatory look at the natural history of physical activity and why exercise is both so necessary for us and so unnatural. It expands and alters our understanding of exercise, health, motivation, and why we feel the way that we do about treadmills. A must-read for anyone with a working body and mind.”
—Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times best-selling author of The First 20 Minutes

“In his earlier work, Lieberman explained how we were ‘born to run.’ In Exercised, he explains that we were also born to sit, which often leads to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart attacks—chronic diseases unknown to early humans. Fortunately, Exercised also explains how physical activity can set us free from these ills. It’s both a fascinating read and one that could nudge you toward a healthier (and longer) life.”
—Amby Burfoot, editor-at-large, Runner’s World, and winner of the 1968 Boston Marathon

About the Author

DANIEL E. LIEBERMANis Edwin M. Lerner Professor of Biological Sciences and professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University. He is the author of the national best seller The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease and Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rearding.He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ Dec 7 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 464 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 052543478X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0525434788
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 kg
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.13 x 2.31 x 20.17 cm
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 1,588 ratings

About the author

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Daniel Lieberman
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Daniel Lieberman is Edwin M. Lerner II Professor of Biological Sciences and a professor of the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. He received degrees from Harvard and Cambridge, and taught at Rutgers University and George Washington University before joining Harvard University as a Professor in 2001. He is a member of American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Lieberman studies and teaches how and why the human body is the way it is, and how our evolutionary history affects health and disease. In his research he combines experimental biomechanics, anatomy, and physiology both in the lab and in the field (primarily Kenya and Mexico). He is best known for his work on the evolution of running and other kinds of physical activities such as walking and throwing, but is also well known for studying the evolution of the human head.

Lieberman loves teaching and has published over 150 peer-reviewed papers, many in journals such as Nature, Science, and PNAS, as well as three popular books, The Evolution of the Human Head (2011), The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health and Disease (2013), and Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do is Healthy and Rewarding (2020).

In his spare time, he enjoys running - sometimes barefoot, earning him the nickname 'the Barefoot Professor'.

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4.6 out of 5 stars
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Top reviews from Canada

  • Reviewed in Canada on September 6, 2023
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    I really enjoyed this read and opened new ideas for health and wellness. Great read for anyone looking for the healthy edge.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in Canada on March 5, 2021
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    Great book that clearly explains the why and how to exercise. After reading Daniel Lieberman's book, I now understand why it took me so long to get motivated. Dancing daily now and having fun.
    4 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in Canada on June 18, 2025
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    These are the perfect sized bags for gift giving. They hold a generous amount of whatever you’re gifting and the seal holds beautifully. I use them for Christmas buys and bolts and with a nice customs sticker on the front, your gifts look professional!
  • Reviewed in Canada on February 28, 2021
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    great read...
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in Canada on February 11, 2021
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Excellent read!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in Canada on December 14, 2021
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    I did not think the book gave me what I wanted, a lot of nice stories and white supremacy philosophy and very little real science. I wanted to return it.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in Canada on October 21, 2023
    Format: Audible Audiobook
    The reader sounds like his dentures are loose. I ended up borrowing the book from the library.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Ivan B
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in Italy on March 1, 2022
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    The book shows the evolution of physical activity from the hunter-gatherer to the modern human. It shows how exercise is so important and how it helps to prevent and fight illness.
    I recommend this book to everyone how wants to expand your own knowledge about physical activity.
  • Bernhard Krupka
    5.0 out of 5 stars A personal journey through history and science for fitness biffs
    Reviewed in the United Arab Emirates on May 15, 2021
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Nice personal account of a journey of discovery with science to back it up. Enjoyed the read. It neatly sums up years of work and research by the author, probably well known to the running community, and in particular the barefoot movement. He was an active participant, if not an early advocate, of the Born to run school of thought, some 15-20 years ago. And also good to have a hardback edition once in a while. A must-have book for any library on running!
  • tio gegeca
    5.0 out of 5 stars nice reading experience
    Reviewed in Brazil on April 22, 2025
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    Great book, well-structured and wisely written for a fluid reading experience
  • Isabel H.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic read! Recommend!!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 9, 2022
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Fantastic book, well written and researched. I'm a bit hit and miss with my personal exercise routines (basically, there is no routine and I "haven't found my sport yet") whereas my husband has been super sporty from a very young age. We both immensely enjoyed reading this book and have learned so much from reading this. Would recommend to all, whether you're really into sports or really not and everything in-between.
  • Mariano Lara
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente libro
    Reviewed in Mexico on April 3, 2023
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Este nuevo trabajo de investigación por parte de Daniel Lieberman ha resultado ser un excelente viaje exploratorio sobre la relación que tiene nuestra especie con la actividad física. Además de contar con fotografías, gráficas, y anécdotas, uno de los puntos fuertes de este libro es la exquisita manera que tiene Lieberman para explicar sus argumentos de forma precisa, clara y agradable. En conclusión, la lectura de este título fue intelectualmente estimulante por la gran cantidad de información novedosa y fascinante. Por lo que es un libro altamente recomendable para cualquier persona interesada en el tema de evolución y actividad física.
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