Books about body image, working smarter,
great sex and natural highs…
Shape shifting
Calories and corsets – A history of
Dieting over 2000 years
By Louise Foxcroft (Profile)
The shape of it: Did you ever make the connection between the slim profile of the
1920s slapper-style and the dearth of young men after World War I?
Straightening women’s curves into a more boyish look might have been society’s
compensation for the number of young men lost in battle. This and hundreds of
other fascinating insights and anecdotes fill this book, in which Cambridge
University professor Louise Foxcroft tries to find out what “centuries of
dieting, gluttony, abstinence and artifice” tell us about ourselves.
She found plenty. “Our perception of our
bodies changes over time and each period and every culture has had its own
obsession with a particular body shape, with appearance, and with what is seen
as beautiful or urgy,” she says. “Add to this fact that as we age our bodies
change shape, and the notion of attractiveness becomes even more nuanced”
Why we like it: This book includes great facts, swept along on a gripping narrative
flow, with a delivery that’s often downright hilarious. Foxcroft has a talent
for finding unforgettable details as she picks apart the threads of various
societies’ prefabricated ideas. She also takes a sharp look at the difference
between our common aversion to fat, which is an aesthetic rather than a health
or obesity issue, and how dieting has become a national neurosis in many
countries. “The present glut of self-loathing, shame and pointless misery of
trying and failing to be the ideal creature of our society’s desire needs
rethinking,” she says.
Rated: 4 star
Fleet feet
Get running – how to get started, stay
motivated and run your best
By Matt Roberts (Quadrille)
The shape of it: Following on from his all round body-booster, I Will Make You Fit
Fast, Matt Roberts turns his specialist focus to running. So why should you
run? He offers this cheerful conviction: “Running is powerful!”
Roberts also believes running is the
“single most rewarding and beneficial form of exercise there is”. Human beings
are born, developed and destined to run. Leave a group of young children alone
in a wide-open space and what do they start to do? Exactly.
Convincing done, Roberts takes you through
everything you need to get started, and keep going. He covers self-assessment
(gait, posture and other tests to find out where you need to focus your
preparation) and precautions. He also deals with programmes to get you ready
for 5km, 10km, half and full marathons and even ultra-distances.
And then there are the exercises, detailed
and photographed step-by-step, to keep you honing and improving your technique
and enjoyment.
Why we like it: The author’s love of running is evident, and his passion is
infectious. “The truth is that running has many highs (and many lows too, at
times), but it never ceases to allow you to explore, push and discover new
levels of ability, and utter self-satisfaction.”
Rated : 3 star
