Born to Run — Christopher McDougall

Born to Run -- Christopher McDougallAs a bare foot runner myself i’ve been meaning to read this book for a very long time, but it just kept on sitting in my to-read pile always being overlooked for some exciting fiction to read instead.   But now, finally, i dived in and got it read.

And it’s really good.   Christopher has a way of writing that is just captivating and really takes the reader into the depths of the Copper Canyons to meet the Tarahumara and to experience a world that was left behind a long time ago.

To be able to look back in time in this way with the Tarahumara and to see just what super healthy, wonderful, running machines, Natural humans truly are when they’re not pampered by modern appliances and poisoned by modern diets.

This book is a must for anyone who runs, especially for anyone who is even thinking about taking up running, and also for anyone remotely interested in Human evolution and what makes a Homo sapien so special amongst all other animals.

So if you haven’t read it yet, just do so.   It’s wonderfully written and a super page turning read meeting some really interesting characters (all true life characters) along the way.   It’s not only a great read but a great journey.

And, having enjoyed his writing soooo much, i’m now very much looking forward to reading Christopher’s other books.

Bye for now.

Christopher’s Page

#gettingfitter #roads #transport #fitness #health #running #christophermcdougall

Musashi’s Dokkodo — Miyamoto Musashi

Musashi's Dokkodo -- Miyamoto MusashiJust before Musashi died, he wrote a set of precepts for his favourite student.   In this book the precepts are discussed one by one by five martial artists from different backgrounds and careers.

A really good look at Musashi and his ideas with five different interpretations of both the man, the legend and his precepts.

A must read for those of us who are interested in Japanese culture, especially from the feudal era.

Bye for now.

Musashi’s Page

#japan #miyamotomusashi

The Molecule of More — Daniel Z. Lieberman and Michael E. Long

A rather interesting book all about dopamine, and how it controls us and shapes our world.

Me thinks everyone should read all the books they can about neurotransmitters, this being a fairly good one.

The annoying thing to me is that while there’s quite a lot of discussion on how our genetics affect out dopamine levels and responses, there is a complete lack of discussion on epigenetics, as though they have no influence whatsoever.   There’s also a complete lack on how diet and lifestyle affects dopamine and other neurotransmitters.   So while this is a fairly good look at dopamine in general, i wouldn’t take it all at face value because there’s simply too much left out, IMHO.

But lots of people just want to blame the genes they were given and take the “It’s not my fault” path, so maybe this book is written for them.

Bye for now.

Daniel’s Page Michael’s Page

#5t4n5 #danielzlieberman #michaelelong