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A review by shottel
Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
A "self-help" kind of book focused on maximizing lifespan and healthspan (how long you have good capabilities), it succeeds on nearly every front. The author, Dr. Peter Attia, never resorts to "trust me, I'm a doctor." Instead, he spends most the book justifying his fairly simple conclusions, and he does so with clear language and in ways that allow you to check his work. His studies are cited; his theory is compelling; his methods are thorough. This is, without hesitation, the very first resource I would recommend to anybody trying to be healthy at all, let alone anybody interested in longevity.
His topline recommendations are strikingly simple: Don't eat too many calories, or too few; get all your essential fats, vitamins, and minerals, and way more protein than the FDA suggests; eat more fresh stuff, and less processed stuff; avoid added sugars and fructose; do cardio; do strength training, with a strong emphasis on safety so you don't injure yourself; get 7-8 hours of sleep; take care of your emotional health. That's the gist of it. Of course there are details to add (what fats, vitamins, and minerals? how many calories is right? what's the best cardio? etc.) but these details take a small fraction of the book's roughly 400 pages to document.
His rigorous approach comes together with a clear writing style, lightly seasoned with humor, to make an excellent book. It deserves the attention it has gotten and has provided direction to my months-long goal of developing a fitness plan. I strongly recommend it to anyone who's interested.
His topline recommendations are strikingly simple: Don't eat too many calories, or too few; get all your essential fats, vitamins, and minerals, and way more protein than the FDA suggests; eat more fresh stuff, and less processed stuff; avoid added sugars and fructose; do cardio; do strength training, with a strong emphasis on safety so you don't injure yourself; get 7-8 hours of sleep; take care of your emotional health. That's the gist of it. Of course there are details to add (what fats, vitamins, and minerals? how many calories is right? what's the best cardio? etc.) but these details take a small fraction of the book's roughly 400 pages to document.
His rigorous approach comes together with a clear writing style, lightly seasoned with humor, to make an excellent book. It deserves the attention it has gotten and has provided direction to my months-long goal of developing a fitness plan. I strongly recommend it to anyone who's interested.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Dementia, Chronic illness, Forced institutionalization, and Child abuse