by A. J. Jacobs
watching no TV while, 355
watching yourself while, 23–24, 356
see also diet; food; food reforms
eating disorders, 87–90
egonomics, present and future selves in, 48–50, 231
Eingorn, Alex, 142–47
on origins and principles of laughter clubs, 144
Einstein, Albert, 175
ejaculation, Taoist view of, 103
elbow-bump greetings, 77
electric-outlet safety, 336
elevator, taking stairs instead of, 64, 353
eleventh percentile, where AJ came out in counting backwards, 173
e-mails, effect of Tread-desk on, 69
Encyclopaedia Britannica:
AJ’s reading and retaining 2 percent of, 5, 6
on how the Fourth Earl gave us the first sandwich, 21–22
endocrine system, 182, 183–91
see also toxins
endometriosis, frequent orgasms and, 104
endorphins, 129
Energy, in Taoist sexology, 103
Entertainment Tonight, 155
epiphany, what to do while waiting for, 271
equations, brain fed with, 169
Equinox, 127
errands, running of, see running errands, literally
Esquire magazine, 51, 249, 345
AJ’s article on outsourcing his life in, 149
AJ’s browsing of, after his libido upgrade, 280, 285
AJ’s interview with George H. W. Bush in, 288
capri pants story in, 341
David Blaine interviewed for, 216–17
dolphin sleep system envisioned at meetings of, 257
low testosterone embarrassing for employee of, 11
men’s health symposium of, 279
sweating through shirt in running to, 65
syrupy peaches consumed by semisentient writer for, 22
Vergara interview in, 154–55
Esther, Queen, 199
estrogen, 283, 287
Europeans, slow-food eating by, 26
evolution:
barefoot running in, 205
dolphin sleep advantage as kind gift of, 257
healthy food ill-favored by, 15
how it missed the mark on pain, 116–17
Excruciating History of Dentistry, The (Wynbrandt), 196
Execusisers, 67, 68
Executive Health Enterprises (EHE), 10–11
exercise, 6, 89
aerobic, time allotted for, 1
antisnoring, 261
Band-Aid Removal Preference Dilemma in, 252–53
bingeing as aftereffect of, 33
of brain, 165–67
brainpower boosted by, 174
cardio vs. slow fitness, 158–59
in Caveman Workout, 36–44
in desk workouts, 67–69
disease risk cut down by, 32–33
feeling good as outcome of, 32
fidgeting, 353
hardly ever on Sabbath, 201
how much and what kind of, 33
laughing, 142–47
life span increased by, 32, 44–45, 46
motivation needed for, 250
neck, 318
neurobic, 170–71
in old age, 44–45
outwitting self into, 47–50
regularity needed for, 32, 33
sex as form of, 105
steady-state, 253
tapping your leg, 353
T-boosting with moderate levels of, 283
widows and widowers of, 278
see also gyms; working out; specific programs
Experimental Man (Duncan), 190
eyebrows, germs in, 77
eye charts:
with big E at top or bottom of, 329
Snellen, downloaded from Internet, 330
eye exams, 327–28
eyeglasses:
advantaged wearers of, 327
vision sharper without lenses in, 124
eyes, 325–33, 326
astonishing statistics on, 325
dark chocolate beneficial for, 14
diseases of, 327–28
Plato’s unkind words about, 293–94
tips for health of, 328
eyesight improvement, 329–31
chimpanzee help in, 283
cockiness for, 329
eye aerobics for, 329
video games for, 329, 330–31
F, problem recalling some words starting with, 172
face masks, 79–80, 220
facials, odd assortment of bodily fluids used for, 235–36
Fallahpour, Kamran, 171–73, 176
falls, trying to get into bed, 335
false confidence, things that improve with, 329
family meals, eating regimen at, 22–24, 26
farts, people seeking a new sound in, 131–33
fasting, see juice fast
fat, body:
brown vs. white, 210
sugars ending up as, 96
visceral vs. subcutaneous, 3
fat, dietary:
ancestor caveman’s short-run view of, 15–16
in diet debate, 92–94
in Paleo diet, 227–29
fate, outsmarting of, 148–49
fatigue, 259, 282
Federer, Roger, 163
feeling good, how exercise results in, 32–33
feet, 203–10, 204
average, lifetime distance walked by, 205
in barefoot running, 203–8, 204
webbed, Vibrams not advised for, 206
Feiffer, Jules, on Superman, 200
Ferris, Tim, 84, 211, 265, 361
fight-or-flight response, 55, 125
Fig Newtons, stomach’s mindless insistence on, 293
Fiji Water, purity of Cleveland water maligned by, 273
Finger, Paul, 328–29
Finger Fitness, 305–7, 309
how the world might change with, 307
invention of, 306–7
fingers, 303–10, 304
middle, naughty rep of, 306
thinking about bones of, 27
Fisch, Harry, 279–84
Clomid recommended by, 284
fish, mercury in, 190, 368
Fisher, Helen, 107
Fitbit, 108
fitness equipment, 98–99
fitness industry, marketing secrets of, 34
FitzGordon, Jonathan, 315–17
AJ’s walking appraised by, 315
on traditional posture advice, 316–17
walking demonstrated by, 316
Fixx, Jim:
fitness program and early death of, 29–31, 293
as only one data point, 32
flavonoids, 7, 89
Fletcher, Horace, pro-chewing grandfathered by, 24
flossing, 198
chimpanzee use of, 41
years added to life by, 195
Fonda, Jane, 158
food:
for Beverly Hills foreheads, 235
for the brain, 167
“Clark Kent,” 97
faux health, 51, 95
germs in, 77
healthy, fetishism for, 87–90
improved by headphones, 59
noisy snacks, 54, 362
organic, 368
origins and destination of, 23
paycheck-gobbling, 96
pro-chewers’ approach to, 23–24
savoring meditation with, 20–21, 86
in the stuffing of America, 92
super-, 59–60
for suppressing further appetite, 356
ten best pieces of advice on, 361–64
white, rejection of, 94–95, 361–62
see also diet; eating
food chain, avoiding fish high on, 190, 368
food reforms:
gradualism in, 13
more chocolate, booze, and coffee in, 13–16
no more swiping pizza crusts from the kids’
plates, 28
place setting in, 22–23
quantity then quality in, 17
Food Rules (Pollan), 364
football teams, above-average students not on, 175–76
foot injuries, 205
foot rubs, 294
footwear industry, revolt against, 205
For Better: The Science of a Good Marriage (Parker-Pope), 46–47
For Dying Out Loud (unpubl.; Bronzaft), 57, 60
48 Hours, 159
4—Hour Body, The (Ferris), 84, 211, 265, 361
Fowler, James, 162
fox, fabled grapes reframed by, 252
France:
moles in vogue under Louis XV of, 242
parasite use in, 40–41
Franklin, Ben, on cold not causing colds, 211
Freakonomics (Levitt and Dubner), 341
Friedman, Howard, 71
friendship, stress in, 161–62
frogs, loose teeth fixed by, 196
fructose, sucrose vs., 7
fruits, 89
high- vs. low-sugar, 229
our ancestral preference for, 15
F-word, the, 125
Gaga, Lady, warming up to, 249
Galina (acupuncturist), visit to office of, 118–20
gambling, eating while, 21–22
games, losing more precisely in, 177
Gandhi, M. K. (Mahatma), slow chewing advocated by, 24
gas, intestinal, pro-chewers’ view of, 24
gene-coated nano-robot pill, waiting for, 31
genetics, of taste and smell, 297
genetic testing, 300–302
expectations for future of, 301
Tree of Knowledge problem in, 302
genitals, 101–9
urologist’s unsugarcoated view of, 281
see also sexual activity
Germ, Dr., see Tierno, Philip
germaphobia, 76
going full McDougall thwarted by, 206
moral outlook colored by, 82
germ cell, fossilized, as oldest sign of life, 77
germ debate, 75–83
germaphobe’s side in, 76–80
Hygiene Hypothesis side in, 80–81
politics injected into, 82–83
germ porn, 75–76
germproof sheets, 82
germs, 75–83
AJ’s immune system friendly to, 72
in the cracks of your teeth, 195, 197
in drinking water, 273
gyms saturated with, 32
humans descended from, 77
likely habitations of, 79
on Purell dispensers, 79
questions commonly asked about, 79–80
resistance developed to antibiotics by, 79
of the right sort, 82–83
submerging feet in a swamp of, 209
time-consuming warfare on, 82
UV radiation for killing of, 82
Gibala, Martin, 252
ginger, benefits of, 217
gingivitis, 195
Glide Comfort Plus floss, 197
Globe Theatre, groundlings at, 67
glycemic indices, 89
GNC, 83
God:
children’s questions about, 111
dew on front lawn of, 274
disease meted out for sin by, 142
joke about a doctor and, 287
thanked for painkillers, 115
trust in nanny state confessed to, 273
gods of health, massive transgressions against, 191
Goldacre, Ben, 90, 237
gonads, 279–87, 280
Good & Plenty/cucumber romance spray, 102, 106, 109
Good Calories, Bad Calories (Taubes), 92
good for you:
arguing, 169–70
blueberries, 7, 20–21, 26, 97
brushing and flossing, 194, 195, 197–98
cat owning, 151
caution, 335–39
chewing, 23–24
cuts and scratches, 42
dark chocolate, 14, 60
delusional optimism, sensibly balanced, 130
doing new things, 170–71
equations, 169
exercise, exercise, exercise!, 32
fidgeting, 353
forest walking, 43
getting off your butt, 63–71
ginger, 217
goat’s milk, 71
good habits, 245
green field views, 44
hanging out with fit and happy friends or their friends, 161–62
having a purpose in life, 4, 25
holding hands, 308
house plants, 28
just standing there, 66–67
lapping up fallen ice cream, 81
living in hilly places, 64, 221
looking on the bright side, 153
marriage, 45–47; see also Jacobs, Julie Schoenberg
memorizing poems, 169
moderate drinking, 14, 91
moderate optimism with a soupçon of anxiety, 71
more germs, 80–81
near-starvation, 17–21
petting dogs, 150–52
self-massage (not a euphemism), 110, 359
sharpening your sense of smell, 297–98
tart cherry juice, 264
touching, 151, 153
turmeric, 7
unflagging determination and optimism, if possible, 70–71
volunteering, 179–80
watching sports, 163–64
wearing a helmet, 339–42
see also bad for you
Good Night (Breus), 264
gorillas, flat backs an aid to posture of, 316
Gottesman, Lester, 131–37, 227
Graham, Sylvester, as guru of the bland, 101–3
graham crackers, 101–3
grocery store:
as origin of food, 23
shopping the perimeters of, 95–98, 362
guerrilla (contextual) exercise, 64–67
avoiding airport People Movers in, 64–65
beating the elevator in, 64
literally running errands in, 65
for normal people, 353
for the obsessed, 353–54
guilt:
for being terse with a dermatologist, 243
for bingeing, 66
booze, chocolate, and coffee consumed without, 13–16
for improving delts over brain, 233
about obsession with health, 278
about project’s missing body parts, 346
in sitting, 66
in skipping gym, 65
in straying from healthy food, 88
gut, germs in, 75, 76
“gymnasium,” origin of word, 34
gyms, 29–36
AJ’s introduction to, 34–36
etiquette observed at, 61
exercising in nature vs., 39
fellow regulars at, 60–61
glute-lifting demanded by lolling instructor, 250
infectious diseases caught in, 32
New York itself, 221
number of Americans who belong to, 33
Sabbath avoidance of, 201
slow fitness vs. cardio, 157–61
why clanking weights while grunting is OK at, 61
world as, 65; see also guerrilla exercise
see also exercise; working out; specific gyms
hamantaschen, 200
Hand, The: How Its Use Shapes the Brain, Language, and Human Culture (Wilson), 305
hand-holding, 308
hand paraphernalia, 306
hands, 303–12, 304
germs on, 75
new maladies of, 309
periodic shaking of, 309
see also fingers
hands, unwashed:
in germ porn, 75–76
in Hygiene Hypothesis, 80–81
Hands (Napier), 303
hand washing, 74
brief history of, 78
virtuoso performa
nce of, 78
happiness, contagion of, 162
Hardees’ Monster Thickburger, calories (not counting fries) in, 17
hare, Aesop’s, sprint-and-rest racing by, 252
Harvard University, 7, 31, 64, 162, 329, 341
Hausman, Michael, 309–10
HDL, LDL vs., 7
Healing Spaces (Sternberg), 141, 294
health:
deadlines incompatible with, 139
time needed to keep up with, 155–57
WHO’s definition of, 9–10, 168
health advice, five-word summation of, 245
health food, how Graham became an inventor of, 101–2
Health Food Junkies (Bratman), 88–89, 364
health habits, gradualism applied in reforming of, 13–16
Health Project, see Project Health
health villains, top five, 239
healthy behaviors, 8
see also good for you
Healthy Garden, dining at, 51
Healthy Vices, 13–16
growing list of, 168, 330
Heal Your Aching Back (Katz), 317–18
hearing loss, decibel levels sufficient for, 59
see also ears; noise
heart, 29–52, 30, 246, 247–55
see also exercise; gyms; working out; specific types of exercise
heart attacks:
marriage and, 46
noise-related, 55
postcoital risk of, 104
heart disease, 32, 92, 218, 220, 241, 258, 259, 282, 284
dark chocolate for lowering risk of, 14
frequent orgasms and, 104
HIIT and, 253
marathon sitting as cause of, 64, 66
optimism in patients with, 70–71
Paleo diet’s unknown effect on, 229
predictors of, 3, 94
worrying about worrying about, 142
heels:
exfoliating of, 208
landing too hard on, 207, 209
Hefner, Hugh, 282
Heisenberg, Werner, 59
helmets, 334, 340–42
for apartment living, 340
for babies, 336
hemorrhoids, 134–36
sitting vs. squatting for prevention of, 136
HEPA filter, 220
Herbenick, Debra, 105
herpes simplex, 32
Hicks, Bill, working out satirized by, 29–31
high blood pressure, 55, 258
see also blood pressure
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), 277, 347
effective, but no free lunch, 252
why AJ did it once a week, 253–54
hip thrusts, warm-up, 248
Hitler, Adolf, bullhorn fascism of, 56
holidays, feasting vs. fasting on, 20
Home Safety Council, 337
hormone replacement therapy (HRT), 284
horse grooming, calories spent in, 109
hospitals, deaths from infections acquired at, 77
hot dog eating contests, 60
hotels, bringing your germproof sheets to, 82
HourFace, photo aged by, 48–50, 49, 231
humans:
barefoot running no longer suited to, 208–9
built-in sleep requirements of, 265
