Move to live, live to move! Health and fitness is a bushy, multi-disciplinary practice that includes body, mind, spirit and the creative imagination. Exuberant Animal explores the totality of human health and promotes a truly integrated approach that spans culture, biology, psychology and animal behavior. You’ll discover powerful new ideas for movement and living that will stimulate your vitality, creativity and enthusiasm. “Frank is a superb writer. His voice is clear, accurate and accessible.”Robert Sapolsky "No joy, no gain!–that might well be Frank Forencich's exercise motto. A nation filled with fit, playful hominids fully in touch with their evolutionary heritage is a true pleasure to contemplate."Bill McKibben “I really appreciate Frank’s innovative approach. His method is sophisticated, playful and holistic.”Debbie Armstrong1984 Olympic Gold Medalist
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The writing style isn't particularly sophisticated and tends to repeat itself. It also makes many assumptions and draws on very few scientific sources of information. Its heart is in the right place, but its not all too convincing. The basic claim that we are apes and should behave and move as such is romantic, but it doesn't account for the fact that we are evolved, therefore different, from apes (granted we share many similarities).
As an example, he claims that ultra-endurance athletes aren't natural because they are mimicking migratory birds, rather than apes, and attributes the claim to the number of injuries that the sports accure. He doesn't take into account that it may be what those endurance athletes are using (improper running form) to account for those injuries, especially when there is evidence of human pockets that routinely travel hundreds of miles for fun (Mexico, Japan, etc) and rarely suffer related injuries. It also doesn't account for observed persistance hunting practices where running long distances with tracking skill were required for meat acquisition in some African tribes, some would call the cradle of evolution. Apes have underdeveloped gluteal muscles and weren't adapted for running and lack a nuchal ligament, a ligament that enables cats and humans to maintain head position when running. Humans have a well developed glutes for locomotion and have a nuchal ligament, providing evidence that sometime during our evolutionary development, running was selected for (otherwise no one would have it). If the author dismissed running so handedly, I would take the rest of the book with a critical eye.
Granted, I am no expert in anthropology or physiology, I would imagine someone to write a relatively recent book on human movement to take such things into account. The complete omittance of evidence, especially evidence that would allow people another venue of physical activity, is surprising and depressing. But if the book gets people off the couch and moving again, I can't complain.
As an example, he claims that ultra-endurance athletes aren't natural because they are mimicking migratory birds, rather than apes, and attributes the claim to the number of injuries that the sports accure. He doesn't take into account that it may be what those endurance athletes are using (improper running form) to account for those injuries, especially when there is evidence of human pockets that routinely travel hundreds of miles for fun (Mexico, Japan, etc) and rarely suffer related injuries. It also doesn't account for observed persistance hunting practices where running long distances with tracking skill were required for meat acquisition in some African tribes, some would call the cradle of evolution. Apes have underdeveloped gluteal muscles and weren't adapted for running and lack a nuchal ligament, a ligament that enables cats and humans to maintain head position when running. Humans have a well developed glutes for locomotion and have a nuchal ligament, providing evidence that sometime during our evolutionary development, running was selected for (otherwise no one would have it). If the author dismissed running so handedly, I would take the rest of the book with a critical eye.
Granted, I am no expert in anthropology or physiology, I would imagine someone to write a relatively recent book on human movement to take such things into account. The complete omittance of evidence, especially evidence that would allow people another venue of physical activity, is surprising and depressing. But if the book gets people off the couch and moving again, I can't complain.
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By Mary Tolena
Format:Paperback
As someone with decades of being "rewarded" for sitting still in thought-work - by parents, teachers, bosses, and the hypnotizing eyes of the TV and computer screens - Exuberant Animal helps wake me up from insidious trance of "my mind is separate from and more important than my body." Frank's essays are playfully sculpted snowballs thrown at my subconscious limiting beliefs. In each, Frank lobs a first bracing splat of fresh perspective, then circles us with the latest thoughts from movement physiology, neuroscience, evolutionary biology, anthropology, and universal notions of spiritual quest. Like one of his conditioning play games, I delight in catching more snowballs from all sides until I have to take a deep breath, laughing at how crazy-upside-down I've been living my life. I'm left with inspiring insights about small and easy things I can do throughout the day that add up to a big difference. I don't need to overhaul my lifestyle with the "discipline to achieve" fitness. I simply need to have FUN tuning into the playful, moving, sentient animal I am meant to be.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I've been reading Frank's Go Animal essays for years now, and hoping he'd collect them into another book. I've downloaded most of them and put them up in the martial arts dojo, sent them to friends and shared them with my rehab colleagues. Everyone I've sent them to is now a loyal fan as well. Frank has a way of finding out the most fascinating and relevant scientific information relating to our bodies and putting it into witty essays that make me want to go out and put the information to imediate use. My personal favorites are the ones on slow and sustainable fitness, but I'm hard pressed to say that any one essay is better than another.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Putting the fun back into your life.
I've been a marial artist now for almost 40 years. I don't have an "evolution" world view, but I still enjoy and make use of many of the ideas presented in this book. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Michael Clark
4.0 out of 5 stars
Some good info, but...
This book might have received 5 stars if not for Forencich's occasional patronizing attitude (which is not how he seems in real life). Read more
Published 3 months ago by Jason Lilly
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good ideas, poor execution
The ideas presented in the book are interesting, but overall it was a fairly painful read full of redundancy and lack of scientific rigor.
Published 9 months ago by Jack
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another GREAT book by Frank Forencich.
This book, along with Mr. Forencich's other books have truly changed my life. My challenge has become not insisting that everyone I know read all of his books right now. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Phred Hall
4.0 out of 5 stars
Inspires change
This book aims to inspire positive change in our outlook on "fitness" and succeeds.
The author has a message - that our current view of "fitness" as something to be obtained... Read more
The author has a message - that our current view of "fitness" as something to be obtained... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Bill B.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very stimulating read
The book is like a collection of essays and great for dipping in and out of. I have rarely read a book which has had me, on nearly every page, thinking "Wow, that's an interesting... Read more
Published 20 months ago by M Perry
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome perspective...
Fantastic book. I have been looking for a book that covered life from this perspective so I was drawn in immediately and found myself nodding in agreement from beginning to end. Read more
Published on August 28, 2010 by KKFitness
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exhuberant Take on Getting Americans Moving Again
Frank Forencich captures the joy of movement that's part of our birthright as a species and which we cut ourselves off from in our cubicle and car dominated culture. Read more
Published on February 7, 2010 by Mary Collins
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rethink how you move
Our world is increasingly technologized; leaving us sitting, inactive before the glowing screens of computer and TVs. Read more
Published on August 10, 2007 by Photo Educator
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exuberant Animal, an outstanding read!
I have been teaching fitness and outdoor recreation for more than two decades, and have come across only a few books that are supportive about using a creative, nurturing, and... Read more
Published on July 21, 2007 by K. deWet
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