Summary: The “no pain, no gain” exercise ethos has left many unfit Americans high and dry when it comes to exercise. We face unprecedented levels of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular and other degenerative diseases attributable to our sedentary lifestyles, yet many who need it most have a hard time getting moving. Neuroscientist and motivational psychologist Dr. Michelle Segar has outlined a different, more realistic approach to exercise in her book “No Sweat: How the Simple Science of Motivation Can Bring You a Lifetime of Fitness.” She discusses why many exercise regimens fail, how health professionals miss the boat in communicating the need for physical activity, and practical ways that reluctant exercisers can reboot their fitness. What are the pitfalls of “body-shaping”, high-intensity interval training, and ultra-endurance events? Why are our current concepts of exercise creating a “fitness aristocracy” where the gulf between the high-performers and the sedentary is ever-widening? Why do we choose the wrong reasons for exercising? What if you hate exercise and have failed again and again at sticking to a fitness regimen? Dr. Segar provides workable alternatives suitable for everyone in “No Sweat."
