How to Think About Exercise: The School Of Life

We tend to regard exercise as pure physical exertion, a working of the muscles to develop (or show) bodily strength and vitality. We do not exercise to improve our minds or to learn something new; we commonly make this division of the body and mind. But this was not always so; the ancient Greeks rarely split us into body and mind, in theory or practice, so why do we make that separation today?

In How to Exercise, Damon Young answers this question by examining our modern lifestyles of new technology and expensive gym memberships, of commuter trains and air-conditioned offices. He then goes further by asking us to reflect on the mental value of exercise. Drawing on scholarship, great literature and pop culture, he examines different forms of exercise and reveals how physical activity can be existential - a way of reclaiming and refining our selves. Damon offers practical, accessible advice for giving aspects of self more value through exercise.