Survival of the Fittest:: Understanding Health and Peak Physical Performance

by Mike Stroud (Author)

• Used

  Hardcover
  1998

  $3.25

  Mike Stroud, polar explorer, practising hospital physician and until recently adviser to the Ministry of Defence on matters of survival, sets out in this fascinating book the genetics, diet and exercise that are employed to enable human beings to perform at their peak. Based soundly in medical science, the book takes an anecdotal form, describing individual feats of survival and athletic prowess that illustrate the way the body functions at its best. In a highly entertaining and humourous way, Dr Stroud dissects his own experiences crossing Antarctia (the subject of his bestselling book Shadows on the Wasteland), running marathons in the Sahara and participating in gruelling cross-country endurance races in the United States. He charts the astonishing bursts of speed produced on the running track by Linford Christie, the stamina and concentration of tennis star Martina Navratilova, and some remarkable mountaineering fears and military escapes. He ends with some hints for those of us who do nothing more strenuous than walking the dog on how we too may remain 'fit for life'.

• Used

  Paperback
  2004

  $3.25

  In this fascinating book based soundly in medical science, Mike Stroud - of BBC Television's The Challenge and SAS: Are You Tough Enough? - sets out the genetics, diet and exercise that enable humans to perform at their peak. Dr Stroud - polar explorer, practising hospital physician, and a former adviser to the Ministry of Defence - analyses individual feats of survival and athletic prowess that illustrate the way the body functions at its best. He dissects his own challenging experiences of crossing Antarctica with Ranulph Fiennes, running marathons in the Sahara and participating in gruelling cross-country endurance races in the United States and gives some tips on how to stay fit for life for those of us who find walking the dog and endurance challenge...This revised edition includes the story of Dr Stroud and Sir Ranulph Fiennes' incredible 2003 global marathon challenge - seven marathons on seven continents in seven days - in aid of the British Heart Foundation.