The book highlights the races humans can participate in or be a part of, advocates for vegetarianism, how good health is developed, and more
There is a heartening endorsement for the reading habit and its contribution to the body-mind balance, which cannot be emphasised enough. Any impairment in mental health will have an adverse impact on physical health, writes Air Marshal PV Iyer. Image: Amazon
On the back cover of this 172 page book, Rahul Dravid writes, “Air Marshall Iyer paints a very transparent picture about how the road map to being a mentally and physically fit person doesn't have to be very complicated.”
In fact, nothing about this book is complicated. People say that KBC is a successful show because the host, Amitabh Bachchan, wants you to win! In a similar vein, this book is about wanting you to succeed and Air Marshal P V Iyer’s tone is helpful and friendly. He’s 92 years old and that definitely helps. He simplifies ‘fitness’ as a combination of ‘what a person can do, how much physical load he or she can take and how much stress he or she can endure.”
1. I had never thought of human beings as supreme athletes. But taking the reference of a heptathlon, the author explains how across seven races like running, shot put, jumping, swimming etc; animals like cheetahs and monkeys would only be able to perform well in some of them. Only a human can take part in all the races. I had never thought of that.
2. The capacity of ultra marathoners to go on for days without stopping, thanks to the specialised sweat glands, is another reference that makes you wonder about the potential of the human body.