Sweat: A History of Exercise by Bill Hayes
Bill Hayes is deeply fascinated by the human body. A writer and photographer best known for his generously moving memoir Insomniac City, Hayes has built a career in weaving history, science, literature and details from his own life into compelling, informative narrative nonfiction. His previous books have covered everything from the history of blood (Five Quarts), to the story of the classic medical text Gray’s Anatomy (The Anatomist) and the science of insomnia (Sleep Demons). These titles may sound a little dry – rest assured, they’re anything but. Hayes has proven time and time again that he can tackle just about any subject with lucid prose, compassionate humour and fascinating insight.
Now Hayes combines his interests in working out and research in Sweat: A History of Exercise. While exercise may seem like a 21st-century obsession, fitness fads are a tale as old as time. An avid exercise enthusiast, Hayes traces the history of the practice across the globe, from Renaissance-era Girolamo Mercuriale’s 1569 text De arte gymnastica, to Greco-Roman wrestling, to forms of yoga first practiced in India over five thousand years ago and Jane Fonda’s workout revolution. Hayes considers the philosophy behind the practice, as well as the distinctions between exercise, sport, play, art and labour.
As he steers the reader through the history of sports, Hayes shares his own exercise journey, including experiments in running, swimming, boxing, cycling, lifting and stretching. In these stand-out sections, Hayes reflects on how his exercise routines have shifted throughout his life, even pausing for many years after the death of his partner Oliver Sacks.
With Sweat, Hayes offers the reader a lovely weave of history and science, lively characters and personal anecdote. This is an engaging, intelligent look at why we want (and need) to move and sweat from a master storyteller.
