Let’s Get Infografit

What do belly dancing, pickleball, mountain biking, metabolism, the food pyramid, yoga, the Greek Olympiad, Charles Atlas, broccoli, and tongue twisters have in common? Answer: they are all explained in Let’s Get Infografit, drawn in graphic detail.

The book has a quick and easy exercise program, but it’s also a how-to-show-it graphics manual, with examples from Greek vases through 19th and 20th century exercise plans, as well diagrams that explain how to prepare for sports, and to repair any damage while participating in them. It deals with many aspects of exercise: why it’s good for you; what happens if you don’t move around enough; medical and anatomical explanations of soreness and exhaustion; the exhilaration of doing physical activity. It also includes a chapter on nutrition.

What’s a dumbbell? Or a Burpee? Or a medicine ball? What makes you “hit the wall?” Do you really need to take 10,000 steps a day? (Hint: NO!) Why do golf balls have dimples? Driven by explanatory graphics both historic and contemporary, Let’s Get Infografit is about exercise and fitness for people who already love it, and also for people who know they should—but don’t! If you can smile while getting healthy at the same time you may learn to love it too.

This is the tenth book that Nigel Holmes has written on information design and infographics. He is the former graphics director at Time magazine, has lectured globally, and has taught at Stanford and Yale. His diverse list of clients includes the BBC, Ford, Heinz, BMW, Sony, Estée Lauder, and Apple, and his work has appeared in a wide range of media including The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Esquire, Sports Illustrated, New Scientist, National Geographic, Scientific American, and The New Yorker. He has given three TED talks, his work has been exhibited internationally, and he is the recipient of multiple awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for News Design, and the Ladislav Sutnar Award.