Death by Comfort

We are ancient genomes in a modern world, and it's not going well. Modern humans are the most overweight, depressed, medicated and addicted cohort of adults that has ever lived, yet life has never been so good! Our sedentary lifestyles and ultra-processed foods are making us overweight and sick. Our thermoneutral environments are making us soft. Our digital world is leaving us physically disconnected. Clearly, something is wrong with modern life. The solution? Embrace discomfort. This book explores the science behind counting your steps, cold showers, intermittent fasting, 'digital sunsets', and much, much more - and how it can improve your physical and mental health. Backed by powerful research, Death by Comfort is a fascinating and entertaining exploration of what we need to do in order to survive and thrive in the modern world.

I loved this book. For where we are at as a species, and also as individuals trying to navigate the beauty and mayhem of the human experience, it is the right book, with the right messages, delivered in an easy-to-understand language, at the right time. Paul is part educator, part coach, part terrifying drill sergeant and exactly what most of us need. This is an invaluable resource that, for many, will become an integral part of their new operating system.

Craig Harper, speaker, author, researcher, podcaster and PhD candidate

Many of us have been taught to avoid stress. In our most stressful moments, perhaps we have dreamt of escaping to a peaceful island where we can surf and lay in the sun all day. What if this attempt to escape stress is not the solution but the problem? This book shows that rather than avoiding stress, we can use stress to become stronger, more socially connected, healthier and smarter. The book is based on cutting-edge science, is easy to read, and is filled with clear insights and guidance.

Joseph Ciarrochi, professor of psychology and co-author of What Makes You Stronger

Paul has a brilliant ability to communicate science in an entertaining and engaging way. In this book, he expertly describes how the comforts of modern life are eroding our health and wellbeing. Get out of your comfort zone and use your human-evolved big brain to read this book. Although the science can get complex, the messages are not: eat real food, exercise often, get the right level of stress for you to feel motivated, challenge your body outside of your climate-controlled house to deal with heat or cold, build resilience. Apply the book's principles to your life and I'm willing to bet you'll experience the benefits.

Dr Joanna McMillan, nutrition scientist and accredited practising dietitian

In Death by Comfort, Paul has gone to the next level in translating bleeding-edge science into practices and tools that you can use every day to give yourself a life that is what you want it to be. Paul says what needs be said: that without unlocking the power of exercise, diet, sleep and managed stress, we can never be the best we can be. More than that, this book will ignite a debate around building a society that makes these things normal and part of what a health system should really do: keep us healthy.

Grant Schofield, Professor of Public Health and Director of the Human Potential Centre, Auckland University of Technology

I've always known Paul Taylor to be a master communicator. Then he wrote Death by Comfort and took that term to a new level. This easy-to-read book will truly challenge you to think about what's possible for your future self in all aspects of health. It will help you understand both the consequences of doing nothing and the incredible rewards of getting uncomfortable. You will learn, think and feel differently about how you look after that body and brain of yours. The people I care about will be hearing all about this book.

Lisa Stephenson, high-performance coach, author and speaker

A former British Royal Navy Aircrew Officer, Paul Taylor is an Exercise Physiologist, Nutritionist and Neuroscientist who is currently completing a PhD in Applied Psychology, where he is developing and testing resilience strategies with the Australian Defence Science Technology Group and The University of Newcastle.

He is the Director of The Mind-Body-Brain Performance Institute, where he delivers resilience, leadership and executive performance workshops. In 2010 he created and co-hosted the TV series Body and Brain Overhaul and he appeared regularly on The Biggest Loser TV series as a subject matter expert. In 2010 and 2015, he was voted Australian Fitness Industry presenter of the year.

Paul is the host of The MindBodyBrain Project Podcast and his latest venture is The Resilient Mind, an online program and App that is currently used by a number of Corporations and has proven benefits for resilience, mental wellbeing and levels of burnout of participants.

Our genome has not changed in over 45,000 years, but the world has changed enormously and there are multiple mismatches with modern life. Homo Sapiens evolved and thrived because we could hunt down prey with the tools we made, ate a range of natural foods from the environment and led highly physically lives necessary for the proper functioning of our bodies and brains.Now, most of us spend most of our day sitting on our backsides, and more than 50% of our diet is made up of ultra-processed foods that hijack our brains rewards systems while making us overweight and sick.Exposure to cold and heat caused our ancestors to upregulate critical stress response genes which made us more resilient. Now, our thermoneutral environments are making us soft.We used to live in small tribal communities where everyone had a role and purpose. Now we are digitally connected and physically disconnected.Modern humans are the most overweight, depressed, medicated and addicted cohort of adults that has ever lived, yet life has never been so good! Clearly, something is wrong with modern life. We are ancient genes in a modern world, and it s not going well. Backed by powerful research on neuroscience, anthropology and nutrition, Death by Comfort is a fascinating read that explores exactly what s wrong and what we need to do in order to survive and thrive in the modern world.

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