Books about exercise have appeared in recent years at a rate that has exceeded the availability of new data or fresh ideas on the subject. Indeed, the authors of this book begin with the question, "Why another book on exercise?" Happily for the reader, they have provided us with a useful and generally well-written work.
Though most of the material is available from other recent books or reviews, the first four chapters present an admirably concise and lucid review of epidemiologic evidence linking exercise habits to health and disease. Physiological data on the effects of habitual exercise and animal studies are reviewed, but more superficially. The middle chapters offer standard fare on exercise prescription and risks similar to that available from numerous sources, and they are palatable enough. The final chapters present a commendable effort to develop strategies at the community, state, and national levels to emphasize exercise as a