x-book ®

Eat Sweat Play

Get in the xigxag app
This book is not purchasable in your country. Please select another book.
Pre-order Buy Now £{{ price }}
How does xigxag pricing work?

Listen to a sample

What to expect

Long-listed for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award, 2016.

This audio edition is read by the author, Anna Kessel.

For too long society has led us to believe that women and sport don't mix. While perspiration and 'fitspiration' have never been so hot, sport continues to be stubbornly cast as unfeminine.

But why should sport and exercise be so gendered? What happened to the carefree versions of ourselves, the young girls who dared to climb trees, cartwheel across playgrounds or run down hills so fast we laughed until we couldn't breathe? When did we lose our sense of fun, and what else did we lose along with it?

In a brave, funny and personal call to arms, Anna Kessel carries out a very timely health check on the nation and women's involvement in sport. In her exploration of major taboos, including body dysmorphia, periods, miscarriage, sex and the gender pay gap, Kessel discovers how sport and exercise play and integral role in every sphere of our modern lives.

Sharing the tales of a fascinating range of women - from Sporty Spice conquering the music world in a shell suit to mums who box and breastfeed - Eat Sweat Play is the inspirational story of how women are finally reclaiming sport, and by extension their own bodies, for themselves

Critics Review

  • Anna Kessel’s book should inspire a whole generation of women. It ought to be on the school curriculum.

    Hadley Freeman

  • This book is a plea to reclaim tracks, pitches and pools for women, and to ensure that the next generation grows up appreciating – and enjoying – all that their bodies are capable of.

    The Guardian

  • Fascinating, compelling and thought-provoking

    The Pool

  • A piercing call to arms, [Anna] argues that if women and girls embrace being active, it will lead to a sea change for women’s bodies, self-image and outlook. It is brilliant.

    Stylist

  • I’d go as far to say that this book was a life changer for my health and fitness.

    Estee Lalonde

  • No topic is off limits – cringe worthy school PE, the gender pay gap, parenthood, women as fans, menopause, disability and even her own miscarriage are explored, telling a cradle-to-grave story of our vexed relationship with moving our own bodies. She also lays bare the systemic issues: sports science, for example, is based overwhelmingly on studies of male bodies, as if pregnancy and menstruation simply did not exist. This is a book for parents, sports lovers, and anyone who wants to be on the right side of history.

    Australia Financial Review

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to get tailored content recommendations, product updates and info on new releases. Your data is your own: we commit to protect your data and respect your privacy.