Healthy Living Books Books

Rating: - Younger Is As Younger Does
Of all the anti-aging books I've seen, this is one of most laid back and entertaining. It's written by two guys. Harry, the doctor, covers the science aspects of aging, while the other guy, Chris, talks about applying the info.

The book is centered around 'Harry's Rules.' These are seven rules for the reader to follow. They include such things as 'Quit eating crap' or 'Exercise six days a week for the rest of your life.' While they might seem to be basic pieces of information, they are sound advice and have some science behind them.

All-in-all, I found this to be a very informative and amusing book and I'd recommend it to anyone who is looking for a book on aging. The realistic key here is not to go into things thinking you're going to STOP the aging process, rather think of SLOWING DOWN the aging process. Also recommend Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff to extend the life of your rotator cuff- studies show that after the age of sixty, 54% of people have a torn cuff.

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Rating: - Younger Next Year
Very motivational which is always a good thing, December 29, 2006
I was given a book at one of my recent seminars, Younger Next Year, a Guide to Living Like Fifty until you are Eighty and Beyond, by Chris Crowley and Henry S. Loch, M.D. Of course, I am not yet 50 so why should I be thinking about when I am 80? The book does make valid points that the earlier you start, the easier it is to take the clock lower.

Most of the book re-enforces what I already know: eat right and exercise. In addition to that, the book talks about the need for purpose, interaction, and contact with other people. As people get older and consider retirement, etc., they often lose their circle of friends and lose their purpose and that is what causes premature aging.

The book is written in an interesting way. The two authors, one in his seventies, talks about his life experiences and how he has been responded to by the younger doctor author who explains his theories of medicine and why things work the way they do.

I have not read anything else that talks the way this book does about why exercise is so good for us. The thesis is that evolution takes ten of thousands of years and so we have not yet had time to evolve. It was only a few hundred years ago when there was famine and exercise was a huge part of daily lives, just to survive. Our bodies have not had time to adapt and as a result, we often go into "famine" mode where our bodies metabolism slows down and we start storing fat. The book points out that technology has allowed us to eat very poorly and certain innate cravings which are healthy when things are scarce like sugars and fats are tremendously unhealthy because we can end up with hugely concentrated sources of them. They are well within our reach and means.

Technology also allows us to exercise and walk less with simply less motion. This goes every where from cars to elevators to electric can openers. I have always been a big advocate of being careful of watching what I include in automation. (You will notice that I conveniently don't bring up anything about the negatives about computer technology, which of course is different.)

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Rating: - How long can we really live?

It is a very good book for anyone concerned about aging. We get more aware of our age at the time of retirement. Switching from a daily-work routine to a totally new idea of all-time-holidays is often not as pleasurable as we expected thirty or more years before. At that difficult time, it is very helpful to focus on the Four Pillars of Longevity as suggested by the authors of the book:

1. Six-times-a-week exercising.
2. Eating for nutrition, not for any other reason. Focusing on fruits and vegetables.
3. Avoiding boredom, developing your hobbies.
4. Connecting with many other people - creating a solid circle of friends.

The book provides some good medical background for these readers that like to understand why certain things are happening.

Another book well worth reading is "Can We Live 150 Year". It is the Body Maintenance Handbook, as the subtitle states. I like the common sense approach that is prevalent throughout the pages. Some of the author's ideas, for obvious reasons are similar to the ones presented by Crovley and Lodge, but on the whole it is a totally different book. Many excerpts are available for reading at the author's website.