Cons: some readers might prefer a female perspective
The Bottom Line: If you're female, over 40, slowing down or 'feeling your age', and you think it's natural, stop—just read this book, get motivated and stop the decay!
jc_hall's Full Review: CHRIS CROWLEY and HENRY S. LODGE M.D. - Younger Ne...
In her 60s, my mother started to fall and hurt herself. She broke her wrist one time when she slipped in the bathtub, and then she broke her ankle when she stumbled down one step in a short flight of stairs. It seemed obvious that she had osteoporosis (a silent but deadly thinning of the bone) even though she had been taking calcium+Vit D supplements since before the onset of menopause. We asked her to eat more foods naturally rich in calcium and Vitamin D, but she never liked dairy products such as milk, cheese or yogurt, and refused to have calcium-rich foods like sardines or canned salmon, though she does drink soy milk.
But all of us, including her doctors, missed the point. Why was she falling in the first place? The answer came to me in a flash as I was flipping through a copy of Younger Next Year for Women at the bookstore. Bells rang in my head as I landed on page 180, on a section written by Chris Crowley, a retired 70-year-old who now bikes and skies with men half his age.
One of the truly alarming things that happened in my early sixties was that I began falling for no reason at all. Two or three times, I was crossing the street or just walking on a city sidewalk and stumbled over a little uneven place or a rise in the pavement….as if I’d forgotten how to walk. And I wasn’t even old. I was in decent shape and pretty damn active, but I was falling down.
Apparently, as co-author Dr Henry S. Lodge, a 48-year-old gerontologist explained, the neurotransmitters that coordinate balance deteriorate with age. That’s why your balance goes haywire. It’s not that older people stumble any more than younger ones; they just don’t catch themselves and recover their balance immediately, as younger people do without thinking all the time.
And, what’s more, there’s a way to fix this. Lifting weights actually fixes the ‘wiring’ and stops you from falling in the first place. As Chris says, “Once I started doing weights, I quit falling down.” Lifting weights also builds up bone mass, so if you do fall, it’s not catastrophic.
I cannot begin to describe the feelings I got from reading first this, and then the rest of the book. So much of our fears about aging are based on how our close friends and relatives age in front of our eyes. I had a great-aunt who broke her hip and was incapacitated to the point of being bed-ridden—she did not live much longer after this happened to her in her 70s. I have a friend in her 70s now who has had both hips replaced after two separate falls and was in much agony before each surgery. She is now pretty much confined to her house whereas twenty years ago, she was an active 50-something who clacked along on high heels so smartly that I (in my twenties at the time) often had to run after her.
Of course, I had known all along that ageing was inevitable. I had assumed that at some point in my 70s, I would go the way of these once feisty ladies. No matter how well I take care of myself, I reasoned, age would at some point catch up with me and reduce me to a frail old woman.
But now, thanks to Younger Next Year for Women, I realize that, as the authors put it so succinctly, DECAY IS OPTIONAL. Yes, ageing is inevitable but much of what we perceive as ageing—the frailty, the broken bones, the incapacitation and indignity of being bed-ridden—are preventable and happen only when we embrace a sedentary lifestyle (the sure fire way to start decaying) and can be avoided as long as we keep exercising and actively engaging in life.
The type of exercise is crucial. While cardio (cardiovascular or aerobic exercise) has long been proven to improve your overall health, especially the state of your heart, strength-training or weight-training (lifting heavy weights) is mandatory for resisting osteoporosis (bone loss), muscle loss, and maintaining joint health. As the authors say, Remember, aerobic exercise saves your life; strength training makes it worth living.
But how much? Well, you’re not going to like this, but the authors are convinced that you need to exercise 6 days out of 7, an hour each day, 4 of those hours cardio, the other 2 strength/weight training. It may sound a lot to someone who’s sedentary now, but of course it all depends on how you wish to see yourself down the road.
While the original Younger Next Year targeted men, Younger Next Year for Women is geared towards the female reader over the age of 40, with extra material on topics specific to women such as menopause, osteoporosis, hormone replacement therapy. There is also great chapter on nutrition. Throughout the book, the two co-authors alternate chapters, with Chris giving his unique take on things and then Dr Lodge giving a scientific explanation of his philosophy on ageing. While Chris’s style is chatty and often hilarious, Dr Lodge’s delivery often gets very technical very quickly, and you may find yourself skipping paragraphs like I did. Having said that, the two co-authors work well in tandem, and the read is mostly smooth and certain eye-opening, inspiring, and extremely motivational.
Since reading this book, I have increased my cardio from 30 minutes twice a week to 45 minutes 3 times a week, and intend to keep going until I’m doing 60 minutes 3-4 times a week. I’ve also increased my weight-training from very rarely to twice a week, though it’s still far short of the recommended 1-hour sessions. But I’m working on it, and I make sure my husband and I are on the same page. In fact, there’s nothing like a work-out buddy to ensure you get to the gym every so often, as one of you is bound to lack the drive or the energy every now and then. So sometimes I push him, and sometimes he pushes me. Works for us!
As the subtitle “Live Strong, Fit and Sexy—Until You’re 80 and Beyond” implies, there is life—excellent quality of life—to be had in the golden 30+ years after menopause.
While Part I: Take Charge of Your Body covers the physical aspects of ageing/decay, the ways to overcome these and the reasons behind them, Part II: Take Charge of Your Life explores the biology of emotion and urges us to care (about life, ourselves and one another), connect (with one another as human beings) and commit (to a cause or a passion).
An excellent, life-changing book that should be on the shelf of all women, both pre-and post-menopausal. Ladies, the men in your life should read the original. If you follow ‘Harry’s Rules’, chances are you will live a long and healthy life that’s actually worth living.
Women's Health - General Health & Fitness - Smart women don't grow older. They grow younger. A book of hope, Younger Next Year for Women shows you how...More at Barnes and Noble
The bestselling Younger Next Year, which deals with men and aging, is now available in an edition aimed at the female population. Covering menopause, ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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