Younger Next Year and Beyond

A year or two ago I read the book "Younger Next Year -for Women" and it was an eye opener. Recently, I picked it up again and what a great reminder. I knew we should be exercising just as much, if not more as we age, to stave off the possible perils of advanced age. What surprised me is that we should be moving aerobically four days a week and lifting weights or using resistance machines two to three times a week!  Phew! That's a lot of exercise. However, the rewards are so worthwhile.

As the authors; Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge, M.D. said: "Exercise six days a week for the rest of your life - until you die. It is the great lifesaver and life enhancer for women." According to Chris and Henry, following this rule, and seeing the early results, opens you up to seeing the Next Third of your life differently. Exercise is magic.

When they say exercise, they don't mean a casual walk, a round of golf, an hour in the garden - though these certainly can be in addition to serious exercise. According to them - you want to sweat, you need to feel your heart pumping hard. (Needless to say - absolutely check with your doctor before embarking on an exercise routine if exercise is new to you). For me, hiking the desert hills of Scottsdale or the trails in Marin County or a couple of hours of pickle ball are my go-to choices.

Adding resistance exercise is the next step, as most of you know, and ideally, should be done in a gym either in a class or with a trainer or on your own, provided you know what you're doing.

I love their idea that there is a critical distinction between aging and decay. Aging is inevitable, but it's biologically programmed to be a slow process. Most of what we call aging is actually decay.

So how do we keep ourselves from decaying? The keys to overriding the decay code are daily exercise, emotional commitment, reasonable nutrition and a real engagement with living. Thank you Chris Crowley and Dr. Henry Lodge for this book and enlightening me and inspiring me to play harder six days a week and share this information with as many women as I can.

xo