Happy New Year!!!

I hope each and every one of you had a wonderful start to 2020!  

As we start the New Year off, I thought I would highlight a book that many of you may already have read: “Younger Next Year”.  There are two versions, one for women and one for men.  It’s worth taking a look at now, if you haven’t already.  And by now, I mean NOW, at the start of THIS year.  Don’t wait because if you do, before you know it you will be one year older and not any younger.  If you really are not much of a reader here is summary the main take home points and the points I want to make sure you get.

The book is co-authored by 2 gentlemen, one a physician – Dr. Harry Lodge, and the other a retired Wall Street lawyer – Chris Crowley.  Chris is a “recovery case” of Dr Harry Lodge’s. He is the example who bought the prescription his doctor sold him and changed his life.  At 70 years of age, he is biologically much younger than he actually is and he is leading an exuberant life to go with it.   

Chris Crowley provides the humorous but serious side of each key concept and Dr. Harry Lodge gives the simple Science behind his principles.  Keep in mind that the book was written over ten years ago, so some of the science is somewhat outdated, but the basic principles remain the same.

The prescription Dr. Lodge gave Chris Crowley are 7 simple rules to live by and he fondly calls them “Harry’s Rules”

Harry’s rules:

1. Exercise 6 days a week for the rest of your life

This is your job – many of you are retired now and exercise is your new job, make it part of your day.  Get up and move.

2. Do serious aerobic exercise 4 days a week for the rest of your life

Get a Fitbit or Personal Fitness Tracker and one with a heart rate monitor and start tracking what you do every day. Start long and slow.  Add some intensity as well.

3. Do serious strength training, with weights, 2 days a week for the rest of your life

This is a minimum and should not be taken for granted.  If you can do more than 2 days a week then you should!! Three or 4 days would be great!

4. Spend less than you have

Most of you know this already.  Have a solid financial plan. Spend less today so that things will be okay tomorrow.

5. Quit eating crap!

You probably know exactly what the “crap” is that you consume, but here is a hint: french fries, almost all fast food, processed snacks and breakfast food with names that end in “O”, all sugar swamped soft drinks, sugar in general.

6. Care

This is a triple-barrelled message.  Care enough about exercise and nutrition so that you have a decent body and a good attitude going into the next third of your life.  Then get out there and take charge of your life. Care about others. 

7. Connect and commit

We are hard-wired to be emotional creatures.  Work hard at your relationships with friends and family.  Get to know new people. Get involved in your community.

Chronological Aging and Biological Aging

What this book is truly addressing is Biological Aging.  We cannot change our Chronological age – that is the number of years that have passed since you were born.  However we can affect how we age Biologically and by following Harry’s rules we can actually make ourselves biologically younger.  The best part – it’s never too late to make changes that will affect our biological age and the sooner we make those changes the better.  

Harry and Chris describe our bodies as being in a state of rot and decay or growth.  If we do nothing we are constantly in a state of rot and decay, aging and dying. However, if we give our bodies the correct stimulus (i.e. exercise) and provide it the best building blocks (i.e. good nutrition) and manage stress, sleep well and have healthy relationships, we can turn back the clocks and become younger biologically.

So read the book … now, because rot and decay are not fun. If any of you would like to borrow a copy, please let me know as I would be happy to lend it out.

Now if you need a little more inspiration on the matter of changing your biological age, check out this episode from The Passionate Eye – How to Stay Younger.  It is really worth the watch as it gives real life examples of people who made some pretty inspiring changes to their biological ages.

So, let’s make the year of 2020 your year to chip away at Harry’s rules and be a younger version of ourselves by this time next year!