|
I read it one year ago, and I can say that I feel truly younger this year. I have read and reviewed many diet and exercise books. But, this book truly inspired me. I have lost 2 sizes, have more energy, and I don't need a nap in the middle of the day any more. I am thrilled with the new me.
Their gutter vulgarity is not entertainment and by all means does not help a reader learn about his need for exercise. I bought the book to learn more about my body as I age and to prepare my body for the years ahead. But, I found that the authors are crude and often times gross in their writing. The whole book is a celebration of the authors' egos and lack of communication skills. Finally, the authors' attempt to educate the readers gets lost in their rambling and the many nonsense events in their lives THEY believe pertinent to keeping one's body fit.
Our sedentary lifestyles are completely out of balance with our internal chemistry. The book is organized in a ping-pong fashion with first Crowley, then Lodge, weighing in. Inactivity, poor nutrition, and high levels of stress brought on by any number of social situations all permit C-6 to predominate in our bodies. This is not optional. They point out that the body is in a constant state of decay and growth, and that it is entirely possible to nurture the growth cycle in such a way that a person's body can resist decline and be healthy and strong well into one's eighties.Now comes the disheartening part for those hooked on medicines for well-being.
Aerobic exercise at either low or high intensity levels must be done for a minimum of one hour at least four days a week and some form of weightlifting at least twice a week. Furthermore, his multiple expensive vacations and the purchasing of expensive custom bicycles, rowing equipment, and the like gets tiresome. Their concern is that the typical deterioration of a person's physical plant (body) and the onset of common afflictions, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and complications from falls, are entirely unnecessary and actually abnormal. For the more scientifically inclined, Lodge outlines a simplified version of our body's cycle of decay and growth.
The book has some practical suggestions for exercise and for nutrition, with overeating and consuming too much sugar and saturated fat being especially harmful. Sometimes personal testimony can add, but author Crowley's fixation on his skiing prowess at age seventy is a bit much. Vigorous exercise is completely in accordance with our body's chemistry developed over millions of years which enabled man to survive by covering many miles everyday hunting and gathering food. He introduces two essential chemicals, cytokine-6 (C-6) and cytokine-10 (C-10). The body chemistry angle is of most interest.
This book is yet another look at aging, in this time of boomers reaching retirement, that is both breezy, on the part of retired lawyer Crowley, and watered-down scientific, on the part on gerontologist Lodge. The authors continually emphasize the positive benefits of being socially connected and having absorbing work and/or hobbies, most of which is well known. The main contribution of the book is the emphasis on exercise being necessary given our physical/chemical structure. It is somewhat repetitious and there is a pervasive optimism, verging on the excessive. Unfortunately, the steady, low-level production of C-6 causes decay but is insufficient to stimulate C-10. Unless that would be interesting, buy yourself a decent pair of walking shoes, quit overeating, and start exercising. Their prescription for life transformation is vigorous exercise six days a week, and preferably seven.
Save the money on the book. C-6 is in control of decay and inflammation, but also stimulates the production of C-10, the chemical for repair and growth. C-10, and thereby cellular repair, is produced only when exercise produces a threshold level of C-6. His recommendation of perhaps the most expensive bicycle touring company in existence is not helpful.The book is by no means a how-to book on exercise, nor particularly expansive on nutrition.
This is the best book I have read on exercise and life style for folks over 50.
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. 3. It is a very good book for anyone concerned about aging. 2. The book provides some good medical background for these readers that like to understand why certain things are happening. 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. Focusing on fruits and vegetables.
4. We get more aware of our age at the time of retirement. Avoiding boredom, developing your hobbies. Six-times-a-week exercising. Eating for nutrition, not for any other reason. Connecting with many other people - creating a solid circle of friends. Another book well worth reading is Stop the Age Clock: Look 20 Years Younger, 20 Pounds Lighter and 200% Prettier in Only 20 Days Both books are worth reading.
|
