One of life’s simple pleasures is to curl up with a good book — one that inspires, informs or entertains you, plus, new research suggests that reading regularly can add years to your life. The following five books are worthy contenders for your home library, promising all of the above and more on the subject of active aging.
5 Books That Flip Aging On Its Head
1. GO WILD: Eat Fat, Run Free, Be Social, and Follow Evolution’s Other Rules for Total Health and Well-Being
Paperback or audiobook available on Amazon
Author Dr. John Ratey is a Harvard Medical School professor and renowned expert in neuro-psychiatry, a field that connects mental and emotional disturbances to disorders in brain function. Working with journalist Richard Manning, Dr. Ratey shows how “nature’s design” (a neurologist, Dr. David Perlmutter refers to it in his foreword) can help individuals fight some of today’s psychological challenges and diseases. GO WILD reveals that we can all experience better health and well-being by living a lifestyle that’s more attuned to those of our ancestors.
2. Younger Next Year: The Exercise Program
Authors of the popular Younger Next Year series, Chris Crowley and Dr. Henry Lodge offer “a training program for the rest of your life.” The Younger Next Year exercise program is based on research showing the impact that a regimen of cardio and strength training can have, effectively helping to turn back the body’s biological clock. The program blends information and workouts to support readers on their individual exercise journeys. The authors also encourage readers on how to live well with their improved physical and mental vitality.
3. Keep Moving: And Other Tips and Truths About Living Well Longer
Paperback or audiobook available on Amazon
Entertainer Dick Van Dyke shares stories, advice and insights — both his own and those of friends and family members — on aging well. The actor, now 91 years of old, believes in embracing life fully. His resilient, optimistic nature has helped him overcome his fair share of challenges, including a near-death experience. When a doctor predicted that, at age 40, Van Dyke would not be able to walk, much less dance, within seven years due to arthritis, he greeted this news by defiantly performing a dance. “As far as I know, there is no manual for old age,” Van Dyke says. “When people ask my secret to staying youthful at an age when getting up and down from your chair on your own is considered an accomplishment, you know what I tell them? ‘Keep moving.'”
4. The Art and Science of Aging Well: A Physician’s Guide to a Healthy Body, Mind and Spirit
Hardcover or audiobook available on Amazon
Dr. Mark Williams, a University of North Carolina medical professor, provides advice in The Art and Science of Aging Well to help people “approach aging with optimism.” According to Dr. Williams, “We are often led to believe that aging is something that simply happens.” That’s not the case, he stresses. Readers can choose activities that help make them as fit as possible to lead a full and fulfilling life as they age. Williams prescribes “enriching mind and body” through such things as regular exercise, lifelong learning, and staying involved with friends and family. “Old age is no refuge from an empty life,” he states.
5. What Makes Olga Run?
At age 77, Olga Kotelko gave up softball for track and field. A phenomenon in international masters competitions, Kotelko went on to win 750 gold medals and set 37 records before she died in 2014, at age 95. Freelance writer Bruce Grierson first met the athlete in 2010 — and “if a writer can become infected by a story, that’s what happened to me that day,” he reveals in What Makes Olga Run? The two eventually teamed up to examine the mystery of Kotelko’s remarkable energy and abilities. Grierson’s inspiring book looks at diet, sleep, personality and more to try and unlock the answers and discover lessons she might offer on living well for longer.
