An interesting book that we like a lot is Younger Next Year by Chris Crowley and Henry Lodge. It was introduced to us by our friend Jim Mitchell. I heard that he bought a box and distributed it to friends as gifts. After reading it (it’s an enjoyable read), I did the same. Jim turned his fitness around. He had heart surgery and based upon the guidelines in this book he developed a new lifestyle that has helped him immensely. In his case, he is now an avid biker and takes on some challenging rides.
The book comes as hardcover and paperback versions as well as kindle. There is a standard Younger Next Year and there is one for women. We try to keep a couple around for gifts. I wish I could say that we are totally living by its premise, but we are getting closer and closer. In any case here are the basical rules, fully and better explained in the book.
- Exercise 6 days per week for the rest of your life.
- Do serious aerobic exercise four days a week for the rest of your life.
- Do serious strength training, with weights, two days a week for the rest of your life.
- Spend less than you make.
- Quit eating crap!
- Care.
- Connect and commit.
The book has many stories/anecdotes to motivate one to follow the plan and Dr. Lodge includes plenty of data on why each rule is important to health, wellness, and longevity.
I also enjoy the concept they discussed called kedging. Basically kedging is a nautical term describing the use of manually placing anchors off in the direction of where you want your sailboat to move and then pulling yourself to the anchor location. Here is one description: link1
They use the term to describe the technique of setting ‘stretch goals’ to motivate you to prepare for a special event that includes conditioning. It could be an extended ski or bike trip, for example, where you will need to get your self in shape and prepared to fully enjoy. This helps you get through the hard work of getting to new level of physical activity/conditioning.
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