Younger Next Year
Why do you exercise? Is it to maintain a healthy weight? Or to make your body look a certain way? For me, it’s mostly about mental health. Occasionally people will praise me for my dedication to exercising every day. No, no- you don’t understand! I have to exercise in order to feel good. When I exercise regularly I feel like I’m barely keeping my head above water, mentally and emotionally. I’m so focused on my mood and endorphins, I sometimes forget about the physical benefits of exercise. A few years ago I read Younger Next Year by Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge. The authors lay out the best argument I’ve ever heard for daily exercise. The basic premise is that there’s a difference between aging and decay. Aging is inevitable, but decay is optional. Our bodies are constantly getting signals to either grow, or decay. In our youth, the tide of growth is strongly at our backs, pushing us forward. But in our 40s or 50s (when our reproductive years are behind us) our bodies switch into a “default to decay” mode. There’s no middle ground… you don’t just drift along at the same level. It’s either growth, or decay. Luckily we can switch these “decay” signals to “growth” signals with… you guessed it… exercise. The most simple rule in this book is exercise six days a week for the rest of your life. That’s the way to send constant “grow” message to your body. There’s a whole chapter on the science behind this (and it’s pretty interesting) and also a whole chapter for those reluctant strength trainers- like me- on why two of those days should be strength training. According to the authors, if we allow the default to decay scenario to run its course, our eventual decline will look like this: But if we send constant growth signals to our body, our trajectory can look more like this: Of course we’re all still going to die, but the idea is to live healthily and have the inevitable decline be right at the very end. The only thing I would change about this graph is that I’d like to live a bit longer… but if I can be healthy well into my 80s, I’ll take it! Funny thing about this book- I really enjoyed it and thought the information was fascinating, but wondered why it seemed so geared towards men. There’s a couple chapters dealing specifically male-related aging concerns. I kept thinking, “why does this book seem like it was written for men? These ideas should apply to everyone!” Then on the last page I found this: Ha ha… there’s a specific version for women, and I read the men’s one. Oh well! A couple years later someone gifted me the women’s version, and to be honest, it says basically the same thing. The important points are the same for everyone. If you find yourself struggling with motivation, or feeling burned out on your exercise routine, I highly recommend this book- either version. I promise you’re find it entertaining and inspiring- you’ll have newfound motivation to send your body those “grow” signals- and who wouldn’t want to be younger next year? I’m linking up with Kim and Zenaida for their Tuesday Topics- check them out for more inspiration! What do you do when you struggle with motivation? Do you exercise with a specific goal in mind, like a race? Or is your motivation more general, e.g. slowing the aging process?