The Year's Best Books for the Road Ahead
Our picks for 2013's top guides to life after 50
Dec. 8, 2013 4:32 p.m. ET
Serge Bloch
There's no better season than the
present to read books that bring good tidings, tested strategies and
sound advice about how to live healthier, happier lives in the year—and
years—ahead.
Journal Report
- Insights from The Experts
- Read more at WSJ.com/Encore
More in Encore: The New Retirement
Here are our recommendations for the year's best books for staying fit in all ways as you explore the territory ahead.
Belly Laughs
"Still
Foolin' 'Em: Where I've Been, Where I'm Going, and Where the Hell Are
My Keys?" is comedian
Billy Crystal's
autobiographical musings on aging, decade by decade, and the
perfect antidote for milestone birthday blues. Having trouble
deciphering text and Facebook abbreviations? Invent your own, says Mr.
Crystal, starting with GNIB ("Good news, it's benign"), OMG ("Oh, my
gout") and WAI ("Where am I?"). He also has a full chapter on "The Five
Stages of Forgetting Things"—a blank page.
Be
prepared for some coarse language and a few rants too many, as well as a
bit too much about his starring roles in films you may have missed. But
his theme is on target: Whatever decade of life you're in, humor is the
best strategy for keeping your own foibles—and everyone else's—in
perspective.
Rewind to the Future
In
her informative and witty "Counterclockwise: My Year of Hypnosis,
Hormones, Dark Chocolate and Other Adventures in the World of
Anti-Aging," journalist
Lauren Kessler
sets out to find "the best research and the worst scams" in the
wannabe-fountain-of-youth marketplace.
"What
exactly is possible in this brave new (scientific, medical and
commercial) world full of tantalizing research, bold promises,
controversial therapies, and perhaps a bit too much wishful thinking?"
she asks.
She consults with plastic
surgeons, seeks out medical tests that may (or may not) shed light on
how her cells are aging, grows grumpy on a calorie-restriction diet, and
investigates unsubstantiated claims of a multiplicity of vitamins and
herbal supplements. Her conclusion: Ultimately, nothing beats "the
sweaty truth" of exercise.
Mental Gymnastics
And don't forget to exercise your mind. "Our brain's health may be the
most powerful indicator of how long you will live," begins "Your Best
Brain Ever: A Complete Guide and Workout" by
Michael S. Sweeney
with
Cynthia R. Green.
It's a research-filled yet highly approachable guide to the
scientific why and the practical how of keeping your brain in top shape
whatever your age. The authors' "fitness regimen" for maintaining neural
health through the decades can be summarized as: use your brain matter,
or risk losing it. But they also provide numerous practical strategies
for maintaining neuroplasticity—essentially, the ability to keep on
learning and adapting—primarily through continued social, intellectual
and physical engagement, but also via numerous "brain booster"
exercises.
A Glass Half-Full
In
"Up: How Positive Outlook Can Transform Our Health and Aging,"
physician and medical researcher
Hilary Tindle
promotes pragmatic optimism as a powerful tool for improving not
just how we look at life, but how we age through life. No, it isn't
about being a Pollyanna. It's about being "up"—cultivating an outlook
and attitude that favors possibilities. Beyond the behavioral impact,
Dr. Tindle presents an impressive array of research to show how the
psychology of outlook affects the biochemistry of aging, down to the
cellular level. Finally, she provides a practical seven-step plan for
helping the glass look less empty, more full. Think of it not as a
workout, she suggests, but as working "up."
A Guide For Guys…
At
more than 500 pages, "A Man's Guide to Healthy Aging: Stay Smart,
Strong and Active" by
Edward H. Thompson Jr.
and
Lenard W. Kaye
covers almost everything you need to know, but might be afraid to
ask, about keeping fit mentally, physically, socially, intellectually
and sexually through the decades. The authors directly address the
necessity of a book focused solely on men: Because many men equate
seeking medical help with weakness, they are about 50% less likely to
seek out health services than women are.
Chapters
give equal weight to mind and body, openly discuss issues of intimacy
and aging, explore the stresses and costs of masculine stereotypes and
present the latest medical and psychological advice for navigating a
healthy course.
And One For Gals
"French
Women Don't Get Facelifts: The Secret of Aging With Style and Attitude"
is best-selling author
Mireille Guiliano's
latest follow-up to the series that began with "French Women
Don't Get Fat." Her style is chic, her attitude is self-declared French.
(And there are recipes!) Some of the advice is familiar (stay active,
seek out new interests, most of all be comfortable in your own skin,
even if it has a few more wrinkles). But her grooming and fashion tips
on keeping hair, makeup and wardrobe both agelessly attractive and
age-appropriate are choice and delivered with charm.
"This
book isn't about actual face-lifts—or about not having them," she
writes. "It is about face-lifts in the sense of aging with attitude and
the decisions one makes through the decades." Sit down with the book as
if with a girlfriend over coffee or a glass of (French) wine.
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