Book Review: Younger Next Year

Younger Next Year is a book by Chris Crowley that focuses on living an active and healthy senior lifestyle. Writer and long distance runner Dinesh Kumar sends us a review of the book and tells us how it inspires his life.

Aging or decaying: the choice is ours

I am 78 years and I run half marathons. If the thought that is going through your minds is this: Here is a guy who is addicted to self praise.

Hold your horses, please. It is not about me. It is about the book ?Younger Next Year? that has inspired me to continue running. Age is just a mental block. A book that is life changing and has a powerful message for those who believe that you are as old as you think you are. Written by the 70 year old Chris Crowly and his doctor adviser, the book tell us in a humorous and anecdotal way that we can get into shape and choose to start running whatever be our age and live longer, healthier and sexier. I can?t vouch for the last claim!

Younger Next Year covers subjects like the science of ageing, biology of growth and decay, the biology of exercise like running, strength training and practical down to earth ways to start running even after your retirement. Decay is an option and we can reject that option by daily exercise, emotional commitment, reasonable nutrition and a real engagement with living. But it all starts with exercise. If you go through the step by step advice given by the author, you can be lean, fit, happy and energetic. The authors warn us against sedentary life, the most common reason for decaying.

One clear misnomer that I had long believed was dismissed through one sentence in Younger Next Year. And here I quote from the book. ?When you pant for the air during exercise, this doesn?t mean, your body is desperate for oxygen; it?s desperate to get rid of the waste.? I have experienced this and the book reinforces clearly that we are not tired at the end of the day because we get too much exercise. We are tired because we do not get enough exercise. 

Exercise is a must

Younger Next Year seeks commitment for us and asks us to carve out time to exercise with a notice that is loud and clear: Intruders not allowed during my exercise time. I had long neglected the advice that we must earmark some time for strength training of those muscles that help us run. Stretches before and after the run help us to keep sports injury away. The last chapter tells us when all the exercise and running has been done, don?t forget that for growing younger next year, social connections with friends and family are very important.

Let me end with what Washington post has to say on the book. ?Brain rattling, irresistible, hilarious. If you are up to it, this book could change your life.?   I couldn?t have concluded any better than this.

Buy Younger Next Year here