Watch Chris Crowley talk about the key concepts in Younger Next Year.

Chris Crowley is an amazing person. In this video he explores a few of the ideas that allow individuals to manage their aging process, improve their health, and become Younger Next Year. Anyone approaching or already in middle age must watch this 8-1/2 minute video.

If you have any doubts, consider this quote from Chris written in June of 2007 after he finished a three day Ride the Rockies bike tour.

"THIS MORNING, INDEPENDENCE PASS, 12,100 FEET and plenty steep. Hardest thing on the ride and a great crescendo. SO BEAUTIFUL! And so steep! Gain 4000 vertical in about seven miles. Something like that. A TEENY BIT YOUNGER THIS YEAR. I was surprised and relieved to notice that my time for my century ride this year (a blazing 102 miles, over one 9,500 ft. pass) was 14.9 miles an hour average..."

That's a considerable achievement for anyone and awesome for a guy who is a couple of years north of age 70.


See Harry's seven simple rules to learn more about how you can be Younger Next Year.

I'm a true believer and living proof that this apprach works. Just do it!
Regards,
Chuck

Update Feb-16-2008

I got an email this week from the subject of this post, Chris Crowley, I'm very proud to say that he considers me "a major centurion" in the Younger Next Year revolution. Thanks for the compliment Chris!

My morning paddle

The interactive community at Younger Next Year is encouraging me to break out of the same old exercise routine and mix up my workouts. I need something more for the upper body, because my usual exercises focus mainly on the legs and lower body. I'm looking for an aerobic workout while giving my knees and hips a rest.

A friend, Jason, has stored his kayak in my yard for I don't know how many years now, since he moved from Providence to South Carolina. I haven't used it for several years, but this morning I was out before 6:00 am. I launched it at the Barrington Yacht Club and enjoyed a refreshing hour and fifteen minutes of paddling to the mouth of the river and back. The image shows my route. There was a very light breeze, slightly overcast skies, near low tide, so not much current to paddle against. I saw a mother swan with her cygnet, a heron, a lot of small baitfish running before the kayak and a few larger swirls chasing them. I was home before 8:00 ready to start the rest of my day.

I'll try to fit this into my routine. I'll have to get going quite a bit earlier than usual to fit this in on a workday.

I'm unbelievably blessed to live in such a beautiful place where I can enjoy this beautiful shoreline.

I'm here to serve,
Chuck

broccoli chips - don't laugh, they're great!

I recently tried some fresh broccoli slaw, made from stringed stems, and sold in bags in the produce section of the grocery store.

VJ & I ate a lot of broccoli when we were on the South Beach a couple of years ago. We each lost quite a bit of weight, then gained some back.

I discovered broccoli chips then, and figured I would try them again now that I'm trying to get back down to my college weight of 165#. I'm currently using a modified version of the South Beach diet, (a little less strict at the beginning and with more fruit).

You can make chips when you buy a bunch of fresh broccoli, rather than tossing out the stems. Try slicing them as thin as possible. I eat the chips raw. A dip in some light ranch salad dressing may make them more palatable if plain is just a little too rustic for you.

I'm here to serve,

Chuck

My healthy Mexican black bean salad recipe

I previously posted this on the Younger Next Year community blog but am adding it here for easy linking. I made up a big batch this morning. It's high in Protein & fiber, low in fat, easy to make, keeps 5 or 6 days in the fridge and makes a great main dish, salad topper, pocket filler, side course or a quick snack.

Ingredients

2 - 2 lb cans Black Beans
1 - 1 lb can Chick Peas
1 - 1 lb can small red beans
1 - 1 lb can dark red kidney beans
1 large onion
1 tomato
1 large red bell pepper
4 jalapeno peppers
3 tablespoons (heaping) chili powder
Dash of crushed red pepper or other hot stuff. Sometimes I use “Hot Shot”
½ cup balsamic vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

Drain all but ½ cup of liquid from the back beans which is poured over the beans in the bowl as a base for the dressing. Rinse the beans – & combine in a large bowl. Dice the onion, tomato & peppers mix with the beans. Add chili powder, sprinkle crushed red pepper (to taste) go easy unless you like hot stuff. Drizzle balsamic vinegar & oil over the beans & mix well. Adjust hot peppers & chili powder to your taste. Sometimes I throw in chopped up black olives or sprinkle with cilantro for a little flavor twist.

Serve chilled – keeps well in closed containers in the fridge.

Approximate nutrition information: Serving size ½ cup: 90 calories with only 5 calories from fat 7 grams protein & 6 grams of fiber About 460 mg sodium – although rinsing the beans may reduce this a bit. A good source of iron

For more on the benefits of beans see: Dr. Perricone's 10 Superfoods In a large study of almost 10,000 men and women, those who ate beans four or more times a week cut their risk of coronary heart disease by about 20 percent, compared with those who ate beans less than once a week. It appears that this health benefit was independent of other health habits, since adjustments to account for other important cardiovascular disease risk factors produced minimal change in the risk estimates.

Other studies show that within two to three weeks, diets high in either canned or dry beans (3 to 4 ounces per day) reduce blood cholesterol levels by 10 percent or more: an effect that can result in a 20 percent decrease in the risk of coronary heart disease. Beans and lentils have the same potent anti-inflammatory antioxidants—flavonoids and flavonals—found in tea, fruits, grapes, red wine and cocoa beans. In particular, the reddish flavonal pigments in bean and lentil seed coats exert antioxidant activity 50 times greater than vitamin E, protect against oxidative damage to cell membrane lipids, promote healthy collagen and cartilage, and restore the antioxidant powers of vitamins C and E after they’ve battled free radicals.

There is a downside - beans are the "musical fruit" - don't eat too many when you will be sitting for an extended time in a confined space with other people...

Live Long & Prosper,

Chuck

Four ways to Curb Appetite

From Time Magazine June 11 2007 with a few of my own interjections...

1. Eat Fiber: Unrefined foods are high in fiber and stimulate appetite-suppressing hormones making you feel full.

2. Brush Your Teeth: The clean mouth and flavor change help you resist eating more, and good dental hygiene is good for your overall health.

3. Be Consistent: Eating breakfast and regularly scheduled meals keeps hormone levels steady and quashes hunger pangs.

4. Eat Slowly: It takes a while for the brain to realize that the stomach is full. slowing down gives the brain time to catch up with your stomach.

I'm here to serve,

Chuck

See more about health, exercise & nutrition on the Younger Next Year Interactive Community. I started a blog there to support my weight loss goal. 165 lb. by August 1.

You can read much more on the Science of Appetite at the Time Magazine website. I found the article interesting, but from my perspective, the above tidbits are the most useful.

New Community Features at YoungerNextYear.com

Chris Crowley and Dr. Harry Lodge, co-authors of Younger Next Year, and my favorite personal health, fitness, and nutrition gurus created an interactive community to share ideas and inspire fitness on the Younger Next Year website:

Community Features include:
HEALTH JOURNAL (Public / Private)You can now make your Journals PRIVATE or PUBLIC

PERSONAL BLOGS Post your own articles or "blogs" about living younger next year.

FRIENDS LIST Create a friends list to monitor their Blog and Journal and send messages.

FORUM Communicate with others on various health related topics.

The books have been a huge success, I expect the community will be too as the word gets out. The community is free to use, and will likely help you live a better healthier life.

This is a must visit web site!

Chuck

Younger Next Year, Harry's rules

Here are two editions of a book that transformed my thinking and approach to aging.

“Younger Next Year A guide to Living Like 50 Until You’re 80 and Beyond” by Chris Crowley & Henry S. Lodge, M.D. (2004)

“Younger Next Year for Women Live Like You’re 50- Strong, Fit, Sexy- Until You’re 80 and Beyond” by Chris Crowley & Henry S. Lodge, M.D. forward by Gail Sheehy (2005) [I gave this one to VJ for her birthday.]

These books explain the slippery slope of aging and encourage men and women to adopt a lifestyle that will help eliminate 50% of the illness and injury in the last third of your life by sending signals to your body to stop and even reverse the aging process.

With lifestyles common in the United States, around age 55, the majority of people start down the slippery slope toward old age. Every year we become a little fatter, slower weaker, and apathetic, with more pain and less mentally sharpness until after an injury or illness, we end up in a nursing home. The graph looks like this with your well being on the vertical axis, and your age on the horizontal.

This type of aging happens often, but it doesn’t have to. The majority of people are able through lifestyle choices to coast along on a gentle plateau, into their late eighties. The difference in your quality of life between the slippery slope and the gentle plateau is extraordinary. Which curve will you choose?

If you are not in good physical shape now, by changing your lifestyle, it’s possible to become radically better, over several years, before leveling off at a higher level of well being as shown below.

How is it done? Start with Harry’s seven rules.

Harry’s Rules
1. Exercise six days a week for the rest of your life.
2. Do serious aerobic exercise four days a week for the rest of your life
3. Do serious strength training, with weights, two days a week for the rest of your life.
4. Spend less than you make.
5. Quit eating crap.
6. Care.
7. Connect and commit.

How do I stack up against the 7 rules?

1. I've been excersizing 6 or 7 days per week for about 5 years. (15 to 20 minutes of stretching and core stength plus 30 minutes on a treadmill or elliptical walker daily)

2. I typically do aerobic exercise five days per week, 20 to 30 minutes most days to 60 minutes on weekends. I work on the 4th floor and take the stairs up and down several times per day. I park at the far end of the lot to maximize my walking.

3. I'm not seriously into strength training, but I'm trying to work some weights into my aerobic excersize. Room for improvement here.

** see update 2-10-2008 below

4. I was doing as well as can be expected with two kids in college. I'm not accumulating debt, but my net worth is shrinking due to an investment in the kids education.

5. I lost 30 lb. 3 years ago on the south beach diet. I gained back about 8, but recently refocussed and am loosing weight again. I would like to loose another 10 to get back to my college weight.

6. I'm happily married going on 27 years with 3 successful kids transitioning into young adulthood. I'm an active in my church. I sponsor a 9 year old girl in Guatamala through the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging. I'm good here.

7. I've been volunteering for the Boston Software Process Improvement network for almost 2 years. I made some friends there that I wouldn't have met without extending myslef. I'm a member of a growing men's fellowship group.

Regards,

Chuck

** Update 2-10-2008:
I joined a local gym in October 2007 and have been doing strength training twice a week for four months now. I'm improving my strength, lost a few more pounds and am convinced of the value of weight training in addition to aerobic exercise.