1-track-mind

I am about halfway through this book, written by Crowley & Lodge. Good stuff about turning back the clock through exercise.

Red Baron

Good book, but allows little emphasis on recovery. I combine this with Joe Friels biking after 50.

And Dang but I do hate weights.

tntyz

Good inspirational read and entertaining, too. Wish I could find an equivalent for my wife to read. They have the women's verison, but the only difference is a chapter or two.

TromboneAl

Great book! I read it one year ago and I do indeed feel younger now. For me the changes I made were going to 6 days/week of exercise instead of 3-4, and adding weight lifting as two of those days. I also switched to brown rice.

Only downside is that I'm usually sore from recent exercise.

I gave the woman's version to my sister, and she told me that it changed her life.

Highly recommended.

The Weak Link

I'm half-way though the book. I think it's good but I've had two quibbles with it so far.

1. Sorry, but someone who retires wealthy from a law career, retires to a ski slope and has an epiphany is not a "regular Joe".

2, I'm always suspicious of invoking the ancestral noble savage as an evolutionary model. I think paleontology supports the notion that life for our ancestors was harsh, brutal, and short, no matter how much C10 they generated scrounging around for food. I thought that section was pretty BSy.

But those are quibbles.

RonH

+1 for "Cycling Past 50"

Timtruro

Last year, this book changed my life. However, I slacked off with winter and a number of life changes, (moving, retirement, etc). Glade you started this thread, it will help get me back on track. Never felt better than when I was following that simple plan. I am going to read the book again, and back on the tread mill and eliptical today, Thanks

tntyz

Regarding your point 2, there are a lot of people who feel that we essentially stopped evolving (biologically) at about the time that agriculture became prevalent. This is the basis for a lot of dietary "exploration" right now and same for exercise and activity levels. It would be hard to claim that our modern diet and exercise plan are good for us!

There's also quite a bit of writing regarding that whole "harsh, brutal, and short" thought. Some (sorry I cannot cite a source here) feel that our ancestors actually spent more time in non-work activities prior to agriculture. The biggest risk was likely injury and resulting infection. But if you're actively hunting with stone-age weapons, I guess that risk of injury might be fairly high.

BTW, I completely agree with your point #1.

Jet Travis

Red Baron and TWL make good points But like them, I like the book overall.

My two reasons:

1) Its message is positive and credible: If you look after yourself, don't do too many stupid things, stay connected to your social networks, and have a bit of luck, you can live pretty damn well for a long time. I like the idea that a 70-year-old provides the object lesson.

2) The writing is entertaining and accessible.

TromboneAl

Before reading this book, my thoughts were this: Prehistoric man lived to about age 30. How could evolutionary adaptations be relevant to someone who is 55 years old?!

However, the book made me realize that the basic mechanisms of the body are still active in an old person like me, even though most died at a much younger age back then.

There is basically one thing that the book describes concerning evolution, etc:

When you are sedentary, your body takes it as a signal that it is winter. There is no game to be chased. As a result, it stores fat, and lets those pesky high-metabolism muscles atrophy.

When you exercise a lot, your body takes it as a signal that it is spring/summer/fall. The muscles are needed cause you're going to need to chase some food. You do not need the fat, because food abounds.

IOW, the only way to communicate with your body to tell it not to decay is to exercise hard. Even though that mechanism evolved for 20 year olds, it still works in 50-90 year olds.

The Weak Link

That makes good sense, TromboneAl.

I just have a deep and abiding suspicion of Rousseau.

Road Fan

+100! but I get sore from reading his book (and doing some of his workouts!!), too.

I do believe he's got the right answers, it's just hard!

Road Fan

Trombone Al, that is teh best statement of YNY's basic thesis I've seen!

BluesDawg

Too technical and regimented for me. I took away a few good concepts from the book, but mostly it helped me get to sleep.

Jet Travis

Be glad you didn't hear what he said about you. And Descartes, you wouldn't want to know what he thinks.

NOS88

Yeah, his whole mind / body split is a real bit of work.

The Weak Link

Yes, it was Etienne Gilson who said that one might be excused for having been Descartes, but there was no excuse whatsoever for being a Cartesian.

That's what I'm saying.

Jet Travis

Sounds like Etienne was putting Descartes before the horse sense. Ok. Shoot me. That's worse than a bad pun. It's just stupid. Sorry.

The Weak Link

Diet Coke on the keyboard alert.

Road Fan

How did Descartes and the other French philosophers sneak in, anyway?

Oh never mind, its 50+, we let anyone drink here. Its better karmically, and we all have to start making amends.

How many days in a row of Zone 1/2 riding 20 minutes a day does it take to heal a mind-body split? Have to ask Harry ...

The Weak Link

Someone mentioned Rousseau and then it got all existential. I don't know what it means.