Does she look like she's sweating the aging process? No, sireee. (Photo: Getty)
The end of December heralds a familiar motto: "New year, new you." With 2023 just days away, you may be hatching a plan to achieve just that. Go for it! Self-care will, of course, be central to any such reinvention, and we can recommend a terrific source of inspiration and guidance: The New Rules of Aging Well, by doctor-to-the-stars Frank Lipman. Also inspirational: It's available in hardcover or as an e-book, which makes it a genius last-minute-gift idea.
A great place to start is with this warm, encouraging guide — available as an e-book or in hardcover —
It's a smart, supportive, straightforward tutorial — that answers the question: What are the simple secrets to looking and feeling great as you get older?
Sure, you take a multivitamin, fit in a walk a few times a week and try to eat more veggies, but is that enough to keep you healthy and strong as you age? Bestselling author Lipman, whose patient roster includes Donna Karan and Bobbi Brown, has made it a mission to help the over-50 crowd age beautifully.
The New Rules of Aging Well: A Simple Program for Immune Resilience, Strength and Vitality is available on Kindle, which makes it a breeze to share with anyone you care about who could use a little encouragement to put wellness first. Just click and send.
The book is packed with clear, actionable advice for building a strong immune system, losing weight, feeling younger and aging beautifully — which, as it turns out, are all related. As in, if you treat your body well and follow Dr. Lipman's simple program, all of the above benefits show up.
And even though the advice is very direct, The New Rules of Aging Well is encouraging and friendly, with pretty photos that make the experience of reading it a pleasure. You can sort of see the life you’re moving toward, in the photos (a few pictures from the book are below).
We were surprised by some of the advice in the book, because it’s so…easy. Lipman talks a lot about strengthening the powerhouses of your cells through ‘small stresses.’ This can mean running up a flight of stairs or simply switching temperatures radically — say, ending a hot shower with 30 seconds of a bracing cold rinse. Believe it or not, this makes for a stronger immune system.
Fasting turns out to be a big deal, and though we’ve heard a lot about fasting before, we’ve never seen it explained this well. The short version is that regular fasts — 14 or 16 hours between dinner in the evening and your next meal — are an easy way to drop pounds, improve sleep and strengthen many systems in the body, including the immune system. We had no idea.
The New Rules of Aging Well is brimming with good news, like the fact that a cup or two of coffee isn’t bad for you and even has some mild benefits. (Spoiler alert, however: Tea is the superstar of morning drinks — it’s packed with anti-aging benefits). This book is full of surprises, showing you the shortest distance between you and optimal health, including:
How you can use CBD (Cannabidiol) instead of so many other things in your medicine cabinet — meds you might think are not harming you but could be causing all sorts of side effects that pile up over time.
Why it’s fine — and even better — not to eat before exercising in the morning.
Clarity about tricky things like eggs (are they good or bad?), salt (it’s not necessarily the quantity, but the type that can be trouble) and sugar (agave and honey are basically just as damaging to your body).
How to take care of your feet daily, so they don’t ache as you get older.
A clear list of supplements for building immune resilience and supporting longevity — and the doctor’s levels and dosages, which may be more forward-thinking than those you’ve heard before.
There are even great sections on the importance of certain "soft factors" to health — caring for a cat or a dog can be a serious boost to wellness. Hanging with your friends is critical (doctor’s orders). Nature and laughter and intimacy are excellent medicine. This doctor speaks to your whole life and your overall wellness, not just the medical side of things.
For only $9, this e-book just might change your perspective on the number of candles on your next birthday cake — reframing it as a call to action, a time to build strength and immunity and become the best version of yourself. Why not send the Kindle version to some friends and jump into it together today? Here's to your health!
All photos excerpted from The New Rules of Aging Well by Frank Lipman, MD, and Danielle Claro (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2020.
If you have Amazon Prime, you’ll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $25 or more.)
The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
We’ve got your holiday shopping list covered. Find expert picks on the best tech gifts on Engadget, the best gift ideas for car lovers at Autoblog, gifts for the young (and young at heart) at In the Know, and picks for just about everyone else on your list (moms, dads, teens, nurses, you name it!) in Yahoo’s holiday gift ideas section. And on AOL, you'll find gift ideas for the whole family — from your adult children to grandkids.
