Younger Next Year

My friend, the Reverend Merrill Wade, rector of St. Matthew’s Church in Austin, recommended a book to me a year ago at the fall Clergy Conference.  He said, “Ron, it changed my life.”  He recommended it again at Diocesan Council in February and a third time at a gathering of clergy in Austin in May.  The third time was the charm for me.  I bought and read the book.  It changed my life, just as it changed my friend’s life.

The book is entitled, “Younger Next Year: A Guide to Living Like 50 Until You’re 80 and Beyond.” The authors are Chris Crowley, a retired lawyer in his 70’s, and Henry S. Lodge, a doctor of internal medicine in his 40’s.  The book is a must read for men over 50 and men not over 50 who think someday that may happen to them.  There is a website and a women’s edition, which I might recommend if I were a woman and had read it.

The book is filled with practical and useful information in plain English.  It tells us older guys about things that help us “turn back the clock,” such as lessons from evolutionary biology, the importance of exercise and diet, and the necessity of connecting with family and friends.  For example, it tells us how exercise tells the body to grow, while sitting too long tells the body to decay.

I am eating better, exercising more, connecting more intentionally, and it is paying off.  I’ve lost 25 pounds and feel better than I have in years.

If you are a man near or past the half century mark, please be a good steward of the body God gave you and read this book!  If you are the spouse or mom of such a person, use your persuasive powers to get him to read it.

Ron+