Customer Reviews

The RealAge Makeover: Take Years Off Your Looks and Add Them to Your Life

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

+++++

"I care passionately about people's health and well-being. As a doctor, I find it enormously satisfying to help people overcome illness, disease, and disability. And, of course, nothing is more meaningful than actually saving a life. At the same time, life as a doctor can have its darker side. As a specialist in both cardiovascular anesthesiology and internal medicine, I spend much of my working life with patients who are among the sickest of the sick...The physical and emotional distress I witness is made even more painful by the knowledge that so much of my patients' suffering could have been prevented."

This is how the preface to this book, by Dr. Michael Roizen, begins. This is a book about prevention, how to substantially reduce your chances of becoming "the sickest of the sick."

For those familiar with the prevention literature, much of what Roizen presents is not new but there is some new stuff (at least, new to me). However, a unique feature is that when Roizen states a prevention health tip, he also indicates how many years younger or older you will become (with respect to your true or calendar age). Some examples:

(1) Floss and brush your teeth daily. Benefit: As much as 6.4 years younger.
(2) Drink alcohol in moderation. Benefit: 1.9 years younger.
(3) Not avoiding "passive" smoke. Benefit: 6.9 years older (for those exposed to 4 hours a day or more of passive smoking).
(4) Eat breakfast daily. Benefit: 1.1 years younger.
(5) Learn a new game that requires intelligence. Benefit: 1.3 years younger.

My favorite chapters are subtitled as follows:

(1) Reverse arterial aging: the easiest, fastest way to gain energy.
(2) Your personal bodyguard against disease.
(3) The #1 most important way to grow younger.
(4) How to reduce stress, look younger, and get measurable results.
(5) Five habits that can give you more energy.

You are not expected to apply all the health tips (if you do you can gain up to 29 years!). Choose those that you feel you can manage and fit effectively into your lifestyle.

Finally, there are two things that Roizen states that I feel require some caution:

First, he states to keep your immunizations up-to-date and he gives a very brief discussion as to why. Immunizations are very controversial and I suggest before taking his advice, to do some research on them.

Second, he advocates taking a well-known, over-the-counter drug daily. A very smart doctor once said, "Every drug stresses and hurts your body in some way." Thus, I would be very, very careful with this recommendation.

In conclusion, for those that what to increase the quantity and quality of their life, this is the book to get!!!

(first published 2004; preface; 13 chapters; main narrative 475 pages; references; index)

+++++

This review is written from the perspective of a former hospital adminstrator, with just under 2 decades of experience in the healthcare system. Too often by the time a patient gets to the hospital, the cumulative damage of years of uninformed choices has taken its toll. If you follow the recommendations in this book, you can reverse the effect of many of your prior bad choices.

If you have been studying nutrition and health for a while this book probably doesn't have anything new to offer. Much of the information contained in this book is also covered in "You the Owner's Manual" by the same author, and Dr. Oz. If you are just beginning to investigate lifestyle changes this book is solidly sourced, and easy to read.

The chapters are titled as follows:
1. Look Younger, Live Longer
2. What's Your Real Age?
3. Get Younger Every Day
4. Keep the Blood Pumping
5. The Immune System
6. Live Smart in the Aging Environment Around You
7. Stress Less
8. Eat Real Chocolate
9. Three Workout Choices to Age Less
10. Vitamin Power
11. Daily Dose of Goodness
12. A Doctor's Note
13. Be Eighty, Feel Fifty-Two

The author includes an easy to use table that allows you to calculate your "real age". The benefit of this table is that it allows the reader to easily pinpoint what specific behaviors they partake of that are the most detrimental to their health. For example lets assume that you consume a particular number of 4 oz cups of brewed tea every day. If you drink 6 cups everyday you get to deduct 1.5 years, for 3 to 5 cups deduct 1 year, and for 1 to 3 cups deduct 1/2 of a year.

The doctor also gives the reader 78 quick fixes to reduce their real age and gives them the "real age" benefit of making those changes. For example if you start to both floss and brush everyday you get a real age benefit of 6.4 years.

The doctor explains that the three most important factors that affect aging are:
1. Aging of the Arteries
2. Aging of the Immune System
3. Social and Environmental Factors
The book also tells you what to do about the factors above that affect our aging. The doctor does a nice job of explaining why he makes the suggestions that he does for improving your arteries and immune system.

The book is full of "Real Age Makeover Success Stories" that are very motivational.

Overall, I think this is a very solid book. The author has developed an original methodology for putting health and nutrition science into a measurable system. If you are new to the study of health and/or nutrition this is an excellent addition to your library.

I am not trying to take anything away from the underlying message in this book. Because, it is valuable. BUT, it is a painful read. It is just like an info-mercial... The 1st 100 pages keeps repeating that you are going to learn a better way to live but doesn't tell you how. The book could have been a third of the length and gotten the message across very well. Michael needs to find a new editor for his next book.

No junk science, no fad diets. Recommendations based upon real research into aging. This book has made such a tremendous difference in my life that I have purchased over a dozen copies as presents for friends and family members. Following their recommendations for lifestyle changes, I have dropped over 50 pounds and look like a new person. I feel better and am more active than I have been in over 30 years.

I read the first Realage book in 2000 and it is the book that finally got me to exercise,floss daily, eat nuts,wear my seat belt, take vitamins and start many other healthy habits. When you start thinking of your behavior as making you older or younger it really make you conscious of the fact that you are damaging your body. I have read hundreds of books in my life but the Realage books have caused more change in me than any other. Sign on to Realage.com and take the survey to see what your real age is, read the book, and change your behavior so you can live an extra 10-20 years, your family will thank you.
Examples:
Flossing your teeth will make you 6.4 years younger.
An ounce of nuts a day can make you more than 3 years younger.
Better monogamous sex can make you 2 to 8 years younger.
Lower your blood pressure to be 3 years younger.
There is much more..............read the book.

Author Michael Roizen gives the reader a great book that illustrates the latest in medical findings, drugs, supplements and personal experiences to show us how to feel and act young. With scientific background and an easy to read approach, the author does a good job of providing a framework to defeat aging. Highly recommend.

I have been following the RealAge recommendations for several years and have felt more energetic and healthier with each year. This new book has increased my awareness of what I need to do and of what I need to continue to do to live a healthier life, both now and for the long term. It's up-to-date information is very, very helpful.

You can find this info on line so I wouldn't spend the money unless you're a real health nut and need to read everything and anything written on aging etc. It's OK but the internet would be faster and just as informative.

I love this book in conjunction with Dr. Perricone's books. They compliment each other nicely. A great tweak to feeling and looking better!

The content is good but way too much "Fill". The meat of the book could be published in less than 1/3 of the pages of the book.