You: Staying Young: The Owner's Manual for Extending Your Warranty (Hardcover)

by Michael F. Roizen (Author), Mehmet C. Oz (Author)
Key Phrases: calorie consumption, arterial aging, Staying Young, Major Ager, Extended Warranty Plan (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
The body is the most fascinating machine ever created, and nobody talks about it in ways that are as illuminating and compelling as Dr. Michael Roizen and Dr. Mehmet Oz. Most people think of the aging of our bodies the same way we think of the aging of our cars: the older we get, the more inevitable it is that we're going to break down. Most of us believe that at age 40 or so, we begin the slow and steady decline of our minds, our eyes, our ears, our joints, our arteries, our libido, and every other system that affects the quality of life (and how long we live it). But according to Dr. Roizen and Dr. Oz, that's a mistake.

Aging isn't a decline in our systems. It's actually very purposeful. The very systems and biological processes that age us are designed to help us when we're a little bit younger. So what's our role as part of the aging population? To learn how those systems work so we can reprogram them to work the way they did when we were younger. Your goal should be: die young at any age. That means you live a high quality of life (with everything from working joints to working genitals) until the day you die.

At the core of this landmark book are the Major Agers--14 biological processes that control your rate of aging. Some you've heard of, some you haven't, and some you never knew contributed to the aging process. Some speed decline, others inhibit your repair mechanisms. These Major Agers are everything from short telomeres and inefficient mitochondria to stem cells and wacky hormones. The doctors explain the principles of longevity and many of the causes of aging and how to fight the effects. The climax of the book is a 14-day plan to help you along your path to staying young. The doctors want you to be able to integrate important processes into your daily life in order to make staying young routine, but first you'll need to measure your real age and health right now. Staying young encompasses your emotions and mental health as well as your exercise habits, eating habits, personal hygiene, and genes, among other things.

Wouldn't you like to know how to prevent your body from aging badly? The original YOU book showed how bodies work in general, and YOU: On a Diet explained how bodies lose weight and stay fit. Now in YOU: Staying Young, Drs. Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz illuminate the mysterious mechanisms with a lively metaphor -- the modern city. What differentiates a vibrant and thriving city that ages gracefully from one that is worn down and rusted out? Despite genetic differences, which are like the geography upon which the city is built, cities age differently because of the way residents treat their education system (stem cells), power plants (mitochondria), electrical grids (brains), transportation routes (blood vessels), and landfills (fat). You -- as mayor, resident, and street cleaner -- have the power to balance your biological budget to ensure a life that's both long and strong. Thankfully, just as cities can invest in renewal and improving their repair processes, so can you.

YOU: Staying Young is filled with signature YOU Tools, including YOU Tests, YOU Tips, and visual and verbal metaphors to bring the science to life.

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A Letter from Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz

Dear Amazon Shoppers:

Our books, YOU: The Owner’s Manual and YOU: On a Diet, have become #1 Amazon and New York Times bestsellers, and we thank you. Many people have asked us questions about aging. We want you to know that the science in the last very few years has challenged the very perceptions of aging.

Most of us tend to have the same view of the way people age: As we grow older, we start losing things. We lose some hair, lose our minds, lose our balance, lose our eyesight, lose a little of this and a lot of that until we eventually wither away into a hunched-over senior who takes 3-inch steps and eats dinner at 4:00 pm. But to think that a life of frailty is an inevitable outcome of aging is a mistake. And the fact that we don't take control of it is because we have excuses. We live in a society where making excuses is as easy as making a sandwich. Nowhere is that more apparent than when it comes to your own health. The reason why we are frazzled with stress? Blame the boss. The reason why we are sick? Blame the sniffling kids. The reason why our society’s waistbands are stretching and snapping at alarming rates? Blame Auntie's alfredo sauce. The top health excuse, however, revolves around the biggest four-letter word of them all, the GENE. We blame our genes for just about everything--for baldness, for fatness, for illness and for every other health-related problem we can think of. In our minds, that means that our mom, pop, and the rest of the family tree are all on the hook for the ultimate health question of them all--how long and how well we will live?

But that is exactly where more of us have it wrong. While we are certainly born with genes that help determine everything from our height to our risk of heart disease, we are making a monumental mistake by assuming that we can’t control our genes--especially when it comes to aging.

Perhaps the best way to explain the dynamics of aging is to take a look at another complex system that is subjected to the same forces as your body: a city. Some cities remain beautiful and elegant in their old age, while younger ones may look worn down and beat-up. Now, every city has its own genetic code, just as you do. For a city, genes are geography; whether it's built on a river or whether it's located in a hot or cold climate, or whether it lies directly in a prevalent hurricane path. A city's geography can't change. But the city can adapt to the environment with earthquake-proof construction, with underground tunnels for walking in wintertime, or with strong levies. The adaptation the city makes to survive and to thrive is what is crucial to its vitality.

The same goes for you.

Just because you have been dealt a genetic hand that predisposes you to heart disease or diabetes or the wearing of pants as large as a parachute doesn't mean you can't mitigate the effects of those genes. One of the major things we will teach you is that while you can't change your genes, you can change whether they are turned on or off or how you express them. Just like a city, you can compensate elegantly if you understand your options.

For the first time in history, the medical world has uncovered many of the miraculous biologic processes that control how and why we age. Truth is, much of aging is actually in our control; with the power to nudge our biologic systems so that our unwanted genes can work in our favor--as long as you know what to do and how you are doing it. In YOU: Staying Young, we translate the latest science (much of which wasn't available even three years ago) to help slow your rate of aging. You will learn 14 Major Agers, and dozens of action steps so that you can take control of those agers and your aging processes.

We hope you enjoy the cartoons, analogies, and jokes. But ultimately we hope you soak in the message: Your health is largely in your control. We dedicate the book to all who desire longer life so they can serve more.

Thanks very much,

Mike and Mehmet

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A Look Inside You: Staying Young

Take a look inside You: Staying Young with these three excerpted charts, full of crucial, easy-to-digest information that you can start using today:

• Fuel Your Fighters: One of the best ways to pump up your immune system is by eating the foods and getting the nutrients that have been shown to improve your natural defenses.
• Your Vital Supplements: The doctors' recommendations of pills and supplements that will make your body and mind stronger, healthier, and younger. It's best to get them from your diet, so consider these an insurance policy for an imperfect diet.
• Move Your Body: Most of your body parts become stronger when you use them. Take a glimpse at what you can and should do to make sure you're doing enough to prime your pumps.

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Questions for the Doctors

Q: What is the single most important thing someone can do to combat aging?

A: To understand that you get to control your rate of aging if you want to. It isn't that hard and doesn't take that long. In fact, even if you have had burgers for breakfast or fried your brain cells with stress by noon, you're not necessarily destined to wear husky pants, forget birthdays, and spiral into a state of complete upheaval. That's right: You get a do-over in life if you want it. Repeat after us: not hard, not long.

Q: Is there one food, vitamin, mineral, exercise, or lifestyle change that does more to combat aging than any other?

A: Our top choices in terms of ease and impact:

• Walk 30 minutes a day and call someone after you do it. No excuses, walk every day. If you do it, you'll have the courage, health, and attitude to adopt other changes too.
• Take 2 grams of omega-3 fats every day in form of either walnuts, fish oil, or DHA supplements.

Q: What is one of the most surprising contributors to aging that we can easily remove from our lifestyles?

A: Inflammation of our teeth. Remove it with daily flossing and brushing and seeing a dental professional regularly. You won't just save your teeth; you'll also go a long way in saving your heart and arteries. Another? Our lack of turmeric--curry and mustard (mustard on stadium hot dogs does not qualify). Both of those ingredients make your memory better.

Q: What are some of the immediate benefits you will notice from following the tips in the book?

A: You will feel younger. You might get hit upon by strangers or be mistaken for someone 20 years younger. In addition to the waist size you'll lose, your new attitude and vitality for life may give your reading choice away.

Q: How early should most people start to focus on slowing the aging process?

A: The aging process starts in your teens or even before, but any time you start is better than later. (Repeat: not hard, not long.) Your cells basically have a memory of three years. So by changing your habits now, within three years, it's as if you have done your healthy habit all your life.

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Getting to Know YOU

YOU: Staying Young [Audio CD]

YOU: Staying Young Workout DVD

YOU: On a Diet

YOU: The Smart Patient

YOU: The Owner's Manual

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From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. In their newest in the You series, physicians Oz and Roizen and a supporting cast of contributors explain why the body ages and how readers can become anatomical puppeteers, mastering their genes, bad habits, environmental pollution and stress while igniting the body's ability to stay fit, strong and healthy. According to the authors, avoiding such major causes of death as cancer and heart disease increases life expectancy by only just under a decade. With their talent for creating vivid, humorous images (amplified by cartoon drawings), they describe 14 major agers and how readers can use what is known about telomeres (which look like the plastic ends of shoelaces), mitochondria (the body's energy powerhouses) and other components of body functioning to repair and rejuvenate cells. While the hefty amount of detailed information might seem overwhelming, the suggestions in the authors' tool box are straightforward and, frequently, simple: walking a half hour each day; consistently getting enough sleep; relieving stress with yoga, meditation and chi gong; removing toxins from the home; and avoiding accidents, for example. Perhaps most simple—and surprising—is their claim that one of the best predictors of aging is your perception of your own health. With the facts and tools laid out here, readers will be able to articulate, challenge and change those perceptions through positive action. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Free Press; 1 edition (October 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743292561
• ISBN-13: 978-0743292566
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 7.7 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (222 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #330 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #3 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Aging
  #4 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Personal Health > Healthy Living
  #9 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Exercise & Fitness

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

217 of 251 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Can you extend your body's warranty?, October 30, 2007

By	M. Caruso - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

[...]

What I liked in this book is the first part dedicated to "Major Agers" such as genes, oxidation, toxins, sugar, overeating, hormones, UV radiation, etc. This part, consisting of about 300 pages scientifically discusses all the aging factors, and the ways of dealing with them. UV radiation is named as the "major ager", so please keep that in mind the next time you head for the beach. On the other hand the authors also point out the many benefits of sun radiation. As usual, moderation is the answer...

Not to be missed is Chapter 16, titled "The Fourteen Day You Extend Warranty Plan". It starts with the following "Daily YOU-Do List":

1. Walk thirty minutes
2. "Floss and brush the teeth that you wish to keep"
3. Take your pills (Omega-3s, vitamins, calcium supplements, aspirin, etc)
4. Sleep 7-8 hours
5. Meditate for 5 minutes

Is that all? I would never suspect it is THAT simple...

Another chapter that I liked is Chapter 12 titled "Live the Sexy Life". Wow, say that to me again! Yes, sex (love) is important for your wellbeing and keeping young. Grab the book for the explicit details...

I gave this book 4 stars. To get a 5 star longevity title check the books written by Tombak [...]

296 of 353 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not very practicle, November 16, 2007

By	Jane Russell - See all my reviews

The book contains a lot of information related to aging process and the factors influencing it - the Major Agers. As it is written by medical doctors, it is written in doctor's language with a lot of medical terms etc. [...] In addition the format of the book is very busy, with all kinds of additions at many pages that make the book rather difficult to read and concentrate on the subject. Although it seems to be full of content, the information is rather superficial and often impractical.

Two good books on the subject of aging that I recomend are:
1. Younger Next Year for Women
2. Can We Live 150?
[...]

148 of 187 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Empowering Anti-Aging Guide, November 5, 2007

By	Susanna Hutcheson "Copywriting for the Discri... (Midwest U.S.A.) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

We all care about our health. And I think most of us want to stay as youthful and healthy and happy as possible as long as possible. No one knows the body and how we can take control better than Dr. Michael Roizen and Dr. Mehmet Oz.

At the core of this book are the Major Agers--14 biological processes that control your rate of aging.

Knowing how our bodies work and why they age is a tremendous amount of knowledge. Most people don't have this knowledge. It's available. But they don't tap into it and use it. This is an anti-aging manual. It addresses medical and psychological ways to prevent, slow down, or even reverse the effects of aging. The idea is to help you live longer and lead a happier life. It includes scientific research and applications in genetic engineering, tissue engineering, and other medical advances. It shows some of the treatments and cures for Alzheimer's disease, for example. Some of the anti-aging treatments include nutrition, physical fitness, skin care, hormone replacements, vitamins, supplements, and herbs.

The original YOU book showed how the body works in general. Certainly good knowledge to have and more than most people understand. Now in YOU: Staying Young, Drs. Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz illuminate the mysterious mechanisms with a lively metaphor -- the modern city. What is the difference between a vibrant thriving city that ages gracefully from one that is worn down and looks shabby?

With this book, you'll know what happens to your body and what you can do to help it age with grace. Or, better yet, stop the aging process as we now know it. At least, to a large extent. You can control a lot of what happens to you. That's what gives this book its tremendous power.