Recommended Reading
This book is authored by Dr Mike Roizen, a long time wellness expert of the Cleveland Clinic, and Jean Chatzky of the NBC Today Show.
The book is a mix of Wellness research and tips alongside Money insights as we age however are USA centric.
The health checks and recommendations are worthwhile on their own for the book.
Example body checks include Number of Push-ups for each decade, eg. 20-24 push-ups for Men in their 40’s (11-14 for women), 15-19 for Men in their 450’s (7-10 for women) and son on (declining by about 4 each decade).
Better than I could write about the book, I’ll refer to the article by Janet Alvarez who wrote these as her 5 take-aways from the book:
1. Instant Gratification Is the Enemy
One of the first things Chatzky and Roizen mention is that we often pit instant gratification against long-term security. And that habit tends to affect health and wealth at every turn.
If we learn how to manage the need to have something right now so that we could have much more in the future, our lives would vastly improve.
Terrible financial and health-related decisions are made on impulse, and can have negative ramifications. But patience feels like a sacrifice, and Chatzky and Roizen want to teach you that you don’t have to sacrifice in order to gain health and wealth.
There is a middle ground that can work for you.
2. You Need to Acknowledge Your Longevity
The reason it’s so important to strive for optimal health and wealth is because people are living longer lives.
No matter how old you think you’ll get, technology and medicine is improving at a rapid pace, so you’ll probably live longer than you think.
So if your goal is to enjoy a healthy life with a thick financial cushion, you need to master this interconnecting skill now in order to make that possible.
And it’s one thing to just survive to an old age with money in the bank, but it’s another thing entirely to thrive until your very last day.
3. Science Is Your Friend
Sure, it would be easy to use medical statistics and financial statistics separately to reinforce the concept that health and wealth are important, but Chatzky and Roizen incorporate scientific data at the beginning of each section to show how these two are directly linked.
Because in order to believe something can work for you, it’s helpful to see how it has already helped others.
It makes the goal seem even more achievable, and Chatzky and Roizen are your biggest cheerleaders here — even sharing some of their own personal anecdotes in the margins.
4. You Never Have to Settle for a Mediocre Life
One of the most important things Chatzky and Roizen reinforce is that you can dig yourself out of any hole.
It doesn’t matter if your finances are a complete disaster and you’re in the worst shape of your life. These are both common problems that are easily reversible, and they provide small, actionable steps to getting back on track.
At the end of each chapter, they even offer a list of three AgeProof Essentials that you can tackle right away.
5. Nobody Achieves Anything Alone
Building a strong community is crucial to going the distance in finance and health.
Isolating yourself in either, or both, areas of your life adds stress, while sharing your progress in a social setting gives you space to reflect on your goals, as well as helping others feel less alone in those same struggles.
Keeping a proper team, both professionally and personally, will aid you in your path to achieving health and wealth, and Chatzky and Roizen show you how.
