Ageproof: Living Longer without Running out of Money or Breaking a Hip

by Jean Chatzky, Michael F. Roizen, MD, and Ted Spiker
Scott County Library hardcover 306 pages
genre: non-fiction, self-help, finances, health

I read about this book in the Costco Connection (June 2017) and requested it from the library. The interrelatedness of health and wealth is actually pretty logical - the two intertwine and connect in so many ways. I renewed this book the maximum number of times and thought briefly about buying my own copy. I have many take-aways, but will try to cull out the main ones here.

Their guidelines for a physical fitness AND a financial fitness self-test took me a while to complete . . . until I finally moved on with the intention of going back and completing them. The physical fitness test included fitness (push-ups, curl-ups, mile walk, and "get-up"), perceived stress test, tape test (waist size less than half your height?), grip test (the one that tripped me up - where to find a hand grip meter?), blood pressure, real age test, and professional tests (the battery of tests you get at your annual physical). They also list a bunch of things to talk with your doctor about at that annual appointment.

Fiscal fitness included income level, household expenses, net worth, emergency savings, retirement accounts, credit score, and mirror test. I have lots of notes on paper . . . I'll need to complete the info and put it in my system so I review it at least once per year. I may put it with our budgeting stuff so that Louie and I have conversations about it.

I made a list of "to-do" items. One of the biggies was to automate as much as possible. We already do this with our finances, but not so much with physical good choices. Making substitutions (e.g. veggies instead of chips, a walk instead of time on FB, . . . ) was another big one. Here are some of the other notes I made:
- move more
- use cash
- be aware of stressors, find a healthy response, and practice it
use deep breathing to help calm and focus

I also made a note about some questions to ask and a book to get from the library.

In the last part of the book, the section on your home really resonated for me! I've been working on de-cluttering for most of the last year. I grew up in a packrat household and it can be hard to let go of the excess stuff I've accumulated. These pages are helpful!

 Amen! The section below on paper . . . I've made a lot of progress in this area, but can definitely improve.

This is a crummy photo, but it perfectly captures the tone of what resonated for me.

This passage actually came before the others I've posted. But I like having it as a final thought. Home as sanctuary. Yes!

There are five other pages I took pictures of, but I'm not inspired to include them here now. This book was a pretty good use of my time. A lot of it (especially about a healthy diet and the importance of exercise) was familiar info to me. I liked the book a lot.