Co-written by one of the country's most prominent internists, Dr. Henry "Harry" Lodge, and his star patient, the 73-year-old Chris Crowley, Younger Next Year for Women is a book of hope, a guide to aging without fear or anxiety. This is a book of hope, a guide to aging without fear or anxiety. Using the same inspired structure of alternating voices, Chris and Harry have recast material specifically for women, who already live longer and take better care of themselves than men. New material covers menopause and post-menopause, as well as cardiac disease, osteoporosis, sexuality, and more.

This is the book that can show us how to turn back our biological clocks—how to put off 70% of the normal problems of aging (weakness, sore joints, bad balance) and eliminate 50% of serious illness and injury. The key to the program is found in Harry's Rules: Exercise six days a week. Don't eat crap. Connect and commit to others. There are seven rules all together, based on the latest findings in cell physiology, evolutionary biology, anthropology, and experimental psychology. Dr. Lodge explains how and why they work—and Chris Crowley, who is living proof of their effectiveness (skiing better today, for example, than he did twenty years ago), gives the just-as-essential motivation.

Both men and women can become functionally younger every year for the next five to ten years, then continue to live with newfound vitality and pleasure deep into our 80s and beyond.

Crowley and Lodge rework their bestselling Younger Next Year (which targeted men) to address health and aging concerns for women. Former attorney Crowley's chatty voice alternates with internist-gerontologist Lodge's straightforward medical perspective. The authors promise that major lifestyle changes, including a six-days-a-week exercise regime, and a positive view of aging will make the "next third" of life-the stage after menopause-the most fulfilling. Because women live longer, are highly motivated for change and fear aging less than men do, the authors contend, they will reap great benefits from the program. Crowley and Lodge put their own spin on commonsense health essentials, with Lodge adding information on the latest antiaging breakthroughs. A variety of activities (biking, skiing, sailing, yoga) will likely make the intensive exercise plan more enjoyable. Although there is little new material, women may find the 71-year-old Crowley's cheerleading appealing-the old buddy tone of the previous edition is exchanged for that of a male "girlfriend"-and a great motivator not only for making lifestyle changes but for equating health with how one feels, not how one looks. (Jan.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.