Younger Next Year summary

Got your sweatbands and game face on? Great! You're ready to exercise! But wait, what kind of exercise exactly?

The second rule recommends doing four days of aerobic exercise every week. This includes activities like jogging, speed walking, treadmill exercise, and biking that leave your heart pumping. Aerobic exercise is necessary because it improves your circulatory system by building new capillary networks. These networks transport blood to your muscles, helping you burn more fat in the process. Aerobic exercise has also been proven to boost cognitive and memory performance in seniors.

Admit it – if it weren't for your gym trainer, you wouldn't be caught dead within a mile of dumbbells and the seated cable row. In fact, if it were completely up to you, you'd probably stick with the treadmill or bike or practically anything else just to keep you away from those dreadful weights. But did you know you're doing yourself a disservice this way?

The third rule is to do twice-weekly strength training with weights. Yes, it's painful. Yes, it's hard. Yes, it's embarrassing. But strength training can really do you good.

Picture this. You've followed the exercise regimen in this Blink to a tee. You're now healthier than ever, and if the science is correct, you'll be living longer now too. But that's exactly where the problem begins. 

Considering that you now have a good chance of living into your 80s, you should put some serious thinking into your finances. All your efforts to live younger will go down the drain if, after retirement, you're always anxious about where your next meal is coming from. So as early as you can, get your retirement plan in order. 

What did you have for dinner last night? Did you answer pizza or a burger or fries? Well, that's good – because that will probably be the last bite of fast food junk you'll ever eat. 

The fifth rule specifically says not to eat garbage. This means avoiding anything at the top of the food pyramid created by Dr. Walter C. Willett, the Department of Nutrition chairman at Harvard School of Public Health. This includes white rice, white bread, potatoes, pasta, sweets, red meat, and butter.

So you've finally retired. No more waking up to pesky alarm clocks, having long commutes, or working on never-ending deadlines and reports. You can finally take it easy and care less about the hustle and bustle around you, right?

Not really! Just because you've left the workforce doesn't mean you should completely let go and stop caring. As the sixth rule puts it, you need to care. Specifically, you need to care enough about yourself to stay fit and eat healthily.

Here's a riddle for you. What's the best ship in the world? A cruise ship? No – they're fun, but they're not the best. A container ship? No – they can deliver your online order from overseas, but they're still not the best. Give up? Well, here’s the answer: the best ship in the world is friendship. 

It sounds a little cringey and over the top, but the seventh and final rule to living younger is to connect and commit. When you retire, you tend to cut people off and narrow your group of friends. You don't go out to social functions anymore, and your default answer to get-togethers is a resounding “No.” But in doing so, you eliminate one of the things that makes you human – a social circle.