Great reads for keeping the mind, body and spirit engaged. And maybe making a little money as well.

 

This Wall Street Journal story by Diane Cole looks at some of the best books about healthy aging from 2017.

As an introduction, Cole says that, “The best prescription for healthy aging: Keep on moving. That message runs through this year’s best books for the years ahead, with recommended pathways that actively engage mind, body, spirit or any combination thereof.”

 

“AgeProof: Living Longer Without Running Out of Money or Breaking a Hip” By Jean Chatzky, Michael F. Roizen, M.D. , and Ted Spiker ; Grand Central Publishing

In a style both chatty and accessible, financial journalist Jean Chatzky, physician-author Michael F. Roizen and co-author Ted Spiker explore strategies to maintain your health and boost your wealth. Regardless of your age, the authors emphasize the importance of regular medical and financial checkups to assess where you are and what you may need to change.

 

They suggest metrics for your wallet and physical fitness; and rather than fear those numbers, the authors say, welcome a signal that it’s time to switch to a healthier lifestyle or make financial course corrections. They advise building personal and professional teams to help in good times and bad, and counsel how to make sure your home is both a secure investment and a safe environment. It is never too late to recover from setbacks, say the authors, who offer specific help for troubles ranging from post-divorce finances to addictions.

 

“Just Move! A New Approach to Fitness After 50” by James P. Owen ; National Geographic

 

By the time he turned 70, former Wall Street executive and admitted couch potato James P. Owen was suffering from severe lower back pain, two bum knees, a faulty rotator cuff and a shuffling walk that made him look like a “poster child for looming old age.” Rather than feel defeated, though, he set about getting fit. In this direct, practical and inspiring book, he shares his lessons. “Getting fit is nowhere near as hard as dealing with the infirmities of old age,” he writes.

 

He urges readers to set realistic goals that focus on functional fitness: the mobility, strength, balance and flexibility to comfortably go about your daily life. He provides tips for starting a fitness routine that suits your needs and abilities, checklists for finding personal trainers, and clear instructions and illustrations for exercises that he suggests become core parts of your fitness program.

 

“Four Seasons in a Day: Travel, Transitions and Letting Go of the Place We Call Home” by Deborah L. Jacobs ; DJWorking Unlimited Inc.

 

Whether enticed by the lure of adventure, or the possibility and sometimes the necessity of lower-cost living, many couples on the cusp of retirement dream of living abroad. All of these motivations led financial journalist and lawyer Deborah L. Jacobs and her husband to rent out their Brooklyn townhouse to strangers for three months while they decamped to France to live in temporary digs leased from other strangers.

 

Deftly combining travelogue with how-to practicalities, Ms. Jacobs chronicles each stage of their journey, starting with repairing and decluttering their own home to make it attractive to tenants. She walks readers through the nitty-gritty of websites for short-term stays, tips on vetting renters of your home, and how to evaluate advertisements for places you might wish to rent. She candidly describes how she learned the hard way, after booking a rental that looked ideal in the ad but turned out to be an alarmingly musty dud. Ms. Jacobs and her spouse found a quirky yet pleasing alternative, also through the internet. For Ms. Jacobs, the pleasures of food markets, out-of-the-way villages, enduring friendships and absorbing French customs outweighed all of the frustrations—even discovering the crayoned walls, furniture tears, and chips and cracks her tenants left behind in Brooklyn. This book is invaluable preparation for anyone thinking about long-term travel options.

 

To read about more of the best, visit: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-best-books-of-2017-about-healthy-aging-1510243323