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You're Too Old to Die Young: A Wake-Up Call for the Male Baby Boomer on How to Age with Dignity
The legacy of the male baby boomer will be defined by how they choose to handle the physical, emotional, and financial burden they leave to the next generation. Author Dan Zeman is passionate about educating and motivating his fellow male baby boomers about the aging process. Today, these men are living much longer than they expected and will be forced to come to terms being gifted an increased life expectancy, both good and bad.
As an exercise physiologist for over 35 years, Zeman has been in the trenches of the health, fitness, and sports medicine fields. He's had a ringside seat as medical advancements have increased life-spans, technological developments have decreased physical activity, and learned why society has struggled to address the resulting problems. Zeman lays the groundwork to help the male baby boomer plan ahead for living longer than any generation in history.
As an exercise physiologist for over 35 years, Zeman has been in the trenches of the health, fitness, and sports medicine fields. He's had a ringside seat as medical advancements have increased life-spans, technological developments have decreased physical activity, and learned why society has struggled to address the resulting problems. Zeman lays the groundwork to help the male baby boomer plan ahead for living longer than any generation in history.
204 pages, Hardcover
Published December 3, 2018
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February 13, 2022
Author Dan Zeman gets a lot right in You're Too Old To Die Young, both at the individual action level and at the societal level regarding aging baby boomers, especially male boomers.
Zeman addresses the why to change behavior to reduce health burdens and costs and the value of exercise physically and mentally to aging boomers and their society. The micro and the macro view.
The impact of both abundant sugar in our diet and automation and leisure within our modern lifestyle are persuasively presented. All those labor-saving devices and digital or virtual experiences? Subtract more than 500 calories from the average daily burn compared to earlier generations. The obesity epidemic isn't just eating more. It's also a function of doing less.
He addresses the what-to-do to improve flexibility, mobility, and agility. The value of both aerobic exercise for heart and lungs and strength training for musculoskeletal health. Even the importance of posture to keep joints working properly in relation to each other.
The core of the book outlines Zeman's Big 12 steps to successful aging to reduce the adverse costs and effects of aging within each life and intergenerationally within society.
Zeman's experience working with world-class athletes shows through his acknowledgment that the what-to-do is the easy part. The Big 12 won't surprise other than in their effective organization and clear presentation. However, behavior modification is the hard part. Zeeman nails the why and the what. But he stumbles a bit on the how of behavior modification. He emphasizes the importance of finding purpose or motivation. And the individual anecdotes are persuasive.
But ultimately, Zeman fails to present a systematic approach to behavior modification or finding individual purpose. A system for exercising? Yes. Well-developed. And with an abundance of structure and detail, including deeper resources through his website.
A system for finding purpose and implementing behavioral change? Not so much. The last third of the book ends up feeling a bit preachy with exhortations regarding the importance of purpose. You're Too Old To Die Young includes some good insights about where Boomers might look for purpose in family and social change. But Zeman doesn't crack the code for implementing an individual's behavioral change or finding individual purpose and motivation. And perhaps that's beyond the scope of the book.
James Clear's Atomic Habits might be a good companion piece that addresses the systematic process of behavior change and discovery of individual purpose.
All-in-all, Dan Zeman presents a great case for maintaining your health as you age and illustrates how much is within the span of control of your choices. Up to 80%. That other 20% can still bite. But you can improve the odds of a long, healthy, and happy life by focusing on the 80% of health determinants within your control. There are some real nuggets of insight about self and the boomer generation. But because behavioral change is the hardest nut to crack? You still have to find that inner fire yourself. A perfect book would integrate the best practices of exercise physiology or most current scientific insights and the best practices of behavioral change. It would include the why, the what, and the how.
Two out of three ain't bad.
Zeman addresses the why to change behavior to reduce health burdens and costs and the value of exercise physically and mentally to aging boomers and their society. The micro and the macro view.
The impact of both abundant sugar in our diet and automation and leisure within our modern lifestyle are persuasively presented. All those labor-saving devices and digital or virtual experiences? Subtract more than 500 calories from the average daily burn compared to earlier generations. The obesity epidemic isn't just eating more. It's also a function of doing less.
He addresses the what-to-do to improve flexibility, mobility, and agility. The value of both aerobic exercise for heart and lungs and strength training for musculoskeletal health. Even the importance of posture to keep joints working properly in relation to each other.
The core of the book outlines Zeman's Big 12 steps to successful aging to reduce the adverse costs and effects of aging within each life and intergenerationally within society.
Zeman's experience working with world-class athletes shows through his acknowledgment that the what-to-do is the easy part. The Big 12 won't surprise other than in their effective organization and clear presentation. However, behavior modification is the hard part. Zeeman nails the why and the what. But he stumbles a bit on the how of behavior modification. He emphasizes the importance of finding purpose or motivation. And the individual anecdotes are persuasive.
But ultimately, Zeman fails to present a systematic approach to behavior modification or finding individual purpose. A system for exercising? Yes. Well-developed. And with an abundance of structure and detail, including deeper resources through his website.
A system for finding purpose and implementing behavioral change? Not so much. The last third of the book ends up feeling a bit preachy with exhortations regarding the importance of purpose. You're Too Old To Die Young includes some good insights about where Boomers might look for purpose in family and social change. But Zeman doesn't crack the code for implementing an individual's behavioral change or finding individual purpose and motivation. And perhaps that's beyond the scope of the book.
James Clear's Atomic Habits might be a good companion piece that addresses the systematic process of behavior change and discovery of individual purpose.
All-in-all, Dan Zeman presents a great case for maintaining your health as you age and illustrates how much is within the span of control of your choices. Up to 80%. That other 20% can still bite. But you can improve the odds of a long, healthy, and happy life by focusing on the 80% of health determinants within your control. There are some real nuggets of insight about self and the boomer generation. But because behavioral change is the hardest nut to crack? You still have to find that inner fire yourself. A perfect book would integrate the best practices of exercise physiology or most current scientific insights and the best practices of behavioral change. It would include the why, the what, and the how.
Two out of three ain't bad.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review