Strong – by Jacqueline Hooton

The author, herself in her 60s, knows her stuff when it comes to fitness (female fitness in particular) and aging (or: ageing, as you’ll see in this book, with its British English).

She starts by laying out the idea of comprehensive fitness, that is to say, the many ways in which this can be measured, and that some of them may be more (or less) important to use as individuals than others—but that whatever aspect(s) we choose to focus upon, we should endeavor to be at least “good” in all categories.

So for example, when it comes to: body composition, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, muscular endurance, strength, agility, balance, coordination, power, reaction time, and speed.

Some of these may at first glance seem to be different words for the same thing, but she defines each of them carefully, as you read you’ll understand their distinctions.

Then she sets about imparting the knowledge of how to improve each of those things (and more), in the context of aging, and in particular, in the context of female aging.

The tools, of course, are diet and exercise, but these things she presents in the form of a plan, and the broad field of “exercise” also encompasses such things as rehab exercises, stretches, and so forth.

The style is a skillful balance of professional and personal; enough (well-sourced) science to lend confidence on that side of things, and enough personal touches to also lend confidence that indeed, she speaks from experience—as a personal trainer in her 60s who began in her 40s.

Bottom line: this is a very comprehensive and helpful book, and much better put-together than a lot of books of its kind. By this we don’t mean the binding, but rather: it’s not just advice for the sake of filling a book; it’s a carefully tailored, well-planned, customizable guide that covers more bases than many such books even acknowledge exist.

Click here to check out Strong, and age well in all respects!