From the author of The Memory Bible and The Memory Prescription , Dr. Gary Small's exciting, all-encompassing formula for living a longer and better life Bestselling author and expert on aging Dr. Gary Small show us how to live longer, stronger, better lives in his new book, The Longevity Bible , by following simple guidelines such as a positive attitude, gratifying relationships, and lifelong education. Comprised of advice on memory fitness, healthy diet, physical conditioning, and stress reduction, The Longevity Bible follows the stories of four typical readers in different stages of their lives, and how those lives are improved with his plans. ". . . informative and fun and encourage readers to apply his recommendations to their own lives." -- Library Journal "An excellent, highly recommended book." -- Nicholas Perricone, M.D., bestselling author of The Perricone Prescription "I recommend it as a comprehensive manual for protecting your health, both physical and mental, as you move through life." -- Andrew Weil, M.D., bestselling author of Healthy Aging Gary Small, M.D., is director of the UCLA Longevity Center. Named one of the world’s leading innovators in science and technology by Scientific American, he appears frequently on Today , Good Morning America , PBS, and CNN. He is also author of the bestselling The Memory Bible. The Longevity Bible 8 Essential Strategies for Keeping Your Mind Sharp and Your Body Young By Gary Small Hyperion Books Copyright © 2007 Gary Small All right reserved. ISBN: 9781401308988 Chapter One It is not enough to add years to one's life ... one must also add life to those years. -John F. Kennedy You're savoring your ritual cappuccino across the street from your dentist's office when this incredibly handsome young guy sits down two tables over. Your eyes meet his and he smiles seductively-you practically choke. You could swear you know him from somewhere.... He gives you a little wave. Where the heck could you know him from? He's so young . And you've been married a long time. Oh my god, he's coming over! Could this amazing hunk possibly be hitting on you? Ridiculous. No way! Thank God in heaven you just had your teeth cleaned. He grins broadly. "Hi! Remember me?!" You're completely at a loss. "I'm Andy! Andy Carter! I was on your son's basketball team in middle school." You freeze with a ridiculous smile on your face and a sudden urge to evaporate into thin air. Age reminders happen to everyone. It could be as simple as the appearance of a single gray hair, the first time someone calls you "Ma'am," or perhaps walking into a room and forgetting the reason why. None of us can stop time, but we can slow down the effects of aging-and sometimes even reverse them. A mere one hundred years ago, people were lucky to live beyond age forty. Now, life expectancy has risen to age seventy-four for men and eighty for women, and recent studies show that tire average sixty-five-year-old American can expect to live another seventeen years. Modern medical science is striving to keep us alive well into our nineties and beyond, and most people say they want to live as long as possible. But who wants to live to be one hundred without their health, vitality, and faculties intact? That's where The Longevity Bible's Eight Essentials come in-showing us how to keep it all together-our brains, our bodies, and our attitudes. The Eight Essentials Traditionally, magazine and television advertisers have focused their marketing strategies on youthful looks and attitudes to attract consumers to their products. Recently, however, there has been a shift in tactics. Today, Madison Avenue's emphasis is not so much on youthful demographics but on "psychographics"-marketing focused toward the age group in which consumers actually perceive themselves as being. Try asking baby boomers how old they consider themselves, not in actual calendar years, but mentally and physically. Many will confess they still have the attitude of a twenty-five-year-old and feel nowhere near their chronological age. Most of us protest against the idea of aging in the way our parents did and vow to fight against the process as long as possible. We are looking for a safe, convenient, medically sound way to live longer, empower ourselves, and remain healthy and fulfilled throughout that long life-what I refer to as "quality longevity." Empowering ourselves for the future requires learning new skills, as well as honing the ones we already have. In my last book, The Memory Prescription , I showed how we could jump-start our brain and body fitness by focusing on four of the basic essentials: achieving mental sharpness, physical fitness, a healthy diet , and stress reduction . Now, in The Longevity Bible , I outline lay entire program-all Eight Essentials-to allow every one of us to achieve our own maximum, quality longevity in every area of our lives. These essential