May 10 2020

Hello Friends, 

I recently read a new book on nutrition… “So what," you say?!? I know…There are too many books about diet, and people are writing way too much about it right now. But if you can stand one more quick note on the topic, I promise it will be worthwhile. You are in your second fifty after all, and this stuff just has to become important to you! Especially now.Nutrition is like politics. Carnivores and Vegans take the place of Dems and Pubs. The middle is hard to find. The truth is hard to find. Everyone’s an expert. Lots of acrimony. Which is why I was so pleased to discover How to Eat: all your food and diet questions answered. It’s a commonsense guide for ordinary people who want to be healthy without becoming radical with their diet. Mark Bittman, beloved New York Times foodie and no-nonsense author of numerous cookbooks, has teamed up with David Katz, MD, a leading voice in nutrition, weight management, and the prevention of chronic disease. They’ve written a simple primer, laid out in a question and answer format, that explains how to eat healthily, and why. Easy to read, balanced and informative. It’s not a textbook, and it’s not exhaustive, but it’s up to date, and it’s good.

I had put the book aside after reading it, in the large pile of possible topics for this newsletter and the SecondFifty blog. And then earlier this week, Dr. Katz reappeared in a really fascinating and topical interview on The Rich Roll Podcast.David Katz is recently in the news because of his early opinion piece about Coronavirus published March 20th in the New York Times titled Is Our Fight Against Coronavirus Worse Than the Disease? That piece set off much debate about how to open the economy while protecting the most vulnerable and thrust Dr. Katz into the public eye. Since then he’s received a lot of media attention, even testifying in front of Congress earlier this week.Back to the interview. It’s a great discussion about the role of diet and lifestyle on longevity, seen through the eyes of the current pandemic. If you're over fifty, you need to listen to this podcast and hear what Dr. Katz has to say. COVID-19 is a wakeup call about lifestyle disease. Your chances of surviving the next wave of this pandemic are dramatically improved if your immune system is strong. Your immune system gets healthy if you take care of yourself. Now is the time to do that! This podcast will help clarify how and why. It will also put the relative risk of this disease into perspective, and Dr. Katz is ultimately upbeat. But their discussion is much more than another long list of nutrients and supplements. The eloquent doctor has a lot to say about how we can come out of this pandemic whole, and what needs to be done long term to protect us from future scourges. He also has the latest clinical updates on the rapidly evolving protocol for the treatment of acute COVID-19. It gets really interesting about 30 minutes in. He does provide some specifics at the end of the conversation about what you can do now to immediately improve your immune response. And, here’s a link to his True Health Initiative Web Site if you want more on Doc Katz and resources from his organization dedicated to educating about preventable disease.You know, there could be a silver lining to this whole COVID mess...You’re already stuck eating at home because you can’t go out. It seems a perfect time to learn how to cook some simple meals. Do some simple exercise. Stretch. Move your body and feed your immune system. It's for real right now. It's not theoretical. This is the moment to assess all of this stuff because it just might save your life. I leave you on a high note with an inspirational article about Marie Shapiro Asher published in this week’s Washington Post:  At 107, this artist just beat COVID-19. It was the second pandemic she survived.  Marie is an artist who credits her longevity to a passion for her art, curiosity, and exercise.  Finally, check out the new blog post and exercise video on SecondFifty, The Simple Six, it’s a whole-body workout anyone can do in 25 minutes or less. You can make it harder or easier, depending on your level of fitness. And, (I’m working to be more aggressive about marketing) please forward the newsletter to anyone you think might find it of interest!Stay safe, and keep the faith!Thanks, for reading...George

Stay Strong. Age Well.

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Who sent this letter:

I'm George Harrop, founder of SecondFifty—an online resource for people who want to prioritize their health and wellbeing by taking a common-sense approach to nutrition and fitness. Many modern middle-aged people have spent the previous decades building careers and raising families. 

Now we're committed to getting and staying fit during the second half of our lives. We're on a mission to age with more agility and ease! Join us →