How often have you heard the phrase "If I only knew what I know now?" As people advance in years, they recognise the benefit of hindsight and often reflect on some of the choices they made.
Author and exercise physiologist David Beard has embraced that theme in his book, If I'd Only Known I'd Live This Long, based on his work in the aged care industry and background in the health and fitness industry.
Focusing on health, fitness, attitudes, relationships and money, the book is full of tips on small changes people can make to their lives now to ensure they live to a ripe old age.
"The choices you make for the first 75 years of your life will determine what the last 25 are like," David said. "If you want to live to 95 or 100 you need to start thinking about these things now, so the book's message is for anyone from 35 onwards.
"It's never too late to start making changes. From a physical fitness point of view, there have been studies on 90-yearolds in nursing homes that have shown strength training actually made the same percentage improvement as it did in 30-year-olds."
With New Year now with us, many will have made resolutions for 2009. In most cases, these will have been broken before the end of January. David says people often make the mistake of attempting big changes, instead of gradual small ones, which are more easily integrated into day-to-day life.
"It's really about trying to develop the right lifestyle habits to get you through 100 years," he said. "Staying active as you get older is one of the most important things you can do.
"Another consideration is being grateful for what you've got and wanting to give back to other people. Having a purpose that's bigger than yourself is also a worthy goal."
David opted to make his book light-hearted by matching quirky illustrations with the text to better engage people in his ideas.
"Old age can be a great time of your life," he said. "It's not all dour and serious so I made sure the book was in a style that all people would respond to."
More details on If I'd Only Known I'd Live This Long are available at www.lifelongfitness.net
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