Book review by Stanford Erickson, editorial director, Chiropractic Economics and Massage Magazine
The 100 Year Lifestyle, written by Eric Plasker, DC, was released in March 2007 and became an international best seller. Dr. Plasker’s sequel, The 100 Year Lifestyle Workout, has just come out and it became the number one fitness book one week prior to its release, ahead of The Biggest Loser, and it includes chiropractic care at the core of the workout.
Why has it become an instant success?
Because his new book is even more helpful to neophytes like me in providing knowledgeable explanations and step-by step graphic illustrations on how to ensure quality of life and longevity through “Endurance, Strength and Structure.”
“The number of quality years you live will be determined in large part by your fitness level,” Dr. Plasker writes. “If you want to be able to move when you are eighty, ninety, or 100 and beyond, then you must exercise your mobility now. And make it a priority. Keep your heart healthy now and you will enjoy a healthier heart as you age. Keep your spine healthy and well-adjusted now and you will enjoy flexibility and healthy nerve supply in your later years. Keep your muscles strong now and you will have the freedom to be more active as you age. Living quality years doesn’t always ensure a greater quantity of years, but it will ensure greater health and vitality every day along the way.”
Illustrated workouts that lend themselves to endurance, strength and a healthy structure spine and nervous system can easily be grasped and imitated by the reader.
Chiropractors, in particular, should like providing access to Plasker’s new book for their patients because of his emphasis on spinal health with regular chiropractic care.
“A healthy structure is about much more than the mechanics alone…Your nervous system runs through your spinal column and controls and coordinates the function of every cell, tissue, and organ of the body,” he writes. “For you to be healthy these nerve pathways must be free from interference and have good communication between the body and the mind.”
Dr. D.D. Palmer could not have said it plainer.
But structure starts with feet, as Dr. Plasker points out. He credits Monte Greenawalt, DC, founder of Foot Levelers, with developing an orthotic product that helps stabilize the three arches of the foot while still being flexible within a specific range of motion.
From a nutritional point of view alone, the book is worthwhile, at least for me. Dr. Plasker quickly and plainly describes the difference between empty calories and quality calories. Empty calories—bagels, beer, doughnuts, soft drinks, cookies, sugary cereals, candy—will fill you up temporarily but deplete your energy and lead toward obesity. Quality calories—apples, brown rice, sweep potatoes (baked) avocados, asparagus—not only give energy inducing calories but provide vitally needed nutrition. He also suggests when to eat and portion control and there is an entire personal training and meal planning program online at www.100yearlifestyle.com for people who want help following through with their plan.
One key to improving endurance, The 100 Year Lifestyle Workout points out, is INTENSITY.
“University of Alberta researchers reported in September that a group of healthy people who wore pedometers and made an effort to take an extra five thousand steps a day (about fifty minutes of walking) showed no improvement in their physical fitness after six months. But another group that hit the gym only four days a week for forty minutes of moderately intense workouts (visualize walking as fast as you can without actually running) significantly increased their endurance levels.”
To maximize the quality of your 100 Year Lifestyle and make the most of your genetics, it can be helpful to measure your workouts, says Dr. Plasker. Measuring improvement in endurance, strength and structure not only assists improvement but helps keep you focused on your health goals. Dr. Plasker’s new book illustrates what and how to measure your ESS (endurance, strength and structure) and he recommends that every person see a chiropractor during every stage of life.
The 100 Year Lifestyle brand helps chiropractors to stand out in the wellness crowd, and it has become a sought after internal and external marketing and patient education strategy that is available through The Family Practice Program. It has even become a certification program through the CCA, PCA and other associations that are coming on board in the future.
A Life Chiropractic College, Dr. Plasker is a former owner of two successful family chiropractic practices. He has been featured on CNN, Fox, ABC, NBC and the Discovery Channel. His Web site, www.thefamilypractice.net, permits you to sign up for his newsletter and learn more about these programs for doctors.
You can buy books in quantity by calling 800 962-0973 or e-mail premiums@globePequot.com.
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