Take 10 years off

By TOM VALEO
Published December 19, 2006

Dr. Steven Masley of St. Petersburg has written a book with an audacious title: Ten Years Younger: The Amazing Ten-Week Plan to Look Better, Feel Better and Turn Back the Clock.

Ten years younger in 10 weeks?

And yet, the plan essentially outlines what Sandy Crawford has done to improve her health and fitness.

"Add activity, eat better and manage stress - those are the three pillars," said Masley, a family practitioner and medical director of the Carillon Executive Health Program of St. Anthony's Hospital in St. Petersburg. "A fourth might be a multivitamin."

(Crawford takes a multivitamin, a calcium supplement and capsules containing omega-3 oils, believed to protect against heart disease.)

The activity Masley recommends should be vigorous enough to build aerobic fitness and strength.

"You want to spend a half-hour a day elevating your heart rate, five to six days a week," he said.

"And adding muscle is essential for being younger. You need strength training two to three times a week to build muscle. You don't have to lift heavy weights - you just have to push your muscles to the point where you can't lift the weight again.

"Do that, and you're building strength."

As for eating better, Masley advocates lean protein and fiber, plus lots of fruits and vegetables.

"It's not rocket science," he says.

But what about finding the time to exercise?

"My question is not how do you find time," Masley said, "it's how do you get by without it? How do you get everything done you want to do if you're not physically fit?"

The paperback version of Masley's year-old book comes out Jan. 9. It will cost $14.95. It's published by Broadway Books.

[Last modified December 19, 2006, 11:22:40]