RESOURCES

Resources

Aging Well Visuals

How to live to be 100+


Dan Buettner’s TED Talk How to live to be 100+ is one I often show in my undergraduate and adult classes because it counters so many negative stereotypes of aging.   As a National Geographic Fellow, Buettner has lived in and studied along with scientific teams five communities with the highest populations of centenarians in the world.  Though the video, we meet people reaching the century mark of age who are fully engaged in active living and enjoying life.  Equally important, we see how their communities support healthy, life-satisfying aging.



What Makes for a Good Life:  Lessons from the longest study on happiness


TED Talks cover many topics relevant for aging well and are free on online.  Robert Waldinger’s presentation What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness delivers a powerful message on what really matters.  Waldinger is the fourth director of a study begun in 1938 at Harvard to prove that “good genes” predestine a good life with health, wealth, and fame, while “bad genes” predestine sickness, poverty, and crime.  The lives of Harvard undergraduates were followed for the next 75 years and compared to those of poor inner-city young men.  The results turned out much different than predicted.  The lessons reveal what is truly important for a life well-lived. 

 

This 2015 TED Talk is also available on YouTube.




If You Are Not in the Obits, Eat Breakfast.


To counter the negative ways aging is often portrayed in movies, a strong antidote is If you are not in the obits, eat breakfast. Writer-actor-comedian Carl Reiner narrates his quest to find out what is important for living into your 90’s and loving it.  The cast of 90+ year-olds including Reiner, Mel Brooks, Dick Van Dyke and Betty White are sparkling with vitality in showing how rewarding and enjoyable life can be in the ninth decade of living.  See who you think steals the show.  It’s a hard choice, the actors are personable, very talented, and competitive.


This (2017) movie directed by Danny Gold is available for streaming or as a DVD from multiple vendors.





Aging Well Books

Breaking the Age Code

A must read for anyone seeking personal health and wellness in aging is a major new book by Becca Levy Breaking the Age Code.   Levy’s research over the past 20 years is reshaping the way aging is perceived in America.  Levy is one of the leading experts in the world on the psychology of successful aging.  Now a Professor in Public Health and Psychology at Yale, her studies have shown how our beliefs about aging are major determinants of how long and well we live.  The book is a great read.  Her insights provide realistic and readily doable actions for more positive, vibrant aging. 


Becca Levy (2022) Breaking the Age Code. HarperCollins Publisher.

The Blue Zones

A now classic book by Dan Buettner The Blue Zones goes beyond his TED Talk into the daily activities, behaviors, diets, and beliefs in the five longest lifespan communities in the world, including one in America.  All maintain positive aging beliefs and honor the aged.  A very entertaining guide to sites around the globe that are united by their lifestyles and habits in providing a vigorous environment for successful aging.  Their creation of sustainable communities where robust aging is possible strongly support Becca Levy’s studies on the power of positive aging beliefs.  


Dan Buettner (2008) The Blue Zones (2nd edition). National Geographic, Washington, D.C.

Mindfulness Books

Full Catastrophe Living

Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Full Catastrophe Living originally published in 1990 and revised and updated in 2013 describes the development and practices in his landmark Mindfully-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Program that moved Mindfulness from the periphery into the mainstream of American culture.  His program is widely imitated but remains the gold standard for beginning to develop mindfulness skills.  It is a treasured classic work for any reading list on Mindfulness.

Wherever You Go There You Are

Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Wherever You Go There You Are is a masterfully written guide to using mindfulness meditation in everyday life.  In my undergraduate classes, about 30% of the students love it: the others are lukewarm and find it too esoteric.  It is a perennial best-selling book.

10% Happier

Dan Harris’ book titled 10% Happier is a captivatingly good read.  Dan was an ABC television correspondent and co-anchor on weekend news programs.  It is a witty account of his journey to find healing and health following an extremely embarrassing panic attack on the air.  The subtitle captures the spirit of his book, "How I tamed the voice in my head, reduced stress without losing my edge, and found self-help that works - A true story".  It was on the New York Times bestseller list for months. 

Guided Mindfulness Apps

Important Note: Only the Oak meditation app is free. If you try the free test periods offered with the other apps, be sure to keep track of the days used and cancel if you do not want to continue the program.

10% Happier

10% Happier with Dan Harris and Joseph Goldstein offers witty, effective guided mindfulness practices.  It also features other outstanding mindfulness teachers.  Its insights into mindfulness go well beyond the beginner level of Oak and Headspace.  It is the most educational of the apps I have tested.  I found it to be very helpful in developing daily home mindfulness practices.  There is a free test period for trying the app.  

Calm

Calm is often rated as the number 1 app for stress reduction and getting better sleep.   It has a free trial period to test it out.  I have found it to be excellent with guided meditations and music for relaxing.

Oak Meditation and Breathing Exercises

Oak Meditation and Breathing Exercises is a very highly rated (4.8/5 Stars) free app.  The name uses the calmness and resilience of the Oak Tree as a metaphor for the inner strength of resilience we can consciously build through Mindfulness practice.

Local, Lexington-Area Resources

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