Book
Synopsis
“On Turning 60: Defining My Life From Now On…
A Personal Trainer’s View of Aging Healthfully”
by Nicholas S. Prukop
What
is “aging healthfully?” Do we really know what society,
the medical/pharmaceutical industries, the fitness and “wellness”
industries, or the cosmetics industry, mean by such a term?
Likely,
they each have their own definitions motivated by the bottom line. This
book reminds us all that the most important definition of healthy aging
is our OWN definition.
This
individualized approach to healthy aging, and the author’s upfront
discussion of key issues, lies at the heart of “On Turning 60…”
a clearly written book and guide written by Nicholas S. Prukop, a 20+
year professional in the health and fitness industry.
Nick
defines aging healthfully by examining the processes that helped him
achieve an optimum level of health and fitness over the past 40+ years,
despite, or perhaps as a result of, personal, financial and emotional
crisis.
He
is a runner who has been committed to training over the decades since
he graduated from college, and to date has accumulated more 60,000 miles
during that time. It is in remaining active and training our minds,
bodies – and spirits – that he believes one can unlock the
real answers to the questions of healthy aging.
Part
authoritative fitness document, part workbook and part memoir, “On
Turning 60…” was written during the author’s own quest
to answer critical questions about his own future as he turned 60, among
the first generation of the “baby boomers” to reach this
milestone birthday.
He
contends that there is a more effective way to deal with aging in America
than the current – and unnecessarily complex -- system that depends
upon drugs and an ineffective health care delivery system, one that
clearly is not capable of handling the many chronic diseases and deficiencies
we are now facing as an aging society.
More
than 70 million baby boomers will be reaching the age of 60 in the years
ahead and Nick’s timely message of prevention, programming, and
skills development related to training are a breath of fresh air in
the complicated world in which we find ourselves living in the 21st
century.
About
the Author:
Born
on Maui and raised on Oahu, Nick has been an athlete since his youth
in Hawaii, playing little league baseball, swimming and water skiing.
Following his graduation from Punahou, Nick went on to earn his BA from
Syracuse University in New York where he studied history. A post-college
career in the military beginning in 1968 allowed him to witness one
of the most interesting periods in our nation’s history –
the height of the cold war. Nick served as a Titan II Missile Combat
Crew Commander in the US Airforce, followed by a commission as the first
Race Relations Officer in the State of California for the Air National
Guard.
The
next 20 years included an MBA from Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles,
and management positions in sales and marketing in the consumer products
and financial services industries. Nick joined his first health club
in 1982 in Orange County, CA, and from that point, refocused his business
interests to his first love – health and fitness. Nick established
Happy, Healthy & Fit in 1990, a consultancy focused on personal
training, workshops, seminars and writing.
Nick
resides in Newport Beach, CA, and has one daughter, Lisa, and a grandson,
Hunter. When he’s not spending time with his family, Nick is busy
training for his 6-minute mile on his 80th birthday. |