# The Longevity Book: Live stronger. Live better. The art of ageing well.

Cameron Diaz

From Cameron Diaz, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Body Book, comes a fresh, personal, and authoritative examination of the art and science of growing older and a roadmap for abundant health and resilience as we age.


When Cameron Diaz wrote The Body Book, she was on a mission to help educate young women about how their bodies function, empowering them to make better-informed choices about their health instead of heeding the advice of the latest headline or trend. So she interviewed doctors, scientists, nutritionists and a host of other experts, and then shared what she'd learned with young women everywhere in a comprehensive volume hailed as 'smart', 'brimming with science' and 'the real deal'.


Once again Cameron Diaz is on a mission. But this time, she's starting a conversation with her peers on a topic that is virtually taboo in our society: the ageing female body. In The Longevity Book, she will share everything she's learned about the ageing process from top medical experts and researchers, as well as her own thoughts, opinions, and experiences on a topic that is as essential to our health as it is emotionally charged and culturally neglected.


The Longevity Book will explore what history, biology, neuroscience and the women's health movement can teach us about maintaining optimal health as we transition from our thirties to midlife. From how growing older impacts various bodily systems to the biological differences in the way ageing effects men and women; the latest science on telomeres and slowing the rate of cognitive decline to how meditation heals us and why love, friendship and laughter matter for health.


The Longevity Book will offer an all-encompassing, holistic look at how the female body ages – and what we can all do to age better. Cameron offers women a compassionate, informative and intimate tour through the next volume of life.

COPYRIGHT

This book contains advice and information relating to healthcare. It is not intended to replace medical advice and should be used to supplement rather than replace regular care by your doctor. It is recommended that you seek medical advice before embarking on any medical programme or treatment. All efforts have been made to assure the accuracy of the information contained in this book as of the date of publication. The publisher and the author disclaim liability for any medical outcomes that may occur as a result of applying the methods suggested in this book.


Thorsons

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF www.harpercollins.co.uk First published in the US by HarperWave, a division of HarperCollinsPublishers 2016 This UK edition published by Thorsons 2016 FIRST EDITION Text © Cameron Diaz 2016 Photo image 1 © Jeff Dunas Illustrations by Harriet Russell Cover layout design © HarperCollinsPublishers 2016 Cover design by Headcase Design “Chorus of Cells” reprinted with permission from Poems from the Pond: 107 Years of Words and Wisdom; The Writings of Peggy Freydberg, edited by Laurie David. A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library Cameron Diaz asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books. Find out about HarperCollins and the environment at www.harpercollins.co.uk/green Source ISBN: 9780008139612 Ebook Edition © March 2016 ISBN: 9780008139629 Version: 2016-03-15

Dedicated to your journey

ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS TO PAY ATTENTION; LESSONS ALWAYS ARRIVE WHEN YOU ARE READY, AND IF YOU CAN READ THE SIGNS, YOU WILL LEARN EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW IN ORDER TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP.

– PAOLO COELHO, THE ZAHIR


Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Epigraph

Preface

Introduction

PART I: THE SCENIC ROUTE: Living in the Age of Longevity

1 Beauty Is Timeless, Wisdom Is Priceless: What We Talk about When We Talk about Ageing

2 How Your Life Got Longer: The Story of Longevity

3 The New Science of Getting Old: How Ageing is Studied Today

4 Sex, Drugs, and Bikini Medicine: How Being Female Affects Your Health and Your Healthcare

PART II: STEEP GRADES, SHARP CURVES: The Biology of Ageing

5 Time Is Relative: The Biological Impact of Genes, Choices, and Attitudes

6 The Mirror and the Microscope: The Secrets of Cellular Ageing, Revealed

7 Shape-Shifter: How the Female Body Changes Through Time

8 The Case of the Hot Flushes: Investigating the Mysteries of the Menopause Transition

PART III: YOU ARE HERE: The Art and Science of Living Longer

9 Brick House: Building a Stronger Body with Food, Fitness, and Rest

10 Chill Out: Support Your Immune System by Managing Stress

11 How to Program Your Supercomputer: Building a Stronger Brain

12 Love Big: Celebrating the Joys of Connection

Conclusion

Epilogue

“A Chorus of Cells” by Peggy Freydburg

Notes

List of Searchable Terms

Acknowledgements

About the Authors

Also by Cameron Diaz and Sandra Bark

About the Publisher

THE BLACK AND WHITE photo you see at the start of this book was inspired by a picture taken at the very first professional photo shoot I was ever a part of. I was brand-new to the industry – only sixteen years old – when the amazing photographer Jeff Dunas invited me to sit for him. That first day, he draped me in a white sheet and told me to look at the camera. It was the beginning of a new life for me. Jeff had the idea that we should repeat this image, as many times as we both were able to, for the rest of our lives. I thought it was a brilliant idea and certainly a unique opportunity. So six years later, we recreated the photo, and this time I held the original photo in my hands. And then another six years later, when I was twenty-eight years old, we did it again.

While I was working on this book, considering the meaning of my life’s journey, it reminded me that Jeff and I had made this pact and that it had been way too long since we had taken a photo. So I called him up and soon I was once again in front of his lens. The photo you see in this book is the result.

With every passing year, my physical body has shifted, of course – that’s easy enough to see in the picture. But less obvious are the shifts that can’t be weighed or measured; the emotional, mental, and spiritual shifts that accompany the passage of time and the accumulation of experiences. If you squint really hard, if you look really closely, you might be able to see some evidence of those changes. When I look at this picture, I can see them and feel them immediately.

Contemplating ageing has a way of making us consider our youth. In order to look forward, we first look backward. We flip through old photographs and read through old letters and journals. We reminisce with friends and family about the experiences that have led us to where we are today. Sometimes we feel nostalgic. Other times we feel relieved that no matter what, time keeps marching on.

When I look at this collection of photographs, I feel the pull of time, forwards and backwards, each image bringing me closer to the woman I am today, each pointing towards the woman I will become. I don’t yet know who she is, but I look forward to meeting her. We all want to know what, when, and how our stories will unfold, and all we have to go on is the life we have experienced so far, the choices we have already made, and the stories we have lived through, from beginning to middle to end.

I wrote this book because I wanted to peek into my future. I wanted to get a sense of what might happen, what could happen, and what I could possibly do for myself now to continue the journey, and to enjoy the journey for as long as possible. In the years that come, I may grow weaker, but it is my hope that I can also grow wiser, warmer, and more resilient. I hope we can all find the power to grow older together, each of us doing the work we must to become stronger and more loving and more at home in our hearts, in our bodies, and in the world.

Photographs make it possible for us to watch ourselves age. We can see ourselves grow taller, observe the cheekbones that show up as we pass from adolescence to young womanhood, notice the wrinkles that begin to appear just a couple of decades after that. What is less easily grasped by a camera lens is the inner growth, the way the heady passions of youth grow into the steadier fascinations of adulthood, or the privileges that time offers with every passing year.

Time can be kept by clocks and calendars, measured in inches and wrinkles, and caught in images and photographs. But if we are very lucky, it can also be counted in a life well spent, full of learning, love, and laughter.