SECRETS OF AGING WELL: GET OUTSIDE: The Fitness You Can't Get in a Gym- Be Healthier, Recharge Your Brain, Prevent Burnout, Find More Joy, and Maybe Live to be 100

This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to achieve and enjoy good health in their advancing years! Describing his own mountaineering and business experiences, Martin Pazzani offers valid and readable documentation about the life-long benefits of Getting Outside, especially walking and hiking in nature. Myself a chunky kid, I started moderate jogging in my 20’s, then began hiking in my mid-40s, mostly in New England, including the White Mountains. Now 73, having climbed 46 of the 48 White Mountain’s Four Thousand Footers, I’d planned to climb the final two this month. (It’s not Everest, but as Martin shares, you set your own goals!). A minor in-home knee injury is pushing my goal to later this fall as I near 74. Martin’s climbing and business experiences assure me that set-backs are temporary, a time to reexamine strategies and pick up our goals again. I’m inspired! What I take away from this book is I definitely want to spend my years in good health, free as possible from prescriptions and extraordinary medical expenses. Martin well documents the necessity to Get Outside, allowing benefits to our brain and physical well-being by taking on active challenges in nature at any level. I hope to be hiking long into my 80s, if not longer. Thank you for sharing your experiences, excellent (and readable!) research and encouraging inspiration, Martin!

As 75-year-old who has spent my life in the outdoors every chance I got, I honestly didn't expect to learn anything new from this book. I thought it would be a fun read that would tell me what I already knew. But instead, I found a really interesting blend of science, anecdotal and fascinating stories, philosophy and psychology all rolled together - plus some beautiful photos! Pazzani knows what he's talking about and uses the latest research to support his call to get outside. I have always known how much better I feel after a tough hike or a climb, but now I also know why in very understandable terms. I like the fact that the author not only writes about the tremendous value of walking or hiking outdoors, but also devotes chapters to strategizing how best to begin this if one has never done it before. He makes it attainable, and lays out for the reader who is a novice or who is an expert. The information is relevant and interesting for all levels and all ages. It is especially critical now, as people are living longer and yet being in worse shape than ever. Pazzani's passion for his subject matter is very clear, but it never becomes preachy or judgmental. At times the book is repetitious, but I did not find that to be a distraction. I thoroughly enjoyed his descriptions of his own experiences in the mountains, and could relate very directly to them. I found the book to be motivating and made me extra thankful to already have discovered the wisdom of getting outside. Even though I approached the book as a believer, I am even more excited now to keep hiking and immersing myself in the experience. If this book accomplishes getting anyone off the couch then it absolutely is a must read!

This isn’t a book aimed at someone like me. Or so I thought.But the more I read, the more I realized what a brilliantly insightful and motivating message Martin Pazzani has managed to weave into this wonderful book. It’s not only his own experiences and understanding “…..instead of looking up and off to the horizon for inspiration, we look down and at the little screen for too many hours.”, but those of countless people over sixty who didn’t believe they’d ever ever get up into the mountains to discover, as Martin puts it, “the secrets of aging well.”Extremely well researched and easy to read. Which is great, because the minute you put it down you’ll find yourself desperate to get outside.

I just finished reading Martin Pazzani’s book, “Secrets of Aging Well: Get Outside.” Being an outdoor enthusiast most of my life, I’ve been there, done that. I didn’t think there was much more for me to learn about hiking, mountaineering, or adventuring, but Mr. Pazzani certainly taught me some new things and also solidified the reason why I do what I do. When others quietly shake their heads in disbelief, adventurers like Mr. Pazzani are smiling back from the summit of a great mountain. This isn’t just a book about hiking techniques, fitness regimes, or equipment. This book is much more. This was a personal glimpse into the reasons why we push ourselves well into our aging years; the benefits of moving our bodies in the outdoors; and some very profound quotes that I personally found motivating and incredibly true to me. Thanks, Martin, for writing your story. I absolutely loved it and would recommend to anyone considering hiking . . . whether young or old. It has to start somewhere! Cheers.

The author's innovative approach is firmly grounded in historic wisdom.It is truly a data-driven approach to health and longevity.You have to read the book. To understand fully why. And how this is possible.Any review will fall short of how good this book really is.I have both hardcover and paperback editions. Two locations. I don't have to remember where I put it.Pro-Tip: I carry one in a backpack. With my highlighter. Cuz it's referenceable.As I said. A must buy.

Easy read with meaningful massage...IF you care about your health read this book!

This book intrigued me because it seemed to reiterate all the messages I’ve been getting from my own recent research in how to stay healthy and live longer as we age. Yup, the message was the same, but with a twist. Yes, we need to be more active but, thank you, it’s so much better outside than inside. I’ve just started doing some basic hiking, only because my friend invited me, but now I know what great benefits can be achieved outdoors. I’ve got a new attitude towards hiking going forward. My summits in the future might not be nearly as high as the author’s, but I can tell you my sense of accomplishments will be just as satisfying. Thanks for the information and the motivation I needed to want to take it to the next level. And the next, and the next. Great book! Easy read. Loved the personal stories.

Bought this for my partner and he loved it and wished he could give it to his parents 20 years ago. I read a few pages of it so far and indeed - very encouraging. Highly recommend!

Martin has provided a comprehensive and eminently readable call for us all to “get up and get moving”. Part autobiographical, his experiences, successes and set-backs provide the background for his passionate arguments about the benefits for physical activity and more importantly, of getting outdoors to stimulate both body and mind.He has brought together so many of the thoughts and ideas that many of us have had on our love of hiking and walking, enhanced, supplemented and backed them up with evidence.I hope the book will inspire many people to make a start, or to continue the journey in the outdoors. More importantly, I hope it encourages those of us who are moving into the later years to see exercise as integral to our daily lives. Acceptance that we are ageing is a good thing, accelerating the negatives through capitulation is not.