Counterclockwise

April 15, 2013
Kessler (My Teenage Werewolf), director of the University of Oregon’s multimedia narrative journalism graduate program, takes on the marketing, (sometimes pseudo-) science, and the psychology of the anti-aging industry in this funny personal tale. Game to explore every possible manner of aging gracefully, she interviews plastic surgeons and research scientists, attends conferences, has her mitochondria and telomeres tested, downs supplements and “superfoods,” takes online self-assessments, and tries new diet and exercise plans. It should be noted, however, that Kessler didn’t have many obstacles—other than a ticking clock—to overcome: she isn’t ill or obese; she’s just a typical middle-aged American woman in decent shape who would like to do a little better at achieving “compression of morbidity,” i.e. not necessarily living longer, but living better. In the end, she sidesteps the most extreme solutions, and the successful results of the metabolic tests she takes after a year of exploration reveal that the best options we have for slowing our biological clocks are avoiding stress, eating healthy, and exercising. Unsurprising, sure, but her journey through the temptations of quick-fix anti-aging options treats the fountain-of-youth–seeking side of us with humor and compassion. Agent: David Black, David Black Agency.

April 15, 2013
One woman's quest to halt the aging process. In today's society, old age is equated with being "weak, sickly, sexless, boring, crabby," writes Kessler (Graduate Program, Multimedia Narrative Journalism/Univ. of Oregon; My Teenage Werewolf: A Mother, a Daughter, a Journey Through the Thicket of Adolescence, 2010, etc.). To be young, by contrast, is to be "healthy, vibrant, sexy, creative, adventurous." Wanting to forestall the effects of aging for as long as possible, the author used herself as a guinea pig to explore the myriad ways this can be done...to a certain extent. What she uncovered was possibly more than she bargained for, as she navigated plastic surgery, hormone replacement therapy, fad and extremely low-calorie diets, colonics and cleansings. By studying her own aging process at the cellular level, Kessler gained a better understanding of how she was moving through life. Her extensive research on the thousands of approaches being used to slow a natural process reveal that staying physically fit through aerobic and weight-bearing exercises, eating healthy foods and getting sufficient sleep top the list of effective anti-aging methods. Kessler uses humor to help readers digest the information and develop their own strategies to combat the inevitable physical decline of advancing age while maintaining a high quality of life. Growing older is part of the process of life, she reminds us; the goal is not looking younger, but feeling younger--to have, as she writes, "an abundance of energy--physical, intellectual, and creative...continuing to feel in the thick of things." In her view, it's all about "choosing to do something with this prolonged health span, about making use of a fit body and an agile mind." An entertaining and informative investigation into growing old.

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