This column is all about ‘You’

Yes, this column is all about you. And what an interesting topic that is!
It’s all about your body (your home).
Not that I’m an expert about you, but this is a column about “The You Docs” from the Oprah Winfrey Show—Drs. Mehmet Oz and Michael Roizen.
In addition to appearing as “The You Docs” on Oprah, Oz and Roizen write a daily newspaper column and also have written a series of books and audio health books about “You.”
Among their titles are “YOU: The Smart Patient,” “YOU: Staying Young,” and “YOU: On a Walk.”
And my favourite, “YOU: The Owner’s Manual.”
The goal of “The You Docs” is to train you to “become the world expert on your body.” And that’s what they do in this book.
Actually, the whole title is “YOU: The Owner’s Manual, Updated and Expanded Edition: An Insider’s Guide to the Body That Will Make You Healthier and Younger.”
Instead of using scientific jargon, Oz and Roizen use simple analogies to help you understand your body. Think about your body like a house, they say.
Like your house, your body is very important and must be maintained. It’s important to take care of little problems before your porch falls down or your roof leaks.
Your bones are the 2x4s that support your house, your eyes are the windows, your lungs are the ventilation ducts, your brain is the fuse box, your intestines are the plumbing system, your mouth is the food processor, your heart is the water system, your hair is the grass, and your fat is all the worthless junk in your attic.
“The similarities are remarkable—so remarkable that we believe you can learn about how your body works by thinking about your house,” say Oz and Roizen.
They liken “YOU: The Owner’s Manual” to Home Depot with its slogan, “You can do it. We can help.”
With this help, you don’t have to call a plumber every time the sink stops up. You can use the plunger yourself. Or better yet, be careful what you put down your drain next time.
Only call in the experts to help with things you can’t resolve on your own.
And take especially good care of the most crucial things in your house, like your main water supply (your cardiovascular system). Think about it—what would you do if your water system were to break down?
The authors remind us that “Your heart pumps blood to every room in your body—to your brain so you can think, to your digestive system so you can process food, to your muscles so you can help your neighbours move their piano.”
The authors also have a list of actions to prevent the system from breaking down.
Action 1 is “Pump your heart.” Oz and Roizen say exercise can make a 55-year-old man become eight years younger in RealAge, and a 55-year-old woman become 9.1 years younger.
Action 3 is “Develop lifelong friends.” What an easy prescription to fulfill! Developing friends makes you happy—and being happy makes you healthier.
“The You Docs” also have a helpful website at RealAge.com
Why not take their RealAge quiz? Be honest, and the experts will tell you what you can do to be healthier and lower your RealAge.
After all, you live in the only body you’ll ever have. Better maintain it!
Note: Read “The You Docs” daily newspaper column at http://realage.typepad.com/youdocsdaily