Prime-Time Health: A Scientifically Proven Plan for Feeling Young and Living Longer

by William Sears, Martha Sears (Contributor)

Twelve years ago, renowned physician and author Dr. William Sears was diagnosed with cancer. He, like so many people, wanted-and needed-to take control of his health. Dr. Sears created a comprehensive, science based, head-to-toe program for living a long, fit life-and it worked. Now at the peak of health, Dr. Sears shares his program in PRIME-TIME HEALTH. This engaging and deeply informative book will motivate readers to make crucial behavior and lifestyle changes. Dr. Sears explores how to keep each body system healthy and delay those usual age-related changes. Written in Dr. Sears's wise, accessible, and entertaining voice, PRIME-TIME HEALTH is a practical program to help you live your best life possible-pain-free, disease-free, stress-free, and medication-free.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction

464 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Dr. Sears, or Dr. Bill as his "little patients" call him, is the father of eight children as well as the author of over 30 books on childcare. Dr. Bill is an Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine. Dr. Bill received his pediatric training at Harvard Medical School's Children's Hospital in Boston and The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto -- the largest children’s hospital in the world, where he served as associate ward chief of the newborn nursery and associate professor of pediatrics. Dr. Sears is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and a fellow of the Royal College of Pediatricians (RCP).Dr. Bill is also a medical and parenting consultant for BabyTalk and Parenting magazines and the pediatrician on the website Parenting.com.

Reviews

[Bam cooks the books · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my daughters is studying to be a health coach using Dr Sears' plan and sent me a copy of his book they are using. We've been on a similar path for 25 years but have gotten more serious about eating 'real' and exercising in the past year, having gotten involved with EatRealAmerica.com and the companion cookbook Eat Real Cookbook through our local hospital. The Sears book provides much information and advice for forming a sustainable healthy lifestyle.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am really glad that I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. I first fell in love with Dr. Sears when I had Sydney (my daughter). He had a way of making me feel better about decisions I was making at the time about being a Mom. Always very focused on doing what feels right to you and always giving very "loving" advice. I'm not surprised he would write a book that is focused on YOU and how to love yourself by taking the best care of yourself that you can. The first part of the book is very informative, especially if you don't read a lot of material on health and wellness. But even if you do he still goes into quite a bit of detail about the things that really ravage your body as you age like inflammation and poor nutrition. I just wish I could follow the very first step of his plan and take a nice, long, relaxing week vacation away from everything and everyone to just read. Wouldn't that be nice. :-)

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing new under the sun in this book, but everything is clearly explained, altho perhaps repeated a bit too often. A good basic reference book and one to motivate you to take better care of yourself no matter what your age.

[Nikki Rich · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book and learn new things from it but honestly it was quite basic. When I read about tinnitus and the only recommendation was to play soft music to drown out the tinnitus I wanted to give up. But I didn’t quite give up, instead I skipped ahead to skim over the fitness section which was equally simplistic. If you have basic health knowledge I don’t think this book will help but if you know nothing then read away. I could not even finish it.

[René · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for my course work to prep for health coaching. I loved the Sears family books on children and vaccinations. As always, the information is based on SCIENCE and gives off the feel that the authors genuinely want to help their readers. Excellent information for those of us 40 and over who want to make changes that will help us age better and healthier.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just won this on FirstReads. I can't wait to feel younger and live longer!

January 2010 - Thus far I am really enjoying this book. Everything is explained so simply and clearly. I like the appreciate the mixture of personal story with scientific data. While he claims the book is for Prime Timers (those 40+) I feel like everyone would benefit from living a healthier life - then we wouldn't need to fix anything.

I haven't found any advice that I think is weird or dangerous yet. I'm very excited to read and learn more.

February 2010 - I liked this book a lot. It is easy to understand and aging and how your body works are explained in clear terms. I learned a lot about the body I didn't know. And about food.

There were a few uncomfortable parts as he speaks very frankly about some things that happen as you get older, but it's treated very matter-of-factly.

I think most of his advice is sound. The only thing I really disagree with is his use of soy. I like the emphasis on eating more fruits and vegetables and exercising. He covers many areas of your life - stress, sleep, eating, exercise, etc.

Again, while it's geared to "older people" I feel it highly valuable for younger persons who don't want to "get old."

I've been doing his 'sipping solution' for the past few weeks and have lost 7 pounds or so and feel great. I'm hoping that with more time I'll feel amazing!!

Highly recommended as a solid source of good nutritional and health advice. I'm glad I own a copy now as I'm sure I'll reference it again and again.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads first reads giveaway. It's a wonderful guide for overall health, even advising the best ways to UNDO damages done over the years. There are no fads here. It is written by a doctor who admits his bad habits contributed to his wake-up call with cancer and how he researched and researched and turned his health around. It's about feeling better and living better and covers nutrition, exercise, stress, sleep and fun. Some of the lengthy explanations can be dry but this is about education and the dry passages are balanced by loads of anecdotes and stories and easy to follow advice.

Even though I'm in my early 30s, I have a lot of bad habits and I want to turn that around so I can enjoy my "prime-time". Equally important, I want my parental units to start taking care of themselves to, so I saved this for a trip home, read it on the plane, kept reading it at their house, talked it up and left it behind in the hopes that they'll read it too. Highly recommended.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from an advanced copy giveaway on LibraryThing. This book is directed at individuals starting in their 60's, which is exactly where my parents are. My mom read the book and gave me this following review.[return]"The book is extremely easy to read. That being said, I found it annoying to constantly be told to ‘please refer to page XX’.[return]As well, the same information kept being repeated – not necessarily a bad thing, but it certainly got tiring.[return]And he had a pet name for the target group the book was written for. He called us "Prime Timers" and I didn’t like it.[return]The information seemed to be good, and he included things not found in other books (eg. simple exercises for your hands).[return]Over-all, his advice that our health is in our hands, and that we had better be responsible for ourselves and not rely on someone/something to do it for us is absolutely correct."

[Charissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book from Good Reads and I'm so glad I did... The book was written with seniors in mind, but I found it to be great information for adults of ALL ages. Dr.Sears goes through the body system by system with a discussion of what it needs, how it is affected by mal-treatment, and how best to keep it running smoothly. He then has chapters about important topics such as nutrition, lowering high blood pressure and cholesterol, and cutting the risk of cancer. What's more, the information is presented in such a readable, down-to-earth way that this 464 page health book doesn't feel like drudgery to read, but is instead very interesting and thought-provoking. I've recommended Prime-Time Health to my husband and I plan to refer to it myself for years to come.

[Elizabeth Theiss Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

We won this book at a Parkinson's disease conference and read it doggedly a few pages at a time over six months or so, despite the genre (which I normally avoid). The theme is what middle-agers should do to take care of themselves with minimal resort to medical science, interesting in light of the fact that it is written by an MD and his nurse wife. Ah, but he is an iconoclastic MD and just a bit superior to the rest of them. If you've never read much about health and you can stand Dr. Sears, this is not a bad book. A better option is to subscribe to Nutrition Action, a research-based newsletter published by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which is superb, sometimes witty and without the annoying dr. Sears.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now is the time to start paying more attention to your health. What better way to take charge than to get the advice of a medical doctor? Dr. Sears has come up with a program that covers you from head to toe and will help you live healthier and longer. Making a few simple changes can improve your quality of life as well as it's length.

I found this book to be very informative. There were times I had to put it down for a little bit because there was so much information to process.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Sears' book is a absolute must have for any household where a person wants to be healthier and more fit as well as understand how foods, activities, etc., affect one's health. Based on a life-time of experience and an extensive 12-year study, this book covers it all. If one is looking for a quick weight loss guide or a fad diet book, this is not for you. If one wants a manual to the human body, helpful tips and tools, then this is indeed the book for you!

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this through Goodreads First Reads. I always loved Dr. Sears Baby Book, and now it is great that Dr. Sears has written a book of health advice for adults. Lots of practical and useful information in here. And definately a book to keep on your shelf to reference (just like I always did with the baby book).

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal book! This is such an invaluable resource. Dr. Sears breaks down healthy living in such simple terms. After reading this book I really do feel as though I have control over my own health. In fact, I started implementing his program and I'm feeling great! I can't recommend this book enough. It's a must read.

[Kayla2003rr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prime-Time Health was extremely informative and useful. I found the majority of the contents invaluable for preserving our health and livelyhood. I loved that Dr. Sears added little personal touches throughout the book about his own family and experiences. This book was not like reading your usual boring medical book. It was very interesting and really held my attention.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pulled together all the things I know I should be doing into one well-organized book. For the past month or so I have been eating the way Dr. Sears recommends and I am losing weight without counting calories or points or anything and I am feeling a heck of a lot better.

[Deirdre · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot of common sense information about how to stay healthy as we age. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone entering their 40s so they can have the best Prime Time portion of their life possible.

[Jeremy Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnificent book filled with relevant helpful wisdom and tips. One of the best self-health books I've ever read. Must read book for anyone over 40 and/or struggling with chronic disease/illness. Wonderful!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Won this on first reads. This is a very good book. It is definately a great one to keep at hand. I will be making use of the knowledge in it and will keep it around to consult as the need be.

[Gina]

Just won through first reads.... looking forward to reading it!

[JoAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first ever win of first reads!!!
this book is good- has lots of interesting facts, and is written in a commical way. It is really meant for older people but would be good info for any age.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good health primer; easy to read and understand.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for those over 40 and wanting to start or improve on a healthy lifestyle.

[Robert Edmondson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great information on improving and maintaining health for anyone especially we so called "seniors".

[Shellycabada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Does not preach, motivates to better health.