Jillian Michaels - The 6 Keys: Unlock Your Genetic Potential for Ageless Strength, Health, and Beauty

W eve all heard that old saying that nothing in life is certain but death and taxes. The taxes I cant help you with, but did you know there is nothing in our genes that tells us to die?

Thats rightNOTHING.

So, the big question is: why arent we immortal? Why does one person barely make it to retirement age while another gets to blow out candles on their ninety-eighth birthday? Why are some more susceptible to certain health issues as they get older (like Alzheimers, cancer, and heart disease), while others seem immune? Why do some people look frail, gray, and shriveled as they age, while others remain vigorous, potent, and powerful?

If you havent asked these questions yet, at some point in your life, you will.

The need to truly understand everything about growing older hit me on a random night out at a local Santa Monica beer garden with my younger siblings. Much younger, in factmy brother is twenty-eight and my little sister is just twenty-four. Admittedly, I dont find myself at bars filled with millennials often, but my brother had recently had his heart crushed in a breakup and my sister and I were determined to help him get over it.

So there I was, forty-three years old, hanging out at a bar packed with twenty-somethings, dressed low-key: no makeup, hair in a ball cap, wearing a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers.

And I get cardedfor real.

At first, I was like, this guy either thinks Im some sort of undercover cop or he feels bad for me. But no. He took my ID, glanced at it, looked back up, immediately did a double-take and said, Wow! Youve maintained really well.

My little sisterthe highly educated, idealistic, politically correct young woman that she iswas furious and offended on my behalf. I, on the other hand, was ecstatic. I thanked him and could tell he was genuinely shocked to discover I was forty-three years old, but as I walked away, something struck me.

Why was he so shocked?

In my mind, I looked and felt my age: I felt wiser, stronger, and more successful than when I was younger, possessing a confidence that only comes with time and experience. So why wasnt that what forty-something looked like to him?

As the night went on and I mingled among the crowd, people continued to be astonished by my age.

You do NOT look forty-three!

You dont SEEM like youre forty-three!

At first, I was super flattered. But by the eighth person, I started to get annoyed. What the hell? I thought. What exactly is forty-three supposed to be and look like anyway? Why does everyone else think forty-three is old? More important, what do you believe forty-plus is supposed to look and feel like?

Let me guess. Getting older means youre most likely going to be:

Tired (well, I can feel a little tired, but I blame that one on my kidsnot my biology)

Forgetful and out of touch

Overweight and out of shape

Inflexible and achy all the time

Experiencing hair loss and gray hair

Dealing with sagging, wrinkled skin

Heading into pre-menopause or menopause

Having trouble getting or keeping an erection (not for me of course, but this ones for you, my male readers)

Well, guess what? I am none of the above.

In fact, I am the exact opposite of all of the above. (Okay, to be honest, I am super forgetful, but thats nothing new. I was born with that one.)

For weeks after that night out with my siblings, I paid attention to everyone around me and tried to guess peoples ages in my head. I couldnt help wondering how people of the same age could be so different from one another when it came to their energy level, immunity, memory, productivity, functionality, personality, and physical appearance. I couldnt stop thinking about the causes for this huge variance in how people age. I knew I needed to explore, dissect, and decode the habits and behaviors of those who seem to defy aging. My fascination with aging led to the book you now hold in your hands.