How to get better with age, Nordic-style

It’s interesting to see how attitudes toward aging are changing. “Old” looks and feels very different than it did a decade or two ago. Fifty is the new 40 is the new 30. The phrase “anti-aging” itself feels a tad outdated, too, because of its implied negativity. We see women thriving as they accumulate experience and wisdom, so Father Time isn’t necessarily the bogeyman he was once thought to be.

I’m still young, but I’m already thinking about how to age well. To be healthy, energetic, positive — that’s a good goal, I think. And after meeting Thorbjörg, a nurse and nutritional therapist who’s well-known throughout Scandinavia, I know it’s achievable. Thorbjörg is 54, but honestly, the woman has more zest than a lot of people two decades younger. She’s bright-eyed, quick to laugh, and passionate about encouraging women to thrive as they age. (Also, she is Icelandic, and you know how I feel about Ísland.)

Thorbjörg’s book, a best-seller now available in English, is a guide to “vitality from the inside out.” While I don’t need to be 10 years younger in 10 weeks (as the title promises), it has plenty of sound advice on leveraging nutrition and exercise to stay vibrant in the years to come. Call it wisdom for the ages.