Chew Slowly: Lie About Your Age by Nola Rocco
“There is more we can all do to stay young without plastic surgery. Nola Rocco shares how …”
Say what you will about the Fountain of Youth, that mythical spring that allows young people to stay young and old people to rediscover their energy and preserve their health. Really?
Yet Nola Rocco, currently in her seventies, believes there is indeed a formula for finding the Fountain of Youth. She is the self-proclaimed poster child for becoming ageless through attitude, using her 10-point, 10-day “strategy on steroids” founded on psychological research and experience caring for thousands of privileged seniors at her exclusive Beverly Hills-based boutique hideaway, The Hidden Garden.
She is a woman on a mission and with a message, delivered with conviction, heart and humor in her new book, Chew Slowly: Lie About Your Age.
Lessons from Beverly Hills’ Secret Recovery Retreat
Over the years at her spa establishment, she has interfaced with some of Hollywood’s elite, providing after-care services following cosmetic surgery – that common practice to make one look and feel young. But a facelift is, if you will, just a mask to cover up an aging process that her patrons believe is the only way to stop time and stay young.
“When we accept our age, we become that age … it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy,” says Rocco. “However, we can change this negative view and make choices to be younger, leading us to be healthier, engaging, attractive, charming, interesting, appealing and magnetic.”
Ok, where do I sign up? To quote the famous line from that movie when Meg Ryan does, well, you know: “I’ll have what she’s having.”
Rocco stumbled into her aha moment when hearing a TV interview with Ellen Langer, the Harvard psychology professor commonly known as the “mother of mindfulness” and the “mother of positive psychology.” Dr. Langer’s teachings were the perfect overlay for what Rocco was learning, somewhat unintentionally, from her 4,000 patients at The Hidden Garden, who would tell their stories and bare their souls to Rocco. In her book, Nola shares stories from guests, 13 years of cosmetic surgery after-care observations, hundreds of private interviews, and personal experiences.
The 10-Day Plan to Reverse Aging
The author put it all together into a 10-point plan to basically tweak one’s mindset into a youthful, ageless personality and attitude to make people more than just look young but to actually feel young.
The program, geared primarily for women from 50 years old and up, has been described as groundbreaking. And even though the plan is only 10 days, as intensive as it is, there are no shortcuts. Practitioners need to commit to every step in sequence, no “halfway” approaches. Dig in and be all in, says Rocco.
“What I learned from my guests was … looking younger is not the answer to being younger. Without the mindset, the attitude – the unique persona – you are not ageless … I was convinced we become our age because we allow it to happen. Becoming younger is actually a choice.”
In the first part of the book, Rocco shares countless anecdotes about her patients and her experiences, sometimes naming names but not always.
The second part of the book gets into the nuts and bolts of how to become 10 years younger in 10 days. “By tweaking your mindset, you change your behavior. Changing your behavior changes your age. As we repetitively make youthful choices with our daily habits, our lives change. A trigger can be as simple as wearing a straw hat with a flower stuck in the ribbon. This fun feeling makes us more youthful, so we learn to continue this behavior to maintain those positive feelings. It becomes a cycle of positive events.”
Why Aging Is a Mindset, Not a Number
Our culture is full of stereotypes of what aging means. “How we age is an attitude we choose. If we follow the limits and expectations – stereotypes – with which society has unfairly labeled us, we cut our lives short. Stepping away from societal expectations, you can become your own person – it’s this attitude that makes you younger.”
As Rocco notes, age and aging are not the same thing. While we are stuck with our chronological age, we are not stuck with how we age or how we think about our age. “If we focus on our limitations, we become limited. You need to forget what the calendar says and pick the age you feel and become that age.”
In her plan, Rocco asks for a commitment to 10 assignments, such as:
Day 1 – Change the Game
Day 2 – The Wake-Up Call
Day 3 – When Is a Mess Not a Mess?
Day 4 – Do Something Outrageous
Day 5 – Chew Slowly, Tap Dance
You get the idea – read on!
Rocco’s writing is both engaging and insightful, blending personal anecdotes with actionable advice. Her unique vantage point, having interacted with thousands of individuals seeking youthfulness, lends credibility to her observations and recommendations.
Rocco emphasizes that she is not trying to persuade anybody to follow her path or beat anyone over the head with her thinking. It is her story, and readers can take from it what they will.
“I hope Chew Slowly provides the self-awareness needed to create your own story, and let the concepts, life-tested ideas and actionable suggestions inspire you to reach your fullest potential.”
About Nola Rocco:
Nola Rocco is a writer, filmmaker, and expert on aging, beauty, and self-esteem. While studying film at UCLA, she founded The Hidden Garden, a Beverly Hills retreat for post-cosmetic surgery recovery, where she hosted over 4,000 clients, including celebrities. Her firsthand insights into beauty and confidence led to The Hollywood Facelift, a bestselling book featured on Oprah and Howard Stern. Dubbed a “cosmetic surgery guru,” she has been a sought-after speaker and media guest. An award-winning screenwriter and director, Nola’s film Where’s Marty? featured stars like Betty White and George Lopez. She holds a master’s from Loyola Marymount and has taught gifted students, winning international awards for their short films.
Publish Date: 1/3/2025
Genre: Nonfiction
Author: Nola Rocco
Page Count: 288 pages
ISBN: 9798991748414