It's a Guy Thing: A Look at the book, "The Age-Nostic Man" by Michael Hogg

Although we’re a couple weeks away from Labor Day as of this dispatch, it is apparently never too early to have a white party (that is a party where everybody is attired in their most pristine hues of “beach house,” “ecru,” “ivory” and so on), event planner Nadine Jolson definitely had the right idea for her client, author Michael Hogg, as white can represent a “clean slate” or a fresh canvas.

Hogg’s how-to guide, “The Age-Nostic Man: The Secrets of Anti-Ageing for Men” ($15.95, LIDPublishing.com) is, in fact, a book about how a man can clear the slate of all of his bad habits and launch into new ones intended to stop or push back the hands of time.  As Hogg sees it, women have a variety of products, potions, workouts and retreats at their disposal to empower them to look and feel better. In the wake of his own journey of personal setbacks and life changes, he wondered why similar options were not available for men.  He established Gen:A (a line of supplements and skincare) and wrote the book to help lead a generation of men on their own path to a younger appearance and state of mind.

“I had a high-powered career, experienced a divorce, and pushed myself to the point where I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown,” Hogg recalled after his speech. “I was making lots of money but the money on its own did not mean anything. As my health was suffering, that made it easy for me to walk away from my career and give my full attention to this lifestyle, not only to better my own prospects for a longer life but offer other men an alternative.”

While there are hundreds of self-help books that espouse a sensible diet and exercise, Hogg says his book is primarily directed at men who don’t look after themselves as much as they should. He does observe, however, that some of the women in their lives take that initiative and buy them the book, read it on their own and then schlep their their husbands to the seminars. 

“This is not a book but an undertaking, where I tell men my story, have them read the book for guidelines, and then offer the supplement and skin care range,” Hogg explains. “We have a men’s retreat where men come for seven to ten days, that is along the lines of retreats many women do but focused on the health care concerns of men.   I want to emphasize my book is aimed at regular guys with regular lives, including some who may have the occasional drink or cigarette. The important thing is to focus on your health daily, take your supplements, get hormone replacement if necessary, eat the right foods, exercise and wake up everyday with a positive attitude toward maintaining your health.   It’s not about deprivation.”

The poolside celebration of sensible living (“Fountain of Youth” cocktails aside), was at the ageless and evergreen Beverly Hills Hotel’s pool. Award-winning actor and event host, Tony Denison (“True Crime”), gave an entertaining and light-hearted speech about what it means to him to be an “Age-Nostic Man” prior to Hogg’s presentation.