Old Westbury, NY – Author and NYIT First Lady Mireille Guiliano kicked off the Provocative Perspectives on Health lecture series yesterday with a mixture of advice on aging with attitude and a glimpse of how her culture, upbringing, and professional background helped shape the views prevalent in her popular books.

Guiliano, whose latest book is French Women Don't Get Facelifts, offered numerous health and wellness tips to an audience of about 225 people gathered at Riland Auditorium. Among her top tips, she said, is cultivating a mindset that encourages women and men to maintain a positive outlook, make wise choices, and be "comfortable in your own skin."

The lecture was sponsored by the College of Osteopathic Medicine and the School of Health Professions. The goal of the series, said Vice President of Health Sciences and Medical Affairs Barbara Ross-Lee, DO, is to present speakers who exemplify "the power of personal perspective"—a key element in patient care and patient-provider relationships.

Guiliano is also author of the bestseller French Women Don't Get Fat, The French Women Don't Get Fat Cookbook, French Women for All Seasons, and Women Work and the Art of Savoir Faire. She began writing after a successful career with Clicquot, Inc., where she served as former CEO.

"Because of the reception of my lifestyle books and perhaps because I was born French, I am often asked to share my tips on 'aging gracefully,' an expression I don't like," Guiliano said, reading an excerpt from her book, which has received numerous positive reviews since its publication last month. "'Aging with attitude' is something I believe in."

The attitude, she noted, is a mental approach akin to "painting first from the inside out, not from the outside in" with cosmetic procedures, extreme diets, or fads. Among the elements for a true life-enhancing formula, she said, are: drinking more water, avoiding sugary and salty foods (so-called nutritious "foodlifts"), and a regular exercise regimen.

While science and technology are prompting worthwhile gains in the health and medical fields, she cautioned against society's fixation with habits that increase stress, such as multi-tasking on personal devices and eating while watching television or talking on the phone.

In response to questions from College of Osteopathic Medicine Dean Wolfgang Gilliar, DO, and School of Health Professions Dean Patricia Chute, Ed.D., Guiliano explained how her personal experiences—from growing up in a provincial area of the country to living a 24/7-style corporate life to an intense period of book-driven traveling and speaking—have affected her perspectives.

"It took us about twenty centuries to form our national identity," she noted, with rites and rituals that filtered down over time and were instilled in school and at home. Many writers and philosophers generated the ideals and ideas that are ingrained in current French society. Traveling frequently between her homes in France and America, she said, has allowed her to note societal contrasts in many areas, including aging. While America is a "youth culture," the French have a more positive view of aging and self-esteem.

Guiliano said she does not like the words "success" and "power" as descriptors of her work but gains more satisfaction from making a difference in peoples' lives through her writing.

"At the end of the day, we are judged by how and why we lived our life and not by the kind of awards we accumulate," she said.

The lecture series will continue with appearances by Otis Brawley, M.D., chief medical and scientific officer and executive vice president of the American Cancer Society, (March 5), Richard "Buz" Cooper, M.D., director of NYIT Center for the Future of the Health Care Workforce (April 9) and Harold Freeman, M.D., president and founder of the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention in New York City (April 30).

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New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) offers 90 degree programs, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees, in more than 50 fields of study, including architecture and design; arts and sciences; education; engineering and computing sciences; health professions; management; and osteopathic medicine. A non-profit independent, private institution of higher education, NYIT has 13,000 students attending campuses on Long Island and Manhattan, online, and at its global campuses. NYIT sponsors 11 NCAA Division II programs and one Division I team.

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