Secrets of a long life: 25 simple and

surprising tips to help you live to 100

Here are some simple and often surprising tricks that research shows can extend your life..

1 Switch your latte for a cuppa

Tea is packed with antioxidants called polyphenols that can help your body fight heart
disease, cancer and premature ageing.

One Israeli study found that moderate tea drinkers lived substantially longer than those who
dont have a regular cuppa.

But remember to give it a good stir before removing the tea bag, as research shows this
releases 15% more of the age-resisting ingredients.

2 Balance on one leg every morning

It may sound strange, but standing on alternative legs while you dress in the morning forces
your body to balance, strengthening your core (back, pelvic and stomach) muscles which
support your spine.

According to physiotherapist Tom Salzman: This simple daily act will offer significant long-
term benefits when it comes to staying active for longer and protecting against falls and
broken bones as you get older.

3 Have regular sex at least twice a week

A large Welsh study on longevity found that those who had sex less than once a month had
double the risk of dying prematurely than those who had sex twice a week.

Aside from the health benefits, couples with a healthy sex life can also look up to seven years
younger, according to a study by the Royal Edinburgh Hospital possibly because sex
reduces stress, leading to greater contentment and better sleep.

4 Eat three walnuts a day

Walnuts are the healthiest nut of all because they contain the most disease-fighting and anti-
ageing antioxidants, according to recent search from the University of Scranton, US.

Eating just three walnuts a day is enough to reap the full benefits.

5 Use less sunscreen but dont burn

Figures show that 50% of people in the UK are deficient in vitamin D, the nutrient made by
the action of sunlight on our skin, increasing our risk of a host of potentially fatal conditions
including heart disease, osteoporosis and cancer.

To boost your vitamin D levels without raising your risk of skin cancer, Cancer Research UK
now recommends getting a few minutes (in practice around 15 to 20) of sun around the
middle of the day without sunscreen.
But make sure you dont burn, or youll wipe out any health benefits.

6 Make six good mates you can always rely on

Developing close friendships and family ties is the secret of living to 100, according to a
recent Australian study of centenarians.

Friends provide emotional support, which helps us deal with stress, and feeling loved boosts
production of feel-good chemicals dopamine and oxytocin, which promote brain growth,
combating ageing.

Other research has pinpointed six as the optimum number of friends we each need.

7 Stop eating when youre 80% full

The Okinawans, who inhabit remote Japanese islands, have one of the worlds lowest rates of
obesity, as well as the highest percentage of people living beyond 100.

Their secret? At every meal, they stop eating when they feel about 80% satisfied, happily
leaving any excess food on their plate.

American researchers have also found animals can live up to twice as long when their food
intake is reduced by up to a third.

As well as helping them to maintain a healthier weight, its thought eating less means the
metabolism has less work to do, putting less long-term stress on the body.

8 Go to bed one hour earlier if you can

Lack of sleep can put you at greater risk of health conditions such as depression and heart
disease, according to a raft of recent research.

And yet a small change makes a big difference a study from Harvard Business School in the
US found that for people who normally slept for seven hours or less a night, going to bed just
one hour earlier led to a significant drop in blood pressure therefore lowering their risk of
heart attacks and strokes.

9 Make sure you floss every night

Gum disease is the most widespread condition on the planet, says dentist Dr James Russell.

So I say sarcastically floss the teeth you want to keep!

And its not just your teeth that will thank you in the past 10 years, studies have linked gum
disease to an increased risk of other conditions, including heart disease, diabetes and certain
cancers.

10 Be a details person
Research by US psychologist Dr Howard Friedman has found that the best predictor of -
longevity is how conscientious a person is.

Thats right people who are careful with money, thoughtful, detail-focused and like to put
everything back in its rightful place tend to live longer!
Its thought that conscientious people may produce more of the feel-good brain chemical
serotonin, which stops them comfort-eating and improves their sleep.

They also appear to be drawn towards healthier choices and can live less risky lifestyles.

11 Buy yourself a pet, and preferably a dog

People who own a pet are less stressed, less depressed and can live longer than those who
dont, according to research.

The calming effect of owning an animal can even drop blood pressure and reduce your risk of
a heart attack, according to University of Minnesota researchers in the US.

Another study found owners who walk their dogs daily lived an average of seven years
longer than otherwise similar non-dog owners.

12 Dont put fruit in the fridge

You might think youre making it last longer, but studies show that chilled fruit contains
fewer health-boosting nutrients than fruit, which has been kept at room temperature.

For example, tomatoes and peppers stored in a bowl rather than the fridge can contain double
the betacarotene and up to 20 times more lycopene.

Which is good news, as high intakes of both these antioxidants have been linked to better
heart health and lower rates of certain cancers.

13 Be helpful and lend a hand to others

Helping others not only feels good it could reap big health rewards too.

A long-term US study found that people who volunteered regularly over a lifetime lived
significantly longer than those who didnt.

Volunteers also experienced less depression, fewer pains and better general health.

14 Sing a tune in the shower

Singing regularly could be a better health insurance policy than taking vitamins, according to
the findings of a joint Harvard and Yale University study from the US.

They found that being a choir member increased life expectancy, and concluded this was
because a good old singsong slashed stress, promoted a healthy heart and helped ward off -
depression.

15 Eat twice as much fruit and veg

A recent report in the European Heart Journal found that people who eat eight or more
portions of fruit and vegetables a day have nearly a quarter less chance of dying from heart
disease than someone who eats only three the national average.

This is because every single portion is packed with vital vitamins and antioxidants, which
boost the immune system and fight the damage that leads to premature ageing.
16 Try to stop moaning so much!
Optimists live 12 years longer than pessimists, according to American researchers at the US
Mayo Clinic. Pessimists are also more prone to viral illnesses and are less likely to carry out -
essential self-examinations that detect breast or skin cancer.

17 Drink plenty of apple juice

Apple juice could help keep your brain young, according to a recent study in the Journal Of
Alzheimers Disease.

Researchers found just two glasses a day reduced the formation of the sticky plaques found in
the brains of dementia patients.

18 Draw your family tree and learn your history

Finding out your family health history could help predict your own health future, as many
conditions have a genetic link.

We suspect a condition, such as heart disease or cancer, is genetic if it crops up more

frequently than wed expect by chance, especially at a young age, says Dr Anand Saggar,
genetics specialist and Harley Street doctor..

By identifying conditions that run in your family you can be sure to look out for symptoms so
problems are picked up early.

19 Watch an hour less TV a night

After the age of 25, every hour of TV you watch could knock around 20 minutes off your
lifespan, say scientists at the US National Cancer Institute.

This is thought to be down to the fact that the more TV you watch, the longer your body is sat
around doing nothing, muscles arent exercised and calories arent burnt off raising your
risk of illness and early death.

20 Make sure you never skip a screening

The NHS doesnt offer tests for the fun of it they can, and do, save lives by catching
diseases early when theyre still treatable, argues Dr Dawn Harper.

So if youre offered any test whether its a smear, a blood pressure check or a mammogram,
making that appointment should be a priority not something that wallows in the bottom of
your in tray.

21 Measure your waist not your weight

Scientists have discovered that waist measurement is a better predictor of heart disease than
either weight or BMI (body mass index) because it can point to the existence of visceral fat,
the dangerous fat that sit around the vital organs.

Your waist should measure below 94cm for a man or below 80cm for a woman.

22 Get hitched its good for your health

Married men are three times less likely to die from heart disease than men who have never
tied the knot, while marriage halves the risk of cardiac death for women, according to a 2009
study.
23 Laugh at least 20 times a day
Laughter boosts the immune system, slashes stress hormones and stimulates killer T-cells,
which fight cancer.

But as adults we only laugh an average of five to fifteen times a day, while children can
easily clock up over a hundred daily giggle bouts.

24 Give up smoking
According to a long-term Finnish study, smoking not only shortens your life by around 10
years, but it also lowers your quality of life in old age, as smokers are more likely to suffer
from debilitating illnesses.

25 Try to believe... in something

More than 1,000 studies have found a link between faith and living longer.

Its thought that having strong beliefs helps people deal with stress and emotional problems,
and also seems to offer protection against heart, respiratory and digestive problems.