leisure
Live life to
aken from a study of 1,810 people aged over 75 and reported in the British Medical Journal, the fi ndings by
the full T
Sweden’s Karolinska Institute showed that men with the healthiest lifestyles live six years longer and women fi ve years longer. The report also revealed that swimming and walking increased life expectancy by around two years and those with a rich social life live 18 months
longer than those without one. All this acknowledged, all too many of us probably rely on a combination of good genes, good luck and regular GP check-ups to get us through our later years.
But there is a great deal we can do Planning For Later Life Magazine
According to research, being active and living a healthy lifestyle into your seventies can increase your life expectancy by up to six years
to stay healthy as we age. According to nutrition expert Patrick Holford, co-author of The 10 Secrets of Healthy Ageing, scientists have discovered that markers for how well we are ageing can be altered by, among other things, the kind of exercise we undertake, the food we eat and the way we handle stress. Our average lifespan in the UK has
“Swimming and walking can increase life expectancy by around two years”
increased to 78 for men and 82 for women, so maybe it’s time to learn a new life skill – how to age well.
Patrick Holford says:
“As children you have lots of help learning how to cope with exams...but no one
tells us how to age well. If you change your attitude and regard your body in a similar way to a home, which needs regular maintenance and preventative work, we can alter our later years, prolong our life and also improve the quality of it.”
Help to slow the ageing clock! It’s important that
before making any dietary or exercise changes to your life you should consult your GP, especially if you have a pre-existing medical condition or are on prescribed medication.
As we age, our bodies change. For example, by 40, you are already starting to lose muscle mass at the rate of one per cent a year, and your tendons and ligaments are becoming less elastic. Half of those who reach 65 have signs of osteoarthritis.
As at any age, diet plays an
important role in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Include plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables in your diet, along with fi bre. Keep an eye on your fat intake and get your cholesterol measured on a regular basis. Exercise has a direct effect on a gene linked with laying down fat, so the more exercise you do, the less likely this gene is to push fat into storage and the more likely it is to burn off. Beside burning calories, exercise can improve blood sugar level and build muscle. It’s also important to get enough good quality sleep.
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