From staying in bed ten minutes longer to eating mushrooms on toast, here are SIX easy ways you can add years to your life

Envious of all the toned midlife celebrities like Davina McCall and Jo Whiley with their flat tummies, precise eating and curated wellness programs? Good for them, but in the real world it can be difficult to find the time to complete multiple weekly workouts or cook from scratch every day. That’s why it’s a joy to read the latest scientific news about how to live a longer, healthier life.

Experts say these and other small changes to your daily routine can make a big difference, from going to bed ten minutes earlier to swapping your bacon sandwich for a turkey wrap.

And when it comes to exercise, hardcore exercise isn’t necessary to increase your chances of living a longer, healthier life. Research found that just 140 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week – such as a brisk 20-minute daily walk – reduced women’s risk of death by 18 percent. And women who completed a single strength training session per week reduced their risk of death by 14 percent or more.

If it takes so little effort to stay alive, why stop? There are lots of quick and easy ways to increase longevity. Quitting smoking is an easy success – the charity Action on Smoking and Health cites a study that concludes that quitting smoking at the age of 30, 40, 50 or 60 can increase life expectancy ten, nine, six or three years.

But that’s almost too obvious. Make these six simple and surprising changes to help you live longer, healthier…

Go to bed ten minutes earlier

Research published in August this year showed that people who slept more than an hour longer on Saturdays and Sundays had a 19 percent lower risk of developing heart disease than people who didn’t sleep at all.

The study, which examined data from more than 90,000 British adults over almost 14 years, also found that people who got up early on weekends and got even less sleep than on weekdays were most likely to develop heart disease. It also found that the health benefits of sleeping in were greatest among those who were sleep-deprived – defined as getting less than seven hours of sleep per night on average.

Meanwhile, other studies suggest that people who regularly sleep five hours or less a night have a higher risk of death from all causes (15 percent higher, one large study found).

So why wait until the weekend to boost your sleep quotient? Dr. Guy Meadows, sleep specialist and founder of The Sleep School, says: “Sleep is the most powerful health-promoting behavior known to man.”

“Because sleep is the most important core behavior for our long-term health, any extra sleep you can get – that could be as little as ten minutes of extra sleep a day – has a profound impact on everything from your blood pressure to…” the health of your heart , your risk of diabetes and your risk of poorer mental health.

Some of us, he adds, could improve our sleep simply by rethinking unhelpful nighttime habits, such as: B. Watching excessive Netflix or scrolling through social media: “Whatever you do, it’s preventing you from getting the sleep you need.”

For others, the fear of sleep itself keeps them awake. This can be addressed with a new behavioral therapy called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). For more expert advice, try the science-backed app Sleep School: Insomnia Help or Sleepio, an evidence-based sleep improvement app co-founded by sleep researcher Professor Colin Espie.

Say to yourself: “I am older – and wiser”

Yes, you can keep yourself young because studies show that a positive attitude can extend your life by almost eight years by slowing the rate of biological aging.

“Positive thinking can add years to your life,” says Dr. Lucy Pollock, consultant geriatrician and author of The Golden Rule – Lessons In Living From A Doctor of Aging. “A positive attitude toward aging can extend your life by about seven and a half years.”

It slows the rate of biological aging by reducing stress – which increases cortisol and blood pressure and causes heart disease.

Pollock adds that studies by Rose Anne Kenny, professor of medical gerontology at Trinity College Dublin, “show that people think ‘the older I get, the wiser’ or ‘I’ve weathered storms’ or ‘I’ve learned from them’.” . Experience” or “I can improve my strength” – you improve your physical aging.

Add turkey to your sandwich instead of bacon

Quitting your bacon sandwich addiction can save your life. A report in the US journal Nature Food claims that sustained changes from unhealthy to healthy eating habits in 40-year-old men and women are associated with an increase in life expectancy of 10.8 and 10.4 years, respectively.

“One important change is to replace processed meats—bacon, ham, sausages, pastrami, salami—with lean meats like turkey,” says Dr. Federica Amati, author of Every Body Should Know This: The Science Of Eating For A Lifetime. Of Health and senior nutritionist at science and nutrition company Zoe. “Or eat fried mushrooms on toast,” she suggests.

“Processed meat is classified as a Class 1 human carcinogen by the World Health Organization. Reduce these from your diet and you will automatically reduce your risk of cancer and therefore your life expectancy.”

Get up from your chair hands-free

Strength training is a must for a healthy, long life, says elite personal trainer Matt Roberts, founder of Evolution Healthspan Clubs. “A Harvard Medical School study showed that strength training was associated with a 46 percent reduction in all-cause mortality,” he says.

Specifically, a 2014 study found that people ages 51 to 80 who could get up from sitting on the floor without using their hands were less likely to die within six years. Why? Researchers found that musculoskeletal fitness was an important predictor of mortality in this age group. So, another option… squats! Matt suggests one or two daily sets (be it simple squats, weighted squats, or single leg squats). Or try sitting in a chair, using the strength of one leg – and standing up again. And don’t use your hands as leverage.

Trot up the stairs

A review of 13 studies published in the Journal of Aging Research suggests that “regular physical activity is associated with an increase in life expectancy of 0.4 to 6.9 years.”

If you are inactive, don’t be discouraged. “There is no such thing as too little exercise,” says Dr. Pollock. “The thing that makes the biggest difference is the people who do the least doing a little more.” “It’s just a matter of going up and down the stairs one more time or standing up one more time while watching TV.”

Eat five grams more fiber (that’s just half an avocado!)

Did you know that 95 percent of the British population is deficient in fiber, with the recommended daily intake being 30g? Experts say even if you consume 15g per day, you will see a significant reduction in health risks if you consume an additional 5g of fiber.

“There is evidence that if you increase your fiber intake by five grams per day, you can reduce your risk of death by 14 percent,” says Dr. Amati. “That’s because fiber is important for the health of the gut microbiome, which affects inflammation and immune system function and helps reduce the risk of heart disease.”

“This is exactly the science I used to develop Zoe’s Daily30+ – a complete, plant-based supplement with 5g of fiber per serving,” says Dr. Amati.

But there are other options, she adds. Sprinkling two teaspoons of mixed seeds on your yogurt or oatmeal, or eating half an avocado with your scrambled eggs will also increase your daily fiber intake by five grams. The more we can add, the better!