How eating breakfast and getting married can help you live longer
Take a walk in the park
If you live in a city, one easy way to add years to your life is to take a walk in the park. A recent study of pensioners living in Tokyo found that being able to walk in urban green spaces increased their longevity.
The study, reported in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health last year, found that those who had easy access to green areas, lived longer than city dwellers.
Over the five year study, the survival rate for those that lived in the city was 71 per cent. But those who had access to green areas had a survival rate of 74 per cent.
Researchers found that even after other factors were taken into account, such as diet and income, those living near parks still had longer life spans.
The report concluded that access to green spaces encouraged the senior citizens to be more active, helping to delay the ageing process.
But even if you can't get into a park, regular exercise is still one of the best ways to increase your longevity.
Another study carried out by America's Veterans Affairs Health Care System in California found that fitness was the key to a long life, regardless of your size or how much you smoke.
Researchers found that volunteers who did little exercise were four-and-a-half times more likely to die than those who were fat, but fit. This was true whether or not they had heart problems or smoked.
The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in March 2002, concluded that it was better to be 'fat and fit, than skinny and sedentary'.
But scientists say there is no need to rush out and do hours of heavy exercise every day to reap the benefits. They say that just two hours of gardening uses up the same amount of energy as half a marathon!
Include weights in your workout
Osteoporosis affects one in three women over the age of 50 in the UK. If left untreated, the brittle bone condition can lead to disabling fractures, particularly in the wrist, hip and spine.
Women are particularly at risk of osteoporosis as a lack of oestrogen in the blood after the menopause can accelerate the natural decline of bone mass as part of the ageing process.
Therefore, preventing the condition from developing can help you lead a healthier life in your old age.
Our bones go through a normal renewal process called turnover as new bone cells replace old ones. One way you can speed up this renewal process is to do exercise regularly.
Some women have gained more than 10 per cent in bone mass through exercise, for example tennis players have 30 per cent more bone density in their serving arm than their non-serving arm.
You can increase the impact on your bones by doing load-bearing exercises, which is any exercise where you are supporting your own body weight such as jogging or aerobics. Because you are asking your bones to worker harder, they respond by becoming tougher, which prevents them breaking so easily.
The National Osteoporosis Society also says that training three times a week with weight machines will significantly boost your bone density. As your bones become stronger, you will be able to work with heavier weights, which promotes even more bone growth, which protects your bones even further!
One easy way to enjoy a longer and healthier life is to make sure you eat breakfast every morning.
Dr Roger Henderson, author of 100 ways to live to 100, says, 'Researchers recently reported that people who reach the ripe old age of 100 tend to consume breakfast more regularly than those who skip the first meal of the day.'
A study reported in the International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition also revealed that people who ate cereal for breakfast every day felt better physically and mentally than those who did not.
For the ultimate healthy breakfast, Dr Henderson says you should include at least one, if not two portions of fresh fruit. Not only will this help towards your daily target of five portions, but fruit is packed with anti-ageing minerals and vitamins to help fight off cancer-causing chemicals in our bodies.
You should also include some complex carbohydrates such as brown bread or porridge. These foods release their energy much more slowly than 'simple' carbohydrates such as white bread and some breakfast cereals. This means you will feel fuller for longer, making you less likely to snack on fatty foods later on in the morning.
Maintaining the correct weight is essential to a long, healthy life as you avoid obesity-related conditions such as diabetes or heart disease.
Get married but avoid having an affair
Numerous surveys have shown that a solid marriage is beneficial for your mental and physical health. A 20 year study by the University of Warwick found that married men live an average
Dr Roger Henderson, author of 100 ways to live to 100, believes this could be for a number of reasons. He says couples tend to have healthier diets and a more active lifestyle than singletons, but also because of an evolutionary throw-back that makes us want to constantly impress our partners - so we take better care of ourselves - to stop them straying.
However, marriage is only good for you if you remain faithful. A study carried out by St Thomas's Hospital in London discovered that partners who had affairs were more likely to suffer from a heart attack whilst having sex than couples in long-term relationships.
Researchers found that 75 per cent of the cases of sudden death during sexual activity involved people who were having affairs or one night stands.
Scientists believe that the guilt and excitement associated with affairs, added to the physical strain that lovemaking puts on your body, were significant factors in provoking a heart attack.
So if your partner calls you from hospital after having a heart attack, may be you should start asking some questions!