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Add 125 years to your life

BUILD STRONG BONES
Added years: 3
Your bones reach their peak density at the age of 30 and then it’s a long process of shrinkage. “But regular weight training can reduce the effects of this,” says osteopath Gavin Burt.

University of Tasmania experts also claim that daily exercise – up to 90 minutes’ cardio and weights a day – can add three years to your life.

CRUSH BULBS, BEAT CANCER
Added years: 4
Studies carried out by the Danes – and so they’re probably the best studies in the world – found that garlic has prolonged cancer-survival time and extended animal life spans by about five per cent – which in humans might add as much as four years.

Be sure to let crushed garlic “rest” for at least 10 minutes before cooking to preserve disease-fighting agents and ensure bouncers ID you for years to come.

DON’T PANIC
Added years: 3
Keeping your blood pressure below the recommended 120/80 mmHg can lengthen your life by three years, reports the American Medical Association. How? First, ask your GP what your BP is. Second, tell your workmates to shut up – Austrian researchers have found that working in a noisy environment causes a consistent four-point rise in blood pressure.

THIRST FOR GOOD LOOKS
Added years: 3
According to one local study, people who guzzle soft drinks have tired skin. “The sugar in cola attaches itself to proteins in the skin’s collagen,” explains dermatologist Nicholas Perricone. And the boffins say that drinking wine, a maximum of two glasses daily, adds two to three years to your life. Cheers!

KEEP YOUR HAIR ON
Added years: 2
Psychologists have found that people guess non-balding men in their early thirties to be about two years younger than their actual age – but assume balding men of the same age to be on average almost four years older than their real age.

A daily dose of grape-seed extract may help you keep your hair on. In studies on bald mice, it stimulated hair-growth in a manner similar to minoxidil – the active ingredient in the hair-loss treatment Rogaine.

ADD WATER TO STAND TALL
Added years: 30
Life expectancy has increased by more than 30 years over the last century. “A lot of the credit goes to cleaner water,” advises Dr Jeffrey Griffiths of Tufts University School of Medicine in the US. Guzzling about eight glasses a day will keep you upright in your early hundreds as well.

Spinal discs lose fluid with age, which is why most old men wind up walking bent over. Keep these back sacs moist and you’ll stay erect.

TURN THE LIGHTS OFF
Added years: 7
Your body releases its greatest concentration of tissue-repairing growth hormones as you sleep, but men don’t sleep enough for the benefit. Studies show that women have 70 minutes of deep sleep per night, while men get only 40.

According to psychiatrist Dr Alexandros Vgontzas of Pennsylvania State University Medical School in the US, better sleep will help close the seven-year gap between male and female life expectancy. “To sleep better, avoid bright lights at night – especially the neon bathroom type – they confuse the body’s natural sleep process,” explains Dr Quentin Regestein of the Boston Brigham Sleep Clinic in the US.

BREATHE YOUR LAST LATER
Added years: 30
Lung capacity declines with age, but a few deep breaths – held for a count of five – each morning can keep your lungs healthy.

“If you do this every day and don’t smoke, by 70 you’ll have the lungs of a 45-year-old,” according to Dr Ben Douglas, author of Ageless: Living Younger Longer. And the 45-year-old won’t have the breath to ask for them back.

BRUSH UP YOUR ACT
Added years: 6 at least!
Keeping your teeth and gums healthy could add 6.4 years to your life, according to Dr Michael Roizen of the University of Chicago in the US.

“Periodontal disease is a bacterial infection of the gums and that bacteria can travel into the bloodstream, putting a person’s health at risk.” Combat it with a tapered-tip toothbrush – it’ll gouge out plaque without rubbing grooves into your teeth.

STOCK UP ON THE POLY-FILLER
Added years: 6
Dutch, Belgian and Australian researchers claim a “polymeal” diet could add 6.6 years to your life. When the British Medical Journal ran a paper advocating the “Polypill” – a wonder tablet combining aspirin, folic acid and cholesterol-lowering drugs – health researchers concluded that a “polymeal”, containing fish, wine, dark chocolate, fruit, vegetables, garlic and almonds, would achieve roughly the same effect, which would be to cut heart-disease risk by 76 per cent.

TAKE A TIPPLE
Added years: 1
Raise your HDL (good cholesterol) levels by raising a glass of beer. Alcohol in moderation cuts the risk of blood clots and heart attack, according to a study of 1600 Welshmen.

MAKE YOUR LADY HONEST
Added years: 2
She may be grinding you into the ground, draining you of your wealth and producing more whines than the Barossa Valley, but tying the knot with her can save your life.

A study in the Health Psychology Journal showed that a long and happy marriage lengthens life expectancy – some estimates say by at least two years – while divorce or remarrying can shorten it.

BECOME YOUR NUMBER-ONE BRAN
Added years: 4
Researchers at the University of Texas in the US suggest that cutting cholesterol can lead to a 47 per cent lower risk of fatal heart attacks for a middle-aged man – increasing life expectancy by about four years. Cut down on red meat, eggs and dairy produce and up your intake of soluble fibre – carrots, apples, oats and beans – and you might pull a nurse as well.

When nurses at the Imperial College School of Medicine in the UK were asked to estimate the ages of 318 men for a study, the men who were deemed to be older than they actually were had higher levels of cholesterol.

FIND TIME FOR YOUR FRIENDS
Added years: 2
Socialising with three different groups once a month combats depression and strengthens your immune system.

How your friends can save your life

Studies at Harvard University in the US found that people with active friendship networks are happier, more successful, have fewer sleeping problems, fewer illnesses and live longer. Professor George Vaillant of the Harvard Medical School has monitored a sample of 800 people for over 50 years and found that the stress release of close contact groups is a real life-saver.

GET INTO SOME HEAVY PETTING
Added years: 7
Research from the University of Missouri-Columbia in the US suggests that the hormonal changes that occur when humans and dogs interact could help people cope with stress. “The ability of women to handle stress better is seen as a major factor in explaining why they outlive men,” reveals psychotherapist Dr Bob Gottfried.

A few minutes spent stroking your pooch prompts the release of “feel-good” hormones such as serotonin, prolactin and oxytocin.

EYES RIGHT, MORE FIGHT
Added years: 15
If you’re looking for clues to your overall health, including indicators of high blood pressure and diabetes, the eyes have it. It’s estimated that the life expectancy of people with diabetes averages 15 years less than people without the disease.


Don’t look a day over 30

Six simple tips guaranteed to turn you into Peter Pan

1. Dye right “If you’re disguising grey hairs with dye, don’t apply it to the whole head as this can be more ageing than leaving it natural,” warns hairdresser Josh Wood. Instead, use a fine comb to subtly blend colour into greying areas.

2. Stop the sag Squats might be the best exercise for a firm bum, but you can hardly do them in the office. Instead, exercise your glutes by doing 50 clenches a day and alternate between buttocks to make things a little harder.

3. Be broad Ageing puts a great weight on a man’s shoulders – literally. “Your shoulders narrow and lose muscle mass if you don’t toughen them with shoulder presses and rotator-cuff exercises,” according to Dr Allan Levy, health adviser for the US football team, the New York Giants.

To work those cuffs, grasp a light dumbbell with your right hand and hold it straight out in front of you. Slowly rotate the entire arm inwards – as if pouring a beer – then outwards. Do 10 reps, then try the same move with your arm at different angles to work the entire muscle.

4. Give your face a good workout Slack facial muscles are the primary cause of sagging jowls, says Mike Gianelli, author of Facebuilder for Men. He suggests this oral workout: open your mouth, forcefully roll your lips over your teeth then pull the corners of your mouth towards your back teeth. Count to 35, say “Sandra Sully” and release.

5. Get a Hollywood smile Teeth are a strong indicator of health. “Bright white ones can take years off your face,” says image consultant Jenny Cutler. Veneers can sort out crookedness and bleaching will get them gleaming. Ask your dentist about it.

6. Factor up Even tiny amounts of sunlight can cause skin damage, advises dermatologist John Hawk. So use a daily moisturiser with a built-in sunscreen.