While there’s no one-size-fits-all solution that can guarantee longevity, Doctor Mosley has suggested a few “simple” tweaks that have been “proven to hold back the clock”. Just like with staving off most health conditions, it all starts with taking good care of your body.
You might be fed up with hearing about how a healthy diet and exercise are key to a healthy life, but these two practices are truly essential for your wellbeing as well as longevity.
Don’t take just Doctor Mosley’s word for it; there’s also research that proves these tweaks are highly effective.
The doctor penned for Daily Mail: “In a study last year in the journal Ageing, 43 men were asked to either follow an eight-week lifestyle programme — which included intermittent fasting, 30 minutes of brisk exercise a day and twice-daily breathing exercises to reduce stress — or act as a control.
“After just two months, the men on the programme reduced their biological age by 1.96 years on average, while the control group had got a bit older.”
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This research suggests that fasting in combination with exercise could be a recipe for a longer life.
While fasting might not sound too appealing, the intermittent version doesn’t mean you can’t eat any food at all.
Intermittent fasting merely forbids you to eat for a period of time each day or week.
The Mayo Clinic shares that some popular approaches include following a normal diet for one day and then fasting for the next or you could also eat normally within an eight-hour window each day.
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Whatever approach you prefer, you can still enjoy drinks such as water and black, unsweetened coffee and tea during the fast.
When it comes to exercise, Doctor Mosley’s research isn’t the only study proving the benefits of physical activity.
In fact, a meta-analysis, published in the Journal of Aging Research, suggests that exercise could add around four years to your lifespan.
Looking at 11 studies, the researchers found that regular physical activity boosted longevity by 0.4 to 4.2 years.
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The study also suggested that aerobic activities seem to be especially potent.
Aerobic exercise includes brisk walking, swimming, running and cycling.
As breathing exercises to relieve stress were also included in the study that Doctor Mosley listed, stress could be a factor threatening your longevity as well.
Furthermore, research published in the journal BMJ Open, found that heavy stress could shave almost three years off your life.
These results were based on a study in which researchers calculated the effects of multiple risk factors on the life expectancy of both men and women.
However, the same study also suggested that experiencing a typical amount of stress may actually increase life expectancy.
On the other hand, having more or less stress than that shortened lifespan.
The doctor added: “So if your job is stressing you out and retirement or going part-time isn’t an option, then that might be something you should consider.
“It could buy you more time.”