How To Age Well: Your Lifestyle | ITV Tonight

As a population we’re living longer than ever before, but the years we’re adding to our lives aren’t necessarily the healthiest. In the UK, people are living on average 12 years in poor health – 14% longer than in 1990. But what can we do to stop that? 

In the first of two Tonight programmes looking at healthy ageing, Journalist Lara Lewington explores the lifestyle changes that might help us all live better for longer. 

Tonight speaks to experts who break down the fundamentals of healthy ageing into four key lifestyle factors: physical exercise, challenging your brain, staying sociable and reducing stress. 

We’ll meet older people around the country who are doing just that, from 81-year-old dancer Irene Estry who has been running exercise classes in Manchester for more than 40 years, to Gateshead’s Never Too Old To Rock club which gives anyone over the age of 50 the chance to learn an instrument. 

To put these lifestyle factors to the test, we’re running an experiment of our own with two volunteers from Chesterfield. We’ll follow 60-year-old Peter and 71-year-old Rowena as we introduce activities into their daily routine that are thought to make a difference to our health as we get older. How much younger can they feel in just 10 days? 

Find out at 8:30 pm on Thursday 13th July on ITV1

USEFUL LINKS: 

Read the Age UK and NHS guide to healthy ageing

Find tips for ageing better from Age UK

Call the Independent Age free helpline for advice on care and support 

How to tackle loneliness in older people from the NHS

Read the NHS physical activity guidelines for older adults 

Try these exercises for older people