THE DAILY HABITS MAKING YOU OLD BEFORE YOUR TIME

From walking as your only exercise to wearing the wrong shoes, these seemingly innocuous habits can negatively impact your health. Here's what to do about it

- ELLA NUNN

WE ALL know that a bad diet and sedentary lifestyle are a combination for ageing unhealthily and unhappily.

We should be walking as much as possible for a strong heart and lungs, and feeding our gut with fresh fruit and veg, right?

Yet, even when it seems we're doing everything right, we could actually be harming ourselves with seemingly innocent habits that have become routine.

You may think your daily crossword is a great brain stimulant, but if it's less of a challenge and has become more a mindless habit, it could subtly accelerate cognitive decline.

Here, two ageing experts share seven daily habits which may be subtly ageing you — and what to do about it.

1 WALKING AS YOUR ONLY EXERCISE

We're continually reminded of how important it is to get our daily steps in, and walking indeed has powerful health benefits. However, if walking is your only form of exercise and you neglect your muscles, this can cause problems down the line.

It's important to incorporate some form of resistance training to help combat age-related muscle loss, which is clinically known as sarcopenia. "It can also help with balance, coordination and improved bone density," explains Dr Cheryl Lythgoe of Benenden Health in the UK.

"You don't have to be lifting heavy weights at the gym," Lythgoe says.

"You could try hill walking, gardening or carrying heavy groceries. Putting the body under gentle physical stress can slow down the signs and symptoms of ageing, allowing us to be active in our later years"

2 USING EARPHONES TOO OFTEN

Wearing earphones for long periods of time can lead to a range of problems, including "listening fatigue and concentration difficulties, which makes it harder for the brain to perform and streamline thinking", says consultant geriatrician Dr Amit Arora.