5 habits to make you healthier as you age

TV doctor reveals simple but effective daily ways over-50s can bring more movement and strength back into their lives

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Nearly half of UK adults (47%) aged 50 to 65 say they are not getting enough exercise, despite most being worried about their future health, an Age UK poll reveals.

And out of the 2,100 quizzed, 22% said health issues prevented them from doing exercise, while 19% said feeling unfit was a barrier to starting a fitness regime.

Now Age UK has launched an Act Now, Age Better campaign, urging people in their 50s to adopt small, healthy changes. Here TV doctor Dr Hussain Al-Zubaidi, a GP with expertise in lifestyle medicine, shares five simple habits we can all adopt to help improve our health and wellbeing in midlife and beyond.

Re-engineer movement back into your life

Dr Al-Zubaidi says: “Over the past 80 to 90 years, gadgets we enjoy using have made movement become an activity that you have to find time for, while before it was what you needed to do, to get around, to wash your clothes, to prepare meals etc.