How not to Age

 

Head of an Old Woman
Percy Bigland (1858-1926)
Photo Credit: Walker Art Gallery [CC  By-NC] 

DAWN

Start your day with a large glass of filtered water. Add a pinch of mineral-rich sea salt or an electrolyte mix... to help replenish minerals and support energy production.

Step outside within 30 minutes of waking. Look towards the sun with your eyes uncovered - no glasses, contacts or sunglasses if possible. Just five to ten minutes stimulates receptors syncing your body clock and boosting cortisol and dopamine. If you wake before sunrise (common in winter), consider a violet or cyan blue-enriched lamp.

Stand barefoot on grass or earth. This allows your body to discharge built-up static charge and absorb the earth's grounding energy

Does the water have to be filtered? How large must the glass be and how much is a pinch? An electrolyte mix? Please enlighten me. The sun isn't always out at that time but there's no problem about the glasses or contacts. That's fantastic news about sinking the body clock but I don't normally wake before sunrise and can you change the colour of the lamp, please. Violet and cyan blue are not my favourite colours. Outside my front door there is no grass or earth. Will paving stones be okay? 

Early Morning

As the sun rises, long-wave ultraviolet rays appear. UVA exposure helps balance cortisol and trigger nitric oxide production, melanin and leptin, all of which support skin health, circulation and weight regulation.

Take a morning walk, sip herbal tea or stretch outdoors,

I haven't seen these rays before but perhaps the ones I saw were short-wave rather than the longer version. Do they support any particular football team as well?

Mid-Morning

Sip slowly on structured water, which helps with mitochondrial efficiency and makes our cells more hydrated and resilient. You can try swirling your water with a wand (Analemma Clear Quartz Wand, £149; analemma.uk) or leaving it in sunlight for 30-60 minutes to charge it.

How slow does the sip need to be? Please be more precise as I desperately want mitochondrial efficiency. And where do I buy structured water? And I don't remember Harry Potter swirling water. Mind you his cells were undoubtedly more hydrated and resilient.

Midday

... Gift yourself five minutes of intentional silence. Silence helps reset the nervous system and improves  mental clarity.

Will the nervous system and mental clarity feel offended if I spend more than five minutes being intentionally silent?

Late Afternoon

Try a glass of hydrogen-enriched water for a mitochondrial pick-me-up and antioxidant support, particularly if you're feeling sluggish. Use a portable hydrogen flask to make it  (Echo Flask, £299; echowater.co.uk) or add a hydrogen tablet (H2+ tablets, £29.95 for 30; optimalhydration.co.uk) to your glass of water. Or enjoy a warm mug of broth for hydration, collagen and electrolyte replenishment.

Take an afternoon walk outdoors. Ideally, slip off your shoes or go barefoot. This is the perfect time for reflection or breathwork. 

That portable flask and hydrogen tablets are absolute bargains. What colours do they come in? Mind you I don't know about a walk going barefoot. I love my socks too much. But it would help me to keep breathing. I'll have to reflect on that.

Sunset

Watch the sunset. This helps lower cortisol and trigger melatonin release. Indoors, switch to warmer red-toned lights (Red Portal, £219; getchroma.co) or use salt lamps or amber bulbs, and dim any overhead lights.

Avoid flickering light...

Such sound and colourful advice.

Bedtime

To protect the beneficial bacteria in the mouth, switch to a more natural, sodium lauryl sulfate-free toothpaste (which is gentler on the oral microbiome) and never use an antiseptic mouthwash.

Play soft, sleep-focused delta frequencies ... to guide your brain into deeper relaxation...

Just think - I'll be eighteen again in two shakes of a lamb's tail.

(Liz Earle talking to Julia Llewellyn Smith, Times Magazine, 2026)