The 10 secrets to staying young revealed - and most of them are easier than you think

Janet Street Porter has turned 70 but she says she's determined not to become old - and here she reveals her secrets

It might say I’m 70 on my birth certificate, but I don’t feel it.

As she got older, my mother hardly went out, she hardly saw people and I thought that her quality of life was really poor.

But these days, you could have two or three decades more life ahead of you after you retire.

So I said I am going to live to 100 and be fabulous and positive – not like mum. I don’t want to shrink down and constantly live my life in the past.

Here are some of my favourite tips for staying fit and healthy well into your 70s and 80s...

1. Banish the three ‘S’s – slouching, shuffling and stooping

 “I play tennis, I swim and hike – but now experts say you only need to do 20-30 minutes walking a day.

But you need to learn to walk properly – don’t shuffle, walk straight.

The enemy of old age is slouching, shuffling and stooping. Those three S words – you have to make an effort to push back from, consciously.”

2. Eat everything – in moderation

Childhood obesity is happening because we don’t have enough cookery lessons in schools. They need to begin as soon as kids start school and kids need to be shown that it’s fun.

Cooking teaches you to be calm, how to measure things out and it slows you down.”

3. Keep having sex

 “Why should people in their eighties not have more sex ?

You can see that maybe people in their fifties might be having less sex, because they’re going out to work and they’re knackered. But I think that older people now are healthier than they’ve ever been.

I couldn’t imagine a life without sensory experiences, without touching people and being tactile. It just wouldn’t be possible.”

4. Socialise in small ways

 “If you only ever talk to the same three people every day, you’re not really challenging your brain.

You probably have a circle of friends – but why not try talking to someone you don’t know who is outside your age group?

At Loose Women, with all the researchers and people who work behind the scenes, it’s a complete cross-section of ages and backgrounds.

It’s so easy to sit at home and do all your shopping online and not move, but simple things like shopping require you to talk to other people. I know it sounds really facile, but it works.”

5. Carry on working

 “I do as much work now as I did ten years ago. When you go to work, you have to fit in with other people. And that’s very good for you.

If you’re at home and you’re by yourself and you’re not talking to people, you’ve narrowed down your options and your social skills will gradually wither.

Going into Loose Women, I have to talk to other people, I have to interact and listen to other people’s points of view and that’s all very good for me.”

6. Don’t fiddle with your looks too much

 “Less is more: less jewellery, less make up, less messing around with your hair.

If it takes too much effort to get it together, then it’s too much.”

7. Enjoy your style

 “Wear anything you like – wear anything that makes you happy. But your clothing makes a statement about yourself, so do you want to make a statement that says: ‘I’ve given up?’

It’s a form of self-expression. At every price level, whether it’s Topshop, or Cos, or designer, you can get something that fits your size.

“Don’t be in tracksuit bottoms for the rest of your life. I’m not saying I haven’t got a few pairs – but when you start wearing them a lot, going down the road in them, that’s not good.”

8. Don’t look backwards

 “I am not looking backwards, I am not harking back about what I could have done, all the maybes and what ifs. It’s important to live in the moment.

I don’t want to cling onto the past, because it weighs you down.”

9. Go on the internet

 “If you can’t walk, or you’re not very mobile, going online opens up a huge load of information and input. You can talk to people or go on Facebook or whatever else.

Plus, everything is online these days. Even if you have to ask people to help you do that, it’s really important.”

10. Be a ‘yes’ person

 “I want people to see that they can get old in a positive way, not a negative way.

At the end of the day, work out a list of all the times you’ve said ‘yes’ as opposed to all the times you’ve said ‘no’.

Yes has to outnumber no – and the ‘oh, I’ll think about out it’ response counts as a no!

Practice saying the words: ‘I’ll give it a try.’”