Fast Living Slow Ageing co-author Kate Marie reveals the secrets to longer life

ASK most people if they want to live forever and chances are they'll say no. But ask them if they are keen to rollback the years and you'll get a different answer. Here's how to live fast but age slow.

Fresh fruit is good for you.

ASK most people if they want to live forever and chances are they'll say no.

But if you asked the same people if they are keen to rollback the ageing process you'll probably get a completely different answer.

In our fast living, high pressure society, there's no doubt Australians are working harder, longer and facing more stress than ever before.

But according to one author and health guru, we could all be doing ourselves a huge favour if we all followed the slow ageing movement.

Mother-of-two Kate Marie, who co-wrote Fast Living, Slow Ageingwith Professor Merlin Christopher Thomas, believes Australians are increasingly under pressure to perform both at work and at home with things such as email taking over our lives.

Such stress combined with poor nutrition habits and bad exercise choices means we are ageing earlier and forgetting how to live and just be happy in the moment.

Ms Marie, who embraced the slow ageing movement after an epiphany at the gym in her thirties, says the book is about embracing ageing rather than running from it.

And we're paying the price by making simple daily mistakes which could easily be avoided.

While there is no 'miracle cure all' solution to stop ageing she says we could be doing a lot more to slow it down.

"The choices we make today actually matter - some more than others depending on genetic potential and environment," she told news.com.au

"I wrote the book because ageing affects every part of what we do and who we are and we are ill-prepared for getting older. I wanted to better understand the emotional and physical processes I'd be presented with.

"As a business consultant, I realised that we expend more effort on the planning process in our businesses than we do on our bodies and that the same strategic planning processes should work when applied to our health.

"I want to know that when I eat certain foods or supplements, do certain exercise or brain interventions that they actually work. I didn't want to get 30 years down the track to then realise it had all been a waste of time."

So, with that in mind here are Ms Marie's five top tips for slowing the ageing process.

Ageing

The biggest myth around ageing is that it can be stopped, when it can't.

"The cosmetic industry has a lot to answer for because creams won't stop ageing," says Ms Marie.

We need to embrace ageing and not just accept aches and pains are us getting older but take steps to change our diets and find triggers which can set off genetic conditions such as osteoarthritis.

Fresh fruit is good for you.

Nutrition

The first step is basic but is a major food sin - not eating your fruit and vegetables.

Ms Marie says anything "masquerading as food" should be avoided.

"Packaged food is full of chemicals which can cause major hormone disruption," she says.

Added hormones in food isn't just bad for ageing but can play havoc with your body, too.

Exercise

"Resistance training is the secret to a successful exercise program," says Ms Marie.

"It's great for bones, great for muscle mass and is a key market of good health."

But many women remain scared of weights for fear of bulking up when in reality we all need to be doing more of it, since building muscle also burns fat for up to 72 hours afterwards.

Weights are a great way to burn fat, build muscle and will keep your bones younger and healthier. Picture: ThinkStock

Stress

It's no secret increased stress leads to higher blood pressure and the inability to switch off.

"We are moving so fast we're losing focus and not living enough in the moment," says Ms Marie.

Stress and not switching off are also major inhibitors to sleep.

"Exercise is a great stress buster, even if you do 10 push ups or take a 10 minute walk, it's all about taking a break."

Sleep and relaxation

According to Ms Marie the key to achieving both of these is to retrain the brain.

People sleeping with phones, lights and TVs on are robbing themselves of essential shut eye and the opportunity to have a great night's sleep.

Not only is sleep good for the mind, but it's also great for the skin and your mood.

Ms Marie says learning to mediate is a sure fire way to get better sleep and will not only help you relax but keep your brain active and thoughts clearer.

Most of us have days when we feel like this. No wonder we might feel old.

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