Trvalý odkaz Pridané používateľom Anonymný (bez overenia) dňa So, 11/30/2024 - 08:27
Bright and early, my old friend, the beauty and <br>
<br>
wellness entrepreneur Liz Earle, is standing at my door clutching a Kilner jar with what looks like a small sponge floating in murky <br>
<br>
water.<br>
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'I made kombucha for you,' she says with an enthusiasm I don't entirely share.<br>
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(The sponge, it turns out, is the Scoby, or 'symbiotic culture of <br>
<br>
bacteria and yeast', which is what's used to ferment sweetened <br>
<br>
tea to make kombucha. I don't realise at the time, but this hideous thing <br>
<br>
takes weeks to develop and is in fact a very generous gift.)<br>
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The truth is, I'd drink (almost) anything if it gave me Liz's zip.<br>
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At 61, a mother of five and a new grandmother, she honestly looks 20 years younger.<br>
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Fans of her YouTube channel and her 170,000 Instagram followers <br>
<br>
will know how bright and smooth her skin is, but in person she is fizzing with energy, too.<br>
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Liz and I have been friends for 25 years - over which time she has somehow seemed to gain in vitality as <br>
<br>
I, nine years her junior, have... well, deflated.<br>
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Beauty and wellness entrepreneur Liz Earle, right, and Beatrice Aidin met back <br>
<br>
in the 1990s when they were both beauty journalists<br>
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<br>
So here's my plan. I am going to Live Like Liz for a full eight <br>
<br>
weeks, morning to night, to see just how much <br>
<br>
I, too, can turn back the clock.<br>
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<br>
<br>
I am going to eat, drink and exercise like Liz, 'ground myself' in a flower bed in my pyjamas like her, and even tape up <br>
<br>
my mouth à la Liz. From my gut to my hormones, my brain to the very <br>
<br>
cells of my skin, I will follow the 'bio-hacks' <br>
<br>
set out in her new book A Better Second Half: Dial Back Your Age To Live A <br>
<br>
Longer, Healthier, Happier Life, which swiftly became a bestseller on its release this year.<br>
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Liz says it can't fail, so long as I commit to it.<br>
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'Who's to say we can't or shouldn't change the way we <br>
<br>
age?' she asks.<br>
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'I was stronger, fitter and more capable in my 50s than I was in my 40s, so why can't I be even more so in my 60s, 70s and beyond?'<br>
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Perhaps more significantly, after the 'car crash of emotional wreckage' caused by the breakdown of <br>
<br>
her second marriage, and the divorce she went through in 2020,<br>
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she now says: 'I'm happier at 61 than I was at 40.'<br>
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Career-wise, it shows. When we met back in the 1990s we were both <br>
<br>
beauty journalists. At launches for new products, I'd merrily down the free Krug while Liz sipped sparkling water.<br>
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'Ah Bea, you were the yin to my yang,' she says.<br>
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Now, her wellness empire has mushroomed... and <br>
<br>
I'm suffering major work anxiety, a not-unrelated financial crisis and severe sciatica.<br>
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Frankly, I look and feel knackered. My skin is dull and <br>
<br>
I have dark circles under my eyes. Physical pain interferes with my sleep, and <br>
<br>
I've been turning rather too readily to the sauvignon blanc <br>
<br>
to help me nod off.<br>
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Food is not a priority: I'm either not interested or craving sugar, which means I'm a good 10lb heavier than I should be.<br>
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So, can living like my rather fabulous friend make me <br>
<br>
feel as young as she looks? More to the point - can I <br>
<br>
really stick to it, kombucha and all?<br>
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'Come on Bea, get off your backside!' Liz demands...<br>
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Liz (left) puts Beatrice through her paces in the gym.<br>
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Beatrice needs extra help with exercise because of her sciatica<br>
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Week one: I face up to my middle-age spread<br>
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Liz's top-line diet philosophy is high-protein, low carb, meaning she's a fan of lots of foods I love <br>
<br>
but didn't think I should eat: butter, unprocessed meat, avocados, good quality cheese, taramasalata and thick Greek yoghurt.<br>
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High protein helps us 'shift to a leaner, more toned shape, and lose that middle-aged <br>
<br>
spread,' she says.<br>
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Timing matters. Liz eats two meals a day - brunch around <br>
<br>
11am and dinner at 7pm. The order matters too: clear your plate of chicken before rice, because eating protein before carbs keeps blood sugar levels stable.<br>
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In recent years she has increased her coffee intake (before 2pm) because studies show four to five cups is 'strongly associated with living longer' thanks to the <br>
<br>
bioactives in coffee beans such as chlorogenic <br>
<br>
acid.<br>
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<br>
<br>
She eats wheatgerm, soya beans and nuts to up <br>
<br>
her intake of spermidine - a dietary molecule that interacts with our DNA and mimics <br>
<br>
an anti-ageing process called autophagy, which de-ages us <br>
<br>
at a cellular level.<br>
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Alcohol is basically a no-no. Liz has the 'occasional glass' of wine or tequila,<br>
<br>
but never more than two and never alone.<br>
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<br>
<br>
I chuck out the ready meals and plonk, roll up my sleeves <br>
<br>
and start cooking from scratch. I grill venison, roast a chicken and <br>
<br>
make soups with the leftovers.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Eating at specific times works for me - I'm never very hungry first thing - and enjoying the protein part of each meal first means I'm fuller <br>
<br>
and find it easy to cut back on my carb portions.<br>
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Gut health is a big focus, which means more fermented foods.<br>
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Much to my surprise, I love the kombucha and soon start to <br>
<br>
brew my own using Liz's Scoby. But homemade kimchi - fermented veg <br>
<br>
- is a harder sell. When a lunch guest asks me why I'm <br>
<br>
forcing myself to eat something I dislike so much, I reply solemnly:<br>
<br>
'Liz told me to.'<br>
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Week two: I discover I can do only 3 press-ups<br>
<br>
I really need help with exercise because sciatica means my <br>
<br>
normal routine has gone to pot.<br>
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Thankfully, Liz reckons just ten minutes a day of exercises such as squats, lunges <br>
<br>
and press-ups is more valuable in the long term than a high-intensity gym session once a week <br>
<br>
or a long park run.<br>
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<br>
She introduces me to her personal trainer, Michael Garry, who delivers the <br>
<br>
(bombshell, but welcome) news that running any distance over <br>
<br>
5k can 'start to have negative effects' on our <br>
<br>
immune system and bone strength. If you're a runner, make it harder by speeding up your time, not increasing <br>
<br>
your distance.<br>
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<br>
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At Michael's insistence, I consult a physio about my sciatica, and <br>
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then he devises a daily regime for me. I try press-ups and make it <br>
<br>
to three. Mortifying. Perseverance is clearly key.<br>
<br>
As are weights, especially in your 50s. 'The more muscle you have, the more your bones are protected from osteoporosis, especially during midlife,' says Michael.<br>
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For cardio, says Beatrice, I keep swimming twice a week.<br>
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But instead of plodding up and down the pool, I start to <br>
<br>
compete with myself, speeding up the laps<br>
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For my slack and flabby upper arms, he advises shoulder <br>
<br>
presses and hammer curls, with 3kg weights in both hands. I try tricep dips off a chair, and quickly find I can increase my reps <br>
<br>
- until by week four I'm doing two sets of 15.<br>
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I work out three times a week at home. At first the routine takes 40 minutes <br>
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but the more I do, the faster I do it, until the whole thing - stretching,<br>
<br>
press-ups, weights - takes just 20 minutes.<br>
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For cardio, I keep swimming twice a week. But instead of <br>
<br>
plodding up and down the pool, I start to compete <br>
<br>
with myself, speeding up the laps.<br>
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Week three: I slow the hormonal roller coaster<br>
<br>
I'm menopausal and already on HRT, but I know I could improve how I feel, which is sluggish and foggy.<br>
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<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Liz introduces me to something called the 'estrobolome' <br>
<br>
- the specific collection of bacteria in the gut that influences how our body uses oestrogen. Put simply, <br>
<br>
some microbes improve the efficiency with which oestrogen reaches tissues around the <br>
<br>
body, meaning we use our dwindling supplies more effectively.<br>
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The best way to support your estrobolome is by eating fibre <br>
<br>
from veg, seeds and nuts, plus some of the low-sugar <br>
<br>
fruits such as apples, berries and plums. Back <br>
<br>
to the supermarket I go.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
To boost the happy hormone serotonin, my saintly mentor insists I finish my morning shower with a minimum 60-second blast of icy cold water, resulting - she claims - in a <br>
<br>
'post-shock high' and 'genuine glow'.<br>
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<br>
Hmmm. I find it hard to relinquish the comfort of <br>
<br>
a hot shower and feel not happy but mutinous as I step out of the bathroom shivering.<br>
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Week four: I stand in the flower bed<br>
<br>
Living Like Liz means getting outside first thing in the morning <br>
<br>
and standing barefoot on the grass. 'Grounding' apparently enables electrons from the surface of the Earth <br>
<br>
to transmit deep into the body, 'where they have an anti-inflammatory effect'.<br>
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Liz tells me she does this in the tranquil grounds of her glorious pile in the West <br>
<br>
Country. I do it in a flower bed in my shared patio, still in my <br>
<br>
pyjamas, and feel, well, very self-conscious. Later I <br>
<br>
graduate to the park, and - look away now - tread in dog mess, <br>
<br>
which does not improve my emotional wellbeing.<br>
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She also encourages us to keep a Five Minute Gratitude Journal twice a day.<br>
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'Gratitude is... a superpower that improves longevity and supports the immune system,' she says.<br>
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I can't help but think my better-off mate has rather a lot more to smile about <br>
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than me but, following instructions, I write down three things I am grateful for <br>
<br>
every morning, and every night a short list of 'good things' that happened that day, plus <br>
<br>
another (longer) list of 'things that are concerning me'.<br>
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My scepticism around gratitude slowly lifts as I find it does make me realise what's important and <br>
<br>
what's not. It helps me see that things are a lot brighter than I thought.<br>
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Packing in a rush for a weekend away, I can't find my journal and am surprised by <br>
<br>
how bereft I feel without it.<br>
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Week five: I start to sleep well<br>
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I'm a night owl - I stay up too late watching <br>
<br>
TV and end up hitting my snooze button past 8.30am...<br>
<br>
and occasionally edging towards 10am.<br>
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Liz reckons anyone can improve their sleep if they follow <br>
<br>
her routine, which means setting an evening alarm for 9pm - to remind yourself to start 'winding down for <br>
<br>
bed'.<br>
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Emails, social media and TV are switched off, replaced by a <br>
<br>
printed book or a podcast. She takes 120g of magnesium glycinate in a milky <br>
<br>
drink half an hour before bed (and stops eating two hours before).<br>
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Living Like Liz means getting outside first thing in the morning <br>
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Liz wears a bamboo fibre nightie or pyjamas to keep warm because she <br>
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sleeps with an open window, which she covers with blackout blinds and curtains, and sprinkles her pillow <br>
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with a few drops of neat lavender essential oil.<br>
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I'm an e-book reader, so already failing at this routine.<br>
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Still, I leave my phone charging in the kitchen and <br>
<br>
buy a regular alarm clock. The lavender oil makes me sneeze, so <br>
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I spray my pillows with C. Atherley Geranium Spray <br>
<br>
instead. <br>
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Oh, and I tape my lips up - Liz shows me how when she delivers the kombucha.<br>
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Forcing yourself to breathe through your nose is said to promote more restful sleep.<br>
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All of this is time-consuming and takes practise, but I find the ritual soothing.<br>
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Five weeks in, I'm getting to sleep earlier than I have for <br>
<br>
years - at 10.30pm after 20 minutes drop-off time -and waking <br>
<br>
at 7.30am. How virtuous!<br>
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Week six: I crash off the wagon<br>
<br>
I'm doing my best, but then I go for lunch with a friend <br>
<br>
who chirpily suggests a glass of wine, which turns into <br>
<br>
a bottle. And then a second. Later, with a daytime <br>
<br>
hangover, I head to M&S and find reduced dauphinoise potatoes, which become dinner. <br>
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Liz has got me on a blood sugar tracker called Lingo (£289 for two months - you jab a biosensor the size and shape <br>
<br>
of a plastic bottle top into your upper arm, and <br>
<br>
then link it to an app on your phone), which shows a massive post-potato spike and then a huge slump, which makes me tired and irritable.<br>
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Who knew that such deliciousness had such a high glycaemic load?<br>
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I call Liz to 'fess up. 'I have the odd day when I lie in, eat too much <br>
<br>
cake and drink too much tequila,' she says. 'But that's <br>
<br>
fine because you then know what to do to <br>
<br>
put it right. It's not about being perfect.' Phew!<br>
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Week seven: I tackle my financial mess<br>
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Re-reading my journal really helps here. By documenting what I was so worried about day by day, my perspective <br>
<br>
on it changes.<br>
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Here, in black and white, is a record of how I <br>
<br>
felt at the start of this project and how I've evolved.<br>
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I've come unstuck - in a good way. I'm not going to pretend it's <br>
<br>
been easy because change is uncomfortable, but I realise there's <br>
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simply nothing to be gained from the worry spiral.<br>
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If freelance life is tough, and my income erratic,<br>
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I'm going to do something about it. Buoyed with the confidence that <br>
<br>
comes with action, I apply for part-time admin jobs.<br>
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As personal trainer Michael observes as we work out on Zoom, I wouldn't have <br>
<br>
done this before. He's right. Finally I've started <br>
<br>
to take control.<br>
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Week eight: And the winner is...<br>
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So how have eight weeks of Living Like Liz changed me?<br>
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Physically, I'm in much better shape. I've lost 7 lb <br>
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and taken an extraordinary 5 in off my waist and <br>
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11 in off my body as a whole.<br>
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Those three pathetic press-ups have become a whopping 40 <br>
<br>
per workout, and the measly 3kg weights are now 6kg, meaning I have proper bicep definition. The sleeveless tops will be coming out again this party season.<br>
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My skin is clearer, eyes brighter and face more defined because I've reduced <br>
<br>
the carb-inducing bloat. I'm sleeping better and feeling infinitely <br>
<br>
less anxious.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Most remarkably - and this is really life-changing - my sciatica is almost gone <br>
<br>
and I can come off strong painkillers. I know <br>
<br>
sciatica can disappear of its own accord, but the timing is surely no coincidence.<br>
<br>
All those exercises have strengthened the muscles around my <br>
<br>
spine and buttocks and I'm convinced it's done the <br>
<br>
trick.<br>
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<br>
I meet Liz for lunch, nervous about whether she'll <br>
<br>
see a difference. 'Oh wow,' she says, taking a good look at her pupil.<br>
<br>
'Those arms! You definitely look younger.'<br>
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We chat for a while and she adds: 'You also seem more <br>
<br>
content and optimistic. You have an inner glow and a halo of positivity.'<br>
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Well, yes, she would say that, wouldn't she?<br>
<br>
(Probably. Though Liz is known for her candour, so it's not a given.) 'I <br>
<br>
wasn't sure you were going to prioritise yourself enough <br>
<br>
and commit,' she admits 'You weren't an easy nut to crack so <br>
<br>
I'm thrilled.'<br>
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I'm delighted with my gold star. And I'm grateful to her, <br>
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which is one of the key lessons I've learned. Gratitude makes everything feel better.<br>
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That - along with the kombucha, ice-cold showers (which I have learned to love) and <br>
<br>
the odd tequila - are the habits I'll hold on to.<br>
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But not (shudder!) the kimchi or flower beds.<br>
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As Liz says, everyone deserves to have a better second half <br>
<br>
- and if I can do it, anyone can.<br>
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<br>
A Better Second Half: Dial Back Your Age To Live A Longer, <br>
<br>
Healthier, Happier Life, by Liz Earle (Hodder & Stoughton, £22).<br>
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Bright and early, my old