5 Ways to Live as Long as the Queen Of England

The world recently witnessed a rather spectacularly rare event that sent Britons, in particular, into a royal frenzy. That’s right, we’re talking about good ol’ Queen Liz’s diamond Jubilee bash.

Queen Elizabeth II is quickly catching up to Queen Victoria in that at 60 years, she now holds the record for the second longest reign over any other British monarch. What makes this all the more impressive is that in April, the Queen celebrated her 85^th birthday and apart from seeming to shrink a little in size each year, she is still going as strong as the day she started.

Apparently, longevity runs in the Windsor (the royal surname, who knew!) family and while Elizabeth’s grandmother also lived to 85, her own mother lived to a ripe old age of 101 years old!

We all have undoubtedly already come across some weird and wacky ways to extend the number of years we spend on our little planet, but maybe we’re looking in all the wrong places and should just start living a little less like urban hippies and more like the Queen as clearly, whatever she’s doing – she’s doing it right.

So, here are our own interpretations of 5 royal blooded ways to extend your life. And if they don’t, well hey, you’ll still be better off for trying.

1) Make some friends

The Queen’s ability to always set the appropriate tone in whatever situation she’s faced with has enabled her to continuously transcend class, race and religion during her reign and she’s gained rather a lot of popularity across the globe as a result.

Considering the number of people who have actually met the queen is a pretty small figure, by carrying out hundreds of ceremonial duties, she still manages to connect to her people and bring about a sense of national family and a level of stability to her own nation, as well as reaching out to those across the pond.
The Queen also maintains strong relationships with those closest to her and the royals are known to frequently socialise together in public as well as in private – especially at Christmas. Picture what that Christmas game of charades would be like.

How can this help?

It doesn’t take a genius to work out that having friends makes you happy. But researchers at Brigham Young University and the University of North Carolina have gone as far as to say people with poor social networks (aka loners) are 50% more likely to die sooner than those with healthy social circles. They even claim having buddies in your life can have such an impact on your life expectancy that it’s the equivalent to living a life without smoking cigarettes. Unless you’re a social smoker in which case, you don’t count.

Building strong relationships in life means you should (hopefully) always have someone to confide in, laugh with, and cry with – so whatever you experience, you’ll have people to share it with.

Friends make all the negative stuff that can take a toll on your life expectancy (stress, anxiousness, depression etc) less detrimental; so even if you do happen to encounter a rough patch, friends bring you back onto dry land.

So think like a Queen. Start making some more social connections and you’ll surely be thankful for it in the long run.

2) Don’t have an early retirement

Elizabeth has been described as many things but lazy definitely isn’t one of them.

With 16 countries in the commonwealth, the Queen is the world’s largest land owner and has made it her constant priority to dedicate herself to all her regions (even those where she is no longer considered the head of state).
Her ever faithful companion, Prince Philip has always accompanied her on all her commonwealth tours and the couple first started this trend in 1954 where they visited numerous countries and travelled a total distance of 43,618 miles. This figure will have without doubt sky rocketed by now and symbolises a level of dedication that you would be hard pressed to find in any other head of state.

“I dedicate myself anew to your service” announced the Queen during her jubilee speech and after taking on 370 engagements last year alone, it is clear that she shows no signs of slowing down just yet. Now 85 years old, there have been family members and advisors suggesting (understandably) that she lighten her schedule somewhat but with her renowned reply of “I must be seen to be believed”, she marches on and continues to show her love of her people.
It would seem, then, that one can take one’s notion of retirement and place it up ones rear end.

How can this help?

Contrary to popular belief, to add on a couple more years we simply just gotta keep on truckin’.
Numerous studies are now proving that people who stay active in their jobs till a later age live longer than their more laid back counterparts.

To really give yourself a good chance, you should especially try to focus on making good career progress as those individuals who gain increasing responsibilities and work their way up various career ladders tend to live longer than the job hoppers amongst us.

There could be numerous reasons why a healthy working lifestyle benefits life expectancy. Being part of a workforce often brings about great opportunities for socialization and, as previously stated – we like making friends, it’s good for us.

What’s more, work helps you to stay active both physically and mentally and those who retire abruptly are more prone to chronic conditions such as obesity or depression.

So, if you don’t have a choice in your early retirement, then pick up a new activity and volunteer or go do some gardening! Just don’t ever stop…

3) Laugh

No one knows how to compose the royal poker face better than Queen Elizabeth II herself and only she knows just how crucial this is to maintaining the perfect amount of popularity and admiration. As a result, her engaging smile is a rare happening and even fewer have witnessed her having a real belly aching chuckle. But we are seeing her face relax in public more frequently these days and some kind youtuber has put together a little montage to brighten up your day.

Enough said.

How can this help?

Smile and Laugh. Laugh until your sides hurt, then laugh some more. Why? Why not!

Well, apart from having a great time, you can add several years on to your life expectancy just from having a good giggle. Smiling and laughing are a great form of relaxation and can completely change your current mood. Having a positive attitude not only benefits yourself but those around you too as yes, a smile is contagious and laughter really is the best medicine.

Clichés aside, a study carried out in Budapest discovered some rather amusing (ha ha) results. After tracking 54,000 participants for 7 years, researchers found that those with a sense of humour are definitely on the right track to outliving those without one and adults who showed the greatest appreciation for humour were 35% more likely to be alive at the end of the testing period than their humourless companions.
What’s more, participants with an existing cancer diagnosis prior to the study who managed to maintain a healthy sense of humour lowered their chances of death by 70% compared to those that didn’t.

Apart from all the stress busting endorphins laughter releases, it can also help to contribute towards a healthy positive attitude in life which in turn, can affect the way a person perceives aging.

If you have a positive attitude towards your later years in life, chances are you can extend your life expectancy by up to 7 years. At least this was the case in one longitudinal study of 660 people and even when other factors such as age, gender, income and health status were factored in to the results, positive age perception still had the same affect.

You’re not the Queen (and you probably don’t have a constant source of humour in the form of Prince Philip), but you’re allowed to show your true emotions whenever and wherever you want. So do it and do it as much as possible.

4) Drink tea

The Queen is British and as tea is apparently a staple of any Britons diet, it goes without saying then that she must enjoy a good cuppa or two.

Great Britain and its inhabitants have been the largest per capita consumers of tea in the world since the 18^th century and it truly is the nation’s favourite beverage.

Got a cold? Have a cup of tea. Lost your cat? Have a cup of tea. Apparently, there is no problem that can’t be solved with a good brew.

The Queen appears to be no exception to this tea obsession and has her own private tea suppliers who create her own unique (and strictly confidential, naturally) personal tea recipe.
Thousands of royal fans flocked to the streets recently to join the Queen in her jubilee celebrations and confirmed every British stereotype possible by sitting in the rain, wearing multiple jumpers, eating scones and sipping tea.

How can this help?

Most people assume that because tea has caffeine in it, it must be dehydrating and therefore it can’t be good to drink too much of it. Well now we’re going to prove you wrong, obviously.

Tea is not only as rehydrating as water, it’s actually even better for you. Yes you rehydrate with water but with tea, you’re rehydrating and pumping your body full of much appreciated antioxidants and flavonoids.

Flavanoids are the key health promoting agents that are found in most plants including tea leaves. Researchers at Kings College London discovered clear evidence that drinking up to 3-4 cups of tea a day can cut your chances of having a heart attack and possibly even provide protection against cancer.

While further research still needs to be done to prove more health benefits of tea, it is clear that Tea definitely offers great potential.

What’s more, it’s recommended that we humans consume 1.5-2 litres of water every day and really, who can actually be bothered to lug round those massive bottles with them everywhere they go? Enter tea! You’ll not only contribute to your daily recommended intake but now you have a legitimate excuse to leave your desk and have yet another tea break.

Green or black tea, both types will work. In fact, as green tea is less processed, it contains more antioxidants and can even increase energy and the rate of your metabolism.
Antioxidants in general, help to slow down the aging process and you can get all this in a delicious, comforting mug of tea. You may not get your own blend made especially for you like the queen, but you can still get all the same benefits. So drink up!

5) Surround yourself with plants

Buckingham palace is famous for its surrounding 40 acres of well-groomed gardens and lakes and with all that greenery, it would be very easy to forget you were in the middle of your country’s capital city.
Plants aren’t just nice to look at, they’re useful too, and surrounding your home (palace) with such a vast amount has surely helped Elizabeth combat the health risks of living so close to the big smoke.

How can this help?

It’s already common knowledge that we can’t live without our leafy friends but new findings have been discovered about the properties of house plants in particular.

Plants have been found to soak up harmful indoor pollutants as well as generally decrease stress levels making for an overall healthier (not to mention more attractive) home or work space.

Apparently, indoor air can almost be as bad as the outside air (although Hong Kong probably hasn’t been factored in to this research) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be released by anything from paint chemicals to clothing. Plants filter these VOCs and so effectively act as natural air purifiers.

Everybody loves a good bit of colour in their lives but it turns out plants brighten people’s moods so significantly that they can boost general office moral as well as productivity levels.
In case you’re interested; the most effective indoor plant species for VOC filtration and mood boosting are (in order of effectiveness) the Purple Heart plant, purple waffle plant, English ivy and the waxy leaved plant.

The Queen is also a renowned pet lover and to date has owned more than 30 corgis. But she probably doesn’t realize just how beneficial her furry friends have been to her health. Being a pet owner can bring many benefits and numerous studies have proven this.

One study discovered having a pet can significantly lower blood pressure which can in turn, lower the chances of anxiety and depression related issues arising. Pets can bring on an increase of dopamine and serotonin and as a result, sufferers of Alzheimer’s, for example, have even reported experiencing less severe anxious outburst due to owning a pet.

Let’s face it, even if you happen to be a member of the royal family, it is highly unlikely that you’ll ever make it near the ranks of the Queen but you can still try to live as healthily and as long as her. Of course, genetics may also play a pretty big role in things, and your chances will be greatly improved if you maintain a healthy diet, keep active and don’t smoke… but you should know that already.