Stop ageing before your time

We all want to cling on to our youth for as long as we can. But many of us are letting our bodies age faster than they should. So how can we hold back the clock? We ask the experts.. Fitness If you're 30 to 50 What's normal? Fitness expert Lucy Wyndham Read explains: "Feeling a little more out of breath, depending on body weight and lifestyle happens to us all. However, you should be able to comfortably walk up three flights of stairs." What's not? Struggling for breath after three flights of stairs, headaches and finding it hard to step down from a 2ft-high box. Turn back the body clock: Our 30s is a great time to work on cardiovascular training to boost metabolic rate and help stop middle-age spread. Our 40s is a good time to start resistance exercises that use own body weight. These might include lunges, squats and press-ups to strengthen bones and prevent osteoporosis. If you're 50 to 70 What's normal? Lucy says: "Joints feel stiffer, so we are not feeling as mobile and movement feels a little more restrictive." What's not? Experiencing dizziness upon exertion or during exercise. Turn back the body clock: Include walking in your daily activities as these sort of big dynamic movements help to keep all joints super flexible, reduce abdominal fat and prevent and reduce osteoarthritis. Joints If you're 30 to 50 What's normal? Sammy Margo, physiotheraisty says: "You might get some intermittent aches and pains, which may be exacerbated by overdoing an activity." What's not? Experiencing pain at rest and pain during movement that lasts longer than the movement itself. Turn back the body clock: Sammy says: "Keep your weight well under control, as every pound you put on increases the load on some joints four-fold. Integrate physical activity into your day instead of being sedentary and hitting the gym at full pelt. Maintain good core stability with Pilates." If you're 50 to 70 What's normal? Sammy says: "Feeling aches and pains and hearing creaks in your joints is to be expected." What's not? Experiencing prolonged pain, sharp pain, pins and needles, numbness or having to take pills most days of the week to ease pain. Turn back the body clock: "Consider a diet that might help you lose a couple of pounds," says Sammy. "Cut your exercise times into smaller chunks, so instead of 30 minutes a day, do three 10-minute sessions." Memory If you're 30 to 50 What's normal? Dr Graham Stokes, director of Dementia Care, explains: "Having everyday memory lapses, like forgetting to buy an item at the supermarket or phone numbers happens to us all at this age. This worsens if you're very busy as you become distracted and don't have time to really drill information into your mind." What's not? Forgetting where you live, the names of ordinary objects like cups, or who you are. Turn back the body clock: Dr Stokes says: "Try to de-stress your life. Have a place for everything and don't say 'I'll do it in a minute', but do it now in case you forget." If you're 50 to 70 What's normal? "It can be harder to remember everyday things," says Dr Stokes. "As you reach your 70s, you will start to experience TOT phenomena - tip of the tongue phenomena, when you have to really concentrate to remember." What's not? Not remembering who you are or where you are. Turn back the body clock: Ensure you have a healthy diet, as evidence increasingly shows a healthy heart and a healthy brain go hand in hand. Stay mentally active and do gentle exercise. Ears If you're 30 to 50 What's normal? "You should be hearing well with no symptoms," says Colin Campbell, professional services director for Hearcare. What's not? Tinnitus, which is a ringing or buzzing in the ears. Turning te TV or radio up louder than family or friends find comfortable. Asking people to repeat themselves can also be a sign that you are losing your hearing. Turn back the body clock: Protecting your hearing is vital, particularly in noisy places. Take care not to turn the volume up too loud on personal sound systems such as iPods, as this can damage hearing. If you're 50 to 70 What's normal? "As we age, it becomes harder to hear speech when there is background noise, for example in pubs, restaurants and similar social settings," says Colin. What's not? Poor hearing is starting to have an effect on lifestyle, perhaps leading you to avoid situations where it is hard to hear. Turn back the body clock: Get a hearing test as soon as possible. Hearing aids will help - leaving it alone will not. If you're 30 to 50 What's normal? Medical director of the London Vision Clinic, Professor Dan Reinstein, explains: "Your 30s are a peak time for the eyes because your prescription stabilizes, your eyes are not dry and are healthy. But from 38 to 48, there's a big change and you start needing to hold things closer or farther away from you to read. That's your first wake-up call to ageing." What's not normal? Blurry vision through spectacles, eye pain, red eyes. Turn back the body clock: Prof Reinstein says: "From age 40, visit your optometrist, not optician. Get an eye examination, not an eye test, which often isn't thorough enough. Proper screening is important for glaucoma - the silent blinding disease. Reading vision can be corrected by laser eye surgery with blended vision, so no more need for reading glasses or bifocals which, of course, age your appearance." If you're 50 to 70 What's normal? "You may develop floaters, which are like flies crossing your vision, so a dilated pupil eye exam is very important," says Prof Reinstein. "Some may find their eyes getting drier." What's not normal? Seeing flashes of light, irritated red eyes, straight lines appearing wavy. Turn back the body clock: Your optometrist will check for any tear in the retina, screen for macular degeneration and advise on eyelid hygiene measures for dry, red eyes.