43 words you should learn to live by

Walking barefoot reduces the load on knee joints by 12 per cent compared with walking in comfortable shoes, and it may also minimise pain and disability from osteoarthritis. That’s the finding of a study from Rush University Medical Center of 75 people with osteoarthritis. A later study found that ‘mobility shoes’, which are flat and flexible to mimic bare feet, reduced the load even more (by 18 per cent) when worn for six months or more.

Even if you’re too selfconscious to show your whole calf, don’t hide your ankles. “As we age, we’re consumed with how many parts of our body we feel like we have to cover up, but a few don’t need to be covered,” says Lauren Rothman, a fashion stylist and the author of Style Bible. “Elongating the leg with a cropped pant is flattering and sexy, and the ankle doesn’t tend to show age.”

People who ate curry at least twice a year scored better on cognitive tests than people who ate it once a year or less, a 2003-4 study of 1000 adults aged 60 to 93 in Singapore found. Turmeric, the yellow spice used in most curries, contains the plant chemical curcumin, which has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cholesterol-lowering properties.

Psychology professor Howard S. Friedman, co-author of a landmark study that followed 1500 boys and girls for as long as eight decades, observed that “the key personality predictor of a long life was one that we never expected: conscientiousness. It wasn’t always the cheerful kids who went on to have the longest lives – it was the ones who did their homework, whose parents would say, ‘She has a good head on her shoulders.’ They developed healthy patterns and maintained them. People who weren’t dependable as kids but became more responsible as adults did well, too.”

The fruit can benefit your skin; its essential oil, produced inside the kernel, is rich in gammalinolenic acid, which encourages regeneration of skin cells. The light oil is also chock-full of vitamins A and E, making it a great skin hydrator. You can find it at health food stores or online.

Applying heavy face powder all over your face can make you look older as it settles into fine lines, wrinkles and pores. Instead, try a light foundation or translucent powder.

It’s good for what ails you, but did you know it’s also good for your hair? Before you shower, mix three tablespoons of flat beer at room temperature with half a cup of warm water. After you shampoo, rub in the beer solution, let it sit for a couple of minutes, and then rinse with cool water. This will pump up the volume of your locks, which tend to get flatter as you age.

Researchers from Princeton University and the University of California, Los Angeles, conducted a series of studies to demonstrate the differences between students who wrote out their notes and those who typed them. Both did well, though longhand note-takers had a stronger grasp of the overall concepts of the lectures and were able to remember and understand them after a week had passed.

Massages feel good, obviously, but the increased blood flow associated with regular gentle kneading might also keep your face looking healthy and radiant. Skincare expert Kimara Ahnert believes that massage plumps slack skin, encourages lymphatic drainage (moving toxins out and away from cells so that more nutrients can travel in) and adds vitality to a dull complexion.

Eating 250 milligrams of omega-3s each day could add 2.2 years to the lives of adults aged 65 and older. This is the finding of a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, in which researchers measured blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids in a group of 2692 healthy older American adults in 1992, then followed them through 2008. People with the highest omega-3 levels had decreased their risk of dying by 27 per cent – and decreased their risk of dying from heart disease by 35 per cent – compared with the group with the lowest levels. Foods high in omega-3 fatty acids include flaxseed oil, fish oil, chia seeds, walnuts, fatty fish, seafood, soybeans and spinach.