More than half a million Brits are now aged 90 or older – and that number is steadily on the rise. According to the Office for National Statistics, the estimated population of England and Wales aged 90 and over grew by 2.1 per cent in 2022 compared with 2021.

There were 550,835 people in England and Wales in 2022 aged over 90, so that number has likely increased. The number of centenarians has also more than doubled since 2002, with an estimated 15,120 people aged 100 or older living in England and Wales in 2022.

So how do you reach that age, and what does someone aged 90 recommend to ensure a long and healthy life? Zest Science interviewed a 90-year-old woman to find out.

Even if it’s just a wiggle. Motion is lotion. I stretch while brushing my teeth and do squats during commercials.

Stop eating when you’re satisfied, not when your pants protest.

And often! I’ve often fallen in public more times than I can count. Now I just take a bow.

It doesn’t matter if it’s gardening, gossip, or grandkids. Purpose keeps the heart pumping.

Naps aren’t lazy, they’re elite recovery tactics.

Not cranky. The world changes fast. Ask questions instead of complaining about it.

Stay connected. Isolation ages you faster than sugar.

At 90, you realise most things weren’t worth the stress. Laugh, love, let go.

At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.