{"id":642401,"date":"2026-10-27T03:14:27","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T03:14:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/642401\/"},"modified":"2026-10-27T03:14:27","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T03:14:27","slug":"emma-willis-50-wants-to-live-to-100-the-5-simple-health-habits-she-prioritises-for-healthy-ageing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/642401\/","title":{"rendered":"Emma Willis, 50, wants to live to 100 \u2013 the 5 simple health habits she prioritises for healthy ageing"},"content":{"rendered":"

After turning 50 earlier this year \u2013 and landing the biggest job of her career shortly afterwards \u2013 new Strictly queen Emma Willis<\/a> has revealed that she\u2019d quite like to become a centenarian. <\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019d like to think of my lifetime as 100 years,\u2019 Emma recently told The Telegraph<\/a>. \u2018It probably won\u2019t be, but in an ideal world, if we\u2019re all being optimistic, that would be great. I\u2019m halfway through, and that first half has gone very, very quickly. So this second half, I need to stop worrying about the s–t I\u2019ve worried about for the past 50 years, and just enjoy however many days I have left with the people that are still here, doing a job that I love with the man I love, and my kids who are great, and my parents who just mean the world.\u2019<\/p>\n

It\u2019s fitting, then, that research has linked being optimistic<\/a> to a longer lifespan.<\/p>\n

But when it comes to health and longevity, Emma also puts work in beyond simply being optimistic. <\/p>\n

Although she\u2019s trying not to stress about things she can\u2019t control, the former Women\u2019s Health cover star prioritises several important health habits in her efforts to extend her healthspan (the number of years lived in good health and free from chronic disease), not just her lifespan. <\/p>\n

Emma’s 5 key health habits1. Strength training <\/p>\n

Having previously spoken to Emma and her personal trainer Rob Solly<\/a>, we know that Emma prioritises strength work, often doing full-body, time-efficient workouts that support her cardio fitness, too.<\/p>\n

Skeletal muscle mass<\/a> is a key marker of longevity, so Emma is certainly on the right track here. <\/p>\n

But Emma is also mindful of recovery \u2013 and takes a balanced view of exercise.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019m someone that enjoys reformer pilates<\/a> and weight training but I can go days without doing any exercise when life is busy so if you are the same, don\u2019t feel guilty at all,\u2019 Emma recently told Women\u2019s Fitness<\/a>. \u2018My best advice once you reach your fifties is to try and do some strength training<\/a> which is so important to keep our bones strong as we age.\u2019<\/p>\n

2. Minimal alcohol <\/p>\n

Emma also told The Telegraph that she barely drinks anymore, and considering the fact that science says \u2018no level of alcohol consumption is safe for health\u2019<\/a>, this in itself can have health and longevity benefits. <\/p>\n

3. Balanced nutrition <\/p>\n

\u2018I have a sweet tooth so if offered a piece of cake I\u2019ll have it but I also like to eat well,\u2019 Emma \u2013 who has high cholesterol \u2013 told Women\u2019s Fitness, adding that fibre, which supports gut health and can help lower cholesterol, is her \u2018new best friend\u2019.<\/p>\n

4. A simple supplement stack<\/p>\n

Alongside eating well and taking a food-first approach to nutrition, Emma has revealed that she does take a few supplements, including omega-3 and collagen, as well as magnesium<\/a> at bedtime. <\/p>\n

Research has identified potential benefits for all of the above, but the effectiveness of supplementation varies depending on individual nutritional needs and deficiencies.<\/p>\n

One study<\/a> found that when combined with vitamin D<\/a> and exercise, omega-3 supplements may slow biological ageing.<\/p>\n

5. Positive thinking <\/p>\n

As we know, optimism and positive thinking have been linked to longevity in a growing body of research. <\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019m actually a big worrier and a very anxious person so I try to reframe my mindset into a more positive one when my head starts to overthink,\u2019 Emma told Women\u2019s Fitness. \u2018My mum always told me to look for the light in the darkness which is some of the best advice I\u2019ve had.\u2019<\/p>\n

Amen, Emma’s mum.<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Hannah Bradfield is a Senior Health and Fitness Writer for Women\u2019s Health UK. An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Hannah graduated from Loughborough University with a BA in English and Sport Science and an MA in Media and Cultural Analysis. \u00a0She has been covering sports, health and fitness for the last five years and has created content for outlets including BBC Sport, BBC Sounds, Runner\u2019s World and Stylist. She especially enjoys interviewing those working within the community to improve access to sport, exercise and wellness. Hannah is a 2024 John Schofield Trust Fellow and was also named a 2022 Rising Star in Journalism by The Printing Charity. \u00a0A keen runner, Hannah was firmly a sprinter growing up (also dabbling in long jump) but has since transitioned to longer-distance running. While 10K is her favoured race distance, she loves running or volunteering at parkrun every Saturday, followed, of course, by pastries. She\u2019s always looking for fun new runs and races to do and brunch spots to try.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After turning 50 earlier this year \u2013 and landing the biggest job of her career shortly afterwards \u2013…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":642402,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[13212,165131,314975,5218,314974,2117,565,134,207184,2116,111,139,69,314973,314972,251090],"class_list":["post-642401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-13212","tag-collection-health-app","tag-collection-health-stories","tag-content-type-default","tag-contentid-f0a3919c-0e42-4f3d-bba7-2916a2f2818d","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-issyndicated-false","tag-locale-gb","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-prioritises-these-5-health-habits","tag-shorttitle-emma-willis","tag-sponsored-false"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/642401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=642401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/642401\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/642402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=642401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=642401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=642401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}