Queen of pop and mother of five Sophie Ellis-Bextor is a very busy woman – releasing albums, hosting podcasts, touring festivals. But despite that busyness – and the stress that likely accompanies it – Sophie, 47, discovered her biological age is seven years younger than her chronological one on Katherine Ryan’s podcast What’s My Age Again?
Also known as your physiological age, biological age measures how fast your cells are ageing based on biomarkers. It’s influenced by lifestyle, genetics and environment, and can be a helpful predictor of overall longevity – hence the wellness world’s current obsession with the metric.
Because biological age – which does fluctuate – can be affected by stress and lack of sleep, Sophie told Katherine and scientist and longevity expert Dr Nichola Conlon that she thought she wouldn’t fare well on the test (a GlycanAge test in this case, which examines your body’s inflammation levels). ‘I’ve definitely aged myself with lack of sleep,’ she told them. So the fact her biological age came back as seven years younger surprised her – until Dr Conlon highlighted the benefits of her existing habits.
‘I walk a lot,’ said Sophie. ‘I always walk the school run and then walk back,’ she added. ‘I try and get proper walks in every day because that is the best thing for my head.’
Indeed, a huge body of research has demonstrated the physiological and mental benefits of walking, with a recent study finding a daily 11-minute brisk walk to be sufficient in lowering the risk of diseases such as heart disease, stroke and a number of cancers.
Dancing
‘I think dancing is one of the most pleasurable things in life,’ Sophie added. ‘I love dancing and it always makes me feel better.’
A recent study found that dance workouts rivalled both running and weight training for fat loss, adding to a growing body of research on the mental and physical benefits of regular dance.
Home cooking
Sophie explained that, living in a household that gets ‘excited about food’, she regularly cooks for her family. ‘I think I take a lot of pleasure from making myself something to eat, and I enjoy it – I don’t find it stressful,’ she said.
So, there’s a double health whammy at play here – healthy, nutritious food and time to destress.
Social connections
‘I surround myself with good people,’ Sophie added. ‘That is actually the best thing in my life about helping me feel good about things,’ she said of her close, supportive network.
It’s something Dr Conlon highlighted is key to healthy ageing: ‘Social connectedness and not having any loneliness or isolation plays a massive role.’
According to the World Health Organisation’s Commission on Social Connection, loneliness is linked to an estimated 100 deaths every hour – more than 871,000 deaths annually. ‘Strong social connections can lead to better health and longer life,’ it said in its report.
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Hannah Bradfield is a Senior Health and Fitness Writer for Women’s 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. She has been covering sports, health and fitness for the last five years and has created content for outlets including BBC Sport, BBC Sounds, Runner’s 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. A 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’s always looking for fun new runs and races to do and brunch spots to try.