Latest news with #Futureproof:
Daily Mirror
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Soap icon devastated over mum's cancer death - 'I'll never get over it'
After losing her mother 12 years ago, Davinia Taylor couldn't bear the thought of dying young and leaving her four sons early, so she transformed her diet and lifestyle to ensure she'll be healthy for decades to come Ten years ago, Davinia Taylor felt old before her time. 'Bearing in mind I hadn't drunk for five years, I felt hungover, sluggish, I had no self-esteem and no get-up-and-go,' she says. 'Life was like walking through quicksand.' So the Hollyoaks actress changed her diet and lifestyle, dramatically transforming her physical and mental wellbeing, which, in turn, sparked a passion for health and wellness that inspired her 2021 book It's Not A Diet and Hack Your Hormones in 2023. And the results are startling. Davinia, now 47, has discovered – thanks to a GlycanAge blood test that identifies chronic inflammation – that she has a biological age of 20. 'I feel better than I ever did in my teens, twenties or thirties,' she says. 'Internally, you could be ageing ferociously and you don't even know it.' In fact, she reports that the average woman in England and Wales spends 23% of her life in poor health. That's the statistic that prompted her shift of focus towards the idea of 'healthspan' – the number of years we spend in good health – rather than just lifespan. 'Research shows only 25% of differences in lifespan is down to genetics. The rest is down to what we do,' she says. Already a wellness entrepreneur with her own supplements brand, WillPowders, Davinia has now done a deep dive into the world of health longevity and the result is Futureproof: Build Resilience, Feel Younger, Live Longer, which distils extensive in-depth research into a game-changing, accessible wellbeing bible that she hopes can help women everywhere. Davinia may seem like an unlikely health guru. A former party girl who was part of the 90s Primrose Hill set, she socialised with Kate Moss and Sadie Frost, and married first husband Dave Gardner, David Beckham's best friend. Life looks very different today. Happily wed to builder Matthew Leyden, she has four sons aged nine to 17. Davinia has been sober for 16 years and practises what she preaches, following the science to stay fit, healthy and active for as long as she possibly can. And it's clearly working – she glows with health and has an enviable line-free complexion that is testament to her lifestyle. But while many are motivated by vanity, Davinia is driven by something more profound – her mother's death from cancer at the age of 60. 'That was 12 years ago and it's still too much for me to deal with,' she says. 'I'll never get over it. And I'm coming up to my 50th. If I think about my boys going through losing me, not having a grandmother for their children and everything I'd miss out on... suddenly mortality is very much on my radar.' One of Davinia's key discoveries was that her supposedly 'healthy' low-fat diet was having a disastrous impact on her wellbeing. 'After my mum passed away, I didn't realise that I was eating unhealthily. I was eating five or six portions of wholegrains a day, a low-fat diet and not much meat.' But she felt hopelessly lethargic. 'If I was going to the supermarket, I'd always park in the mother-and-baby space. And if there wasn't a space, I'd drive home.' Then she learned that her brain was insulin resistant, due to over-exposure to sugar. She addressed this by taking a tablespoon of MCT oil (a type of easily digested fat), which boosted her brain energy and reduced hunger pangs. She also changed what she eats. 'My diet is very meat heavy now. Meat and two veg makes sense, that's what we evolved on. I have a super-high calorie intake because I've got such a high-fat diet. But it's not about calories, it's about the nutrition you're getting that will stop you snacking.' Her ideal snack, though, isn't 'a handful of nuts and a corner of dark chocolate', she was a crisps and mint Aero girl, so making these changes didn't come naturally. She explains, 'We've had our palates hijacked by the five big companies that make 95% of our snacks – but you can hijack them back. I don't get cravings any more, unless I'm due on my period or something stressful has happened – even then, I'll crave a big sandwich, not a mint Aero.' And she's determined to help others do the same. 'Growing numbers of people are dying of chronic diseases,' she says. 'We're living longer, but we're living worse.' Futureproof: Build Resilience, Feel Younger, Live Longer by Davinia Taylor (Orion Spring), £16.99, is out now How to stay forever young Davinia Taylor's simple tips for slowing down ageing, boosting energy and feeling great: EAT FOR VITALITY Most age-related diseases are linked to chronic inflammation, and processed food is a key cause – cut it out. Reduce your intake of sugary foods. Try intermittent fasting – eating all your meals between 11am and 7pm – as it repairs and regenerates cells. Plan meals around protein. It curbs cravings by steadying blood sugar and supports muscle growth. GET STRONGER People who move more live longer. Just 90 minutes each week can reduce your risk of dying from all causes by 14%. I run daily for 20 minutes – not to lose weight, but to help my brain. ○ Join a gym and build muscle. CALM DOWN Alcohol might feel like instant relief, but you won't get deep sleep and your anxiety will fly up the next day. Ditch the 'treat yourself' mentality (sugar is linked to anxiety) and get outside. Enjoy sunlight, exercise and connection.
Scottish Sun
18-05-2025
- Health
- Scottish Sun
I reversed my biological age from 47 to 20…you can too by following my three simple rules, says Davinia Taylor
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ACTRESS Davinia Taylor has transformed herself after indulging in an unhealthy ladette lifestyle during the Nineties – and now she wants to help you live better, too. The mum of four is 47 but says her biological age, which is determined by the body's cells, is just 20. 8 Davinia Taylor, 47, has turned back the clock and now her biological age is just 20 Credit: Catherine J Harbour 8 Davina before 'biohacks' changed her body, after indulging in an unhealthy lifestyle during the Nineties Credit: Davinia Taylor/ Instagram 8 Davina at age 20 during her time on Hollyoaks Credit: Rex Now, the Hollyoaks star-turned-bestselling author has come up with a full-body MoT in her new book, Futureproof. And her plan does not involve munching on lettuce and low-fat foods. Davinia, who helped pioneer the process of small lifestyle changes known as biohacking, calls for a return to chicken with the skin on, fatty cuts of meat and beef stews. She says: 'You'll be able to reduce inflammation, build muscle, eat well, improve mental energy and mobility, reduce stress and feel fantastic.' Here, Davinia offers her tips to help reduce your biological age. Futureproof: Build Resilience, Feel Younger, Live Longer, by Davinia Taylor, is published by Orion Spring on Thursday, priced £16.99. Futureproof principle #1 - Put out the inflammation fire INFLAMMATION is public enemy number one when it comes to ageing. We're seeing the consequences of it everywhere, in every aspect of our health and wellbeing. 8 A healthy omelette with cherry tomatoes and parsley Credit: Getty I was a huge Hollyoaks star in the 90s but quit acting to become a health and fitness guru I was inflamed for years, which had severely detrimental effects on my health. I was swollen and retaining water. My muscles were constantly fatigued. I was brain-foggy and plagued with low-level anxiety and insecurity that made me dread leaving the house. If you're struggling with energy – even if you haven't got a weight problem – you are probably dealing with chronic inflammation. The cause of this appears to be so-called healthy convenience foods – cheap and chemical-laden Ultra Processed Foods. Inflammation is at the root of many cancers, too. One ingredient highly prevalent in UPFs that causes our bodies to become inflamed is vegetable oil, which, like so much of our diet, is crammed with polyunsaturated fatty acids. I'm furious with the food manufacturers. When vegetable oils have been sold to us as the 'healthy alternative' to saturated fats, no wonder so many of us are in a constant state of chronic inflammation and dealing with excess weight. TRY THESE FIVE TIPS Do not use vegetable oil, rapeseed, sunflower, corn, cottonseed, safflower, soybean or rice bran. Replace with olive, avocado or coconut oil, or butter. Read ingredients and don't buy food with vegetable oils. Introduce intermittent fasting in a way that suits you, to promote autophagy (when the body goes into a state of repair and breaks down old cells). Reduce refined carbs (such as bread and pasta) to cut down your risk of insulin resistance. Eat more good fats, such as in scrambled eggs, mushrooms, smoked salmon and avocado, to encourage a ketogenic state (where we get 70-75 per cent of our calories from fat, 20-25 per cent from protein and five per cent from carbohydrates). Futureproof principle #2 - Get stronger, live longer ONE of the hallmarks of ageing is our physical strength diminishing. Our natural muscle mass peaks when we're about 30 and begins to deplete from then on. 8 The older we get, the more we need to build muscle mass to stave off the natural process of depletion Credit: Getty On average, we lose about one per cent of our muscle size and around two per cent of our muscle strength per year from the age of 40. After we hit 70, this then accelerates to about 15 per cent per decade. The older we get, the more we need to build muscle mass to stave off this natural process. If we do not do any muscle-building exercises and sit around eating rubbish, then we will lose muscle mass, develop weaker bones, stiffer joints and poor balance – all of which lead to more falls. Regardless of whether you are going to a gym or not, or if you haven't exercised in ages, you need to boost your dopamine levels. We want to hack into the feel- good hormones to get you motivated and set the tone for making exercise as enjoyable as possible. TRY THESE FIVE TIPS Rethink your perception of the gym and look for one that will stop you making endless excuses to go there – that is your key to real muscle gains. Create a power playlist and make your workout dopamine-fuelled. Commit to ten minutes a day for your home-based muscle-building exercises. Log your one-rep max (the absolute maximum weight you can lift once) and track your progress each week. It's never too late – you can start wherever and whenever you want. Aim for progress, not perfection. Futureproof principle #3 - Eat for vitality WHEN I look back at what I used to eat to sustain me, no wonder I was knackered. My diet was full of salads, with low-fat dressing, super-lean meat, whole grains and brown bread. 8 A protein-packed beef stew with potatoes and carrots Credit: Getty There was very little fat, because we all thought fat makes you fat (which, of course, it doesn't). We've got the nutritional balance the wrong way around – not for dieting or losing weight, but for longevity. Protein is so important. It powers biological functions – our hormones, immune system, structural support and muscle development. We need a balance of great protein sources, energy from fat, fibre and a small amount of carbs, too. Protein, and especially collagen, are closely aligned with skin health. Collagen gives our skin firmness and elasticity. As we age, wrinkles and sagging skin indicate poor collagen health. One third of collagen is made up of glycine. When we eat foods containing glycine, for example chicken with the skin on or a ribeye steak, it sends the message to our brain telling us we're full – which is exactly what weight loss drugs like Ozempic are mimicking. There is no need to take this synthetic pathway to get the benefits from glycine. We can get it from our diet. 8 You should plan your meals around protein Credit: Getty TRY THESE FIVE TIPS Think protein first, not carb first, and plan your meals accordingly. Red meat is NOT the baddie – it is a great protein source. Investigate regenerative farming and soil quality. Know your food chain and get to know your butcher and farms. Only use quality protein and collagen powders to avoid UPFs. Boost vitamin C intake to promote better collagen production – seasonal fruit is a good source. 8 Futureproof: Build Resilience, Feel Younger, Live Longer, by Davinia Taylor, is published by Orion Spring on Thursday Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club.
