How I seem like THIS at 62. I’ve turned my organic clock again 20 years and feel and look higher than ever. My recommendation challenges typical knowledge but it surely works, says LIZ EARLE. Here’s how…

In the past year I’ve attended three weddings of friends in their fifties and sixties. The brides glowed with such happiness they reminded me of teenagers, yet with a kind of seasoned serenity no adolescent could know.

We tend to assume romantic love is the domain of the young – all crumpled sheets and passionate entanglements – but love can happen at any age, and it often arrives better in later life, richer, wiser and kinder.

I’m speaking from personal experience here: twice divorced, I thought later love might pass me by, but I found my man – someone very unexpected – just before my 60th birthday.

I had dipped my toe into the world of digital dating and, after a few awkward coffees, met someone who made me laugh, made me think and made me fall in love. He’s younger than me and from a totally different background and we would never have met in our day-to-day lives. It amazes me that a few clicks and a hopeful heart were all it took.

At nearly 63 – and not just due to newfound love – I feel better than I have in my life. My forties were a time of perimenopause pain and ill health, weight gain, mental unease and a feeling that my youthful vitality was slipping away. I sold my beauty business, went through a difficult divorce, navigated extreme family health issues and suffered severe financial pressure.

Slowly picking up the pieces, my fifties became a time of self-discovery and learning. I reawakened my fitness, vigour and zest for life and, as a result, tests for several cellular markers show that I’ve turned my biological clock back by a couple of decades.

I can lift heavier weights, run faster, think smarter and sleep better. My health is improving as I age – and I intend to keep that upward trajectory. So how have I achieved this remarkable shift? By using a handful of simple yet highly strategic habits woven into my daily routine, which I’ll share with you today and tomorrow.

Be warned: some of my advice challenges conventional wisdom. But then I’ve always believed in challenging outdated narratives.

More than 30 years ago, when I co-founded my own skincare brand, I refused to use the term ‘anti-ageing’ on packaging or marketing materials, rejecting the idea that ageing is something to fight or fear.

I am not anti-ageing. I am, and always will be, proudly pro-ageing. The notion that anyone over 70 is somehow ‘past it’ is absurd – and dismisses the immense wisdom and experience we’ve worked so hard to accumulate.

I acknowledge that, sadly, not all life-limiting conditions can be prevented – but many more than you might think can be. Over the last couple of years, my intuition has been nudging me to move ahead of the mainstream wellness advice – beyond the repetitive cycle of ‘eat this, move like that, buy these…’.

We’re so caught up in our modern, healthy living mantras that I believe we’ve overlooked some of the most powerful tools for healthy ageing: light, water and vibrational energy.

These three natural healers have supported our bodies since the dawn of time – they gave us life in the beginning, long before our modern lifestyles took hold. And guess what? They still do.

I believe it’s time to re-adopt many of the traditional ways of life our ancestors knew so well, so we can thrive in modern times.

Today’s fashionable health hacks, from intermittent fasting to longevity supplements, can be very useful, but they cannot match the ability of light, water and the earth’s energy to supercharge our cells.

And there’s a bonus. Each one of these is free. Wellness influencers don’t often talk about this, perhaps because there’s nothing to sell, no brands to promote and no money to be made. I’d like to change that and encourage you to reframe your focus. Of course, you can add in expensive testing protocols and pricey supplements if you’d like to, but the backbone of my advice is built on a lifestyle that’s pretty much free.

So why not make the leap? It’s time for you to take control, reboot your body and upgrade to version 2.0 of you, by learning how some simple daily habits can quickly and dramatically improve (and perhaps even save) your life.

Make sunlight your friend, not foe 

Let’s start with sunlight. Throughout human history, cultures have revered the sun as a life-giving force, a divine presence even. Light came from the sun, the moon and the stars. Then came the electric lightbulb and, with it, one of the most profound shifts in millennia. Today, we can be bathed in artificial light 24/7 – and while this is convenient, it’s not good for our health. Just as ultra-processed food has stripped our diets of essential nutrients, artificial lighting and screen-heavy indoor lifestyles have stripped us of the light we evolved with.

Modern LEDs are the ‘junk food’ of lighting. This profoundly matters when looking at the role of light in the way we age. In recent decades, we’ve been taught to fear the sun, to always shield our skin and stay in the shade. So, prepare to be amazed: sunlight is good for us!

The skin captures ultraviolet, infrared and visible light and converts it into vital biochemical signals that influence our entire body. If we miss out on natural sunlight, we miss out on these important health messengers. Being told to stay out of the sun could be one of the worst bits of wellbeing advice we’ve been given.

Ask yourself this: if the sun is so bad for us, why do we get depressed in the winter months when we lack sunshine?

Why are those who are low in vitamin D (created by sun on the skin) far more likely to develop autoimmune issues (and fared worse during Covid-19)? Why do we feel so much better once the sun is out?

Most often talked about in cosmetic terms, the sun’s wavelengths of light are often described as UVA (for ‘ageing’) and UVB (for ‘burning’), but this is simplistic and only a very small part of the story. Both UVA and UVB are key players for promoting overall health and wellbeing.

The latest research suggests that our bodies need both to age well and thrive. Growing numbers of researchers (including some leading dermatologists) now argue that UV’s reputation as a skin destroyer has been overplayed. While it’s true that pure UVA light can break down some of the collagen and elastin fibres in our skin and incorrect exposure to UVB light can lead to burning, both also provide vital benefits –when we learn how to manage them correctly. A powerful benefit of UVA light is its ability to help our bodies produce nitric oxide (NO), a molecule that plays a key role in healthy ageing.

While we can also produce NO by exercising and eating specific foods such as beetroot, simply spending time in natural sunlight allows our skin to make it without having to do anything.

Why is nitric oxide important? It helps our blood vessels relax and widen, improving circulation. This means better delivery of oxygen and nutrients to our cells, and more efficient removal of waste – all essential processes for maintaining vitality as we age. Improved blood flow supports everything from brain and heart health to glowing skin tone and immune resilience. Studies led by Professor Richard Weller, Chair of Medical Dermatology at the University of Edinburgh, show that UVA exposure can lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation and gently regulate immune function – all without needing supplements or strenuous effort.

And how about UVB? Its main claim to fame – and likely most important role – is producing vitamin D, the nutritional pro-ageing powerhouse. Although we call it a vitamin, this unique nutrient behaves more like a hormone, influencing everything from bone strength and immunity to mood, skin health and longevity.

Unfortunately, as we move through midlife, our ability to produce and utilise vitamin D becomes less efficient. And while supplements have their place, the natural production of vitamin D through the skin brings benefits that go way beyond what you can buy over the chemist’s counter.

Higher vitamin D levels are consistently linked with lower rates of degenerative disease and stronger immunity. Low levels have been associated with many autoimmune conditions, including multiple sclerosis (MS), Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. But vitamin D isn’t just for bones and immunity – it’s vital for brain health too. Low levels have been linked to brain fog, low mood, Type-2 diabetes and increased risk of cognitive decline.

By enhancing the production of dopamine and serotonin, vitamin D supports emotional balance, mental clarity and resilience. And the best way to optimise vitamin D? Through safe, consistent sun exposure, especially around midday when UVB levels are strongest (but, of course, avoiding burning).

Your greatest ally of all? True happiness 

We can also harness the power of water and the earth to boost our wellbeing, as I will explain tomorrow. But ageing well is not just to do with physical fitness and mental agility, it’s something deeper, less biological. It’s to do with attitude, how we feel about life and how we make sense of our experiences. How we cultivate joy, purpose and emotional vitality.

What has it all been for, if not happiness? I’m not talking about a shallow, fleeting, self-indulgent happiness, but the kind that brings meaning: loving well, living with purpose and staying curious, connected and kind.

One of the most powerful ways I’ve found to create joy is to make it a deliberate practice. I now keep a ‘joy journal’ and each day I write down the moments that have lifted me. It has trained me to notice small, joyful details as they happen, so I can capture them later. The result is simple but profound: I feel happier, more present, and clearer about what truly matters. The mindset we bring to our later stage of life matters.

Every choice we make – how we handle setbacks, how we connect with others – influences the neurochemical rainbow that colours our moods and perceptions. We literally shape our emotional reality day by day, breath by breath.

Growing older offers us a unique opportunity: to finally become the person we’ve been becoming all along. To let go of the roles, regrets and expectations that no longer fit, and instead ask: What brings me joy? What lights me up? What do I still want to do, learn, give or feel? Time with trusted friends, family or community plays a massive part not only in nourishing our emotional wellbeing but in shaping our biology, lowering stress hormones and boosting the happy ones.

Whether it’s romantic, platonic or familial, love is the force that gives our lives depth, meaning and joy. It nourishes our nervous system, soothes our stress responses, restores perspective, strengthens our immune defences and floods our bodies with those short-burst feel-good chemicals.

From warm hugs to late-night laughter, love in all its forms keeps us connected – and connection, as researchers increasingly confirm, is one of the strongest predictors of a long, healthy life. And for me, love has also come into the mix.

Of course, putting yourself out there in later life can feel intimidating – especially after heartbreak, bereavement or long years of solitude.

But courage often grows with tiny steps. A casual message, a coffee in a public place or a shared conversation can be enough to lift the clouds of loneliness and rekindle your belief in connection.

Just as important as finding love is leaving what no longer serves you. Too many women stay in unhappy or even harmful relationships because they feel it’s ‘too late’ to start again.

But life is too precious to be spent lonely within a relationship. Ending a long-term partnership is never easy, especially when children, finances or a long history are involved, but choosing peace over pain, even late in life, is an act of immense self-care.

A new chapter awaits, whether it’s shared with someone else or savoured in solitary freedom. Be brave and make the most of every moment you have.