Eat beans and scratch your own back – expert advice on how to age better, inside and out

From exercise and eating tips to brain health and balance challenges: this is what you need to know

Forget lifespan: increasingly, healthspan - the years that we feel healthy and active - has become the holy grail among gerontologists. You only need to watch the Veteran Games to understand the capacity of the human body to age well," says physiotherapist Bhanu Ramaswamy.

While there's no denying the fact of ageing, It is important to distinguish between what is a natural part of the process, and less natural ageing, with increasing disability." The slow change in our bodies won't necessarily render us frail or immobile if we take care of ourselves, and there's plenty we can do to help. Here's where to start.