The daily habits of a longevity doctor who reversed her age by 30 years

Alka Patel is a longevity and lifestyle medicine doctor from London. After suffering from a clinical burnout, the former GP explains what her daily routine is and the health rules she lives by

I started on this journey of “younger ageing” because I nearly died young. On my 39th birthday, I was hospitalised. I had a high fever, and my kidneys and liver had started to shut down. I was experiencing total burnout. I’d been so busy taking care of my patients and my family that I wasn’t showing up for myself. My body was failing, and suddenly, I was forced to confront my mortality.

I honestly didn’t know if I’d live to see my children the next day – and I wasn’t prepared to leave them without a mother. The experience was transformative and led to a complete overhaul of my lifestyle. I vowed to live as long as I could and embarked on a journey which would boost my health and energy. Years on and I’ve measured my age with advanced testing that looks at the true state of my cells and my immune system, and my results show my heart, brain, metabolism and immune system work as well as that of a 20-year-old.

I now have a much lower chance of getting cancer, heart disease, diabetes and dementia. It’s about living longer and healthier. And I have made it my mission to help others, too. Here is what I do every day.

Morning

5.50am

I start my day with five stretches – each of which I hold for 50 seconds. I call this the 5-50 flexibility fix. Stretching keeps your connective tissue supple. Agility is a marker of longevity with limited flexibility and mobility predicting earlier mortality through falls, frailty and inflammation.

6am

Then it’s off outside for the “sunshine sync”. That’s one minute of natural light with 10 seconds to set the purpose for the day with gratitude. The morning light resets my circadian rhythm so my body knows the difference between night and day and regulates hormone release. Whilst I’m outside in the garden, I do a two-minute walk with a 20-second sprint. This is the “2-20 power pulse”. Like a mini HIIT session – gets my muscles moving, my lymph flowing, and my heart pumping. I take my first three gulps of water too, which I then repeat throughout the day every 30 minutes. Hydration is so important – even as little as 2 per cent dehydration affects your ability to think clearly, so regular water throughout the day keeps me focused.

A near-death experience led to a complete overhaul of Alka Patel’s lifestyle (ITV)

6.15am

I like to sit in silence in front of my red light for at least seven minutes, and I do this every 70 minutes. The red light supports collagen production and mitochondrial function (which makes energy), while silence stimulates memory centres in the brain and lowers the stress hormone cortisol. Too much cortisol keeps your body in that “fight or flight” state, which can lead to weight gain, high blood pressure, weakened immunity, sleep problems and increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and anxiety and depression. Prioritising this moment of quiet sets up my body and mind in readiness for the day.

7.00am

Compliment time! To whoever I see first. Usually the dogs! I give four compliments throughout the day, which take 40 seconds to share. This is about releasing oxytocin – the bonding hormone. Connection is an important phenomenon in longevity; numerous studies have shown that loose or weak ties of casual interactions, from a dog walk to a shopkeeper, help us feel more satisfied with life and protect us against mental and physical health problems, such as depression, anxiety and heart disease.

11.30am

I do time-connected eating – eating within an eight-hour window – and that allows time for your gut lining to repair later in the day. Fasting for longer can also trigger autophagy (the cellular process of “self-eating”), which mops up waste products that your cells don’t need.

Getting into the habit of ‘time-connected eating’ allows your body to repair the gut lining (Yuya Parker – stock.adobe.com)

My first meal is often between 11am and midday. I’ll have fibre for my gut microbiome (the ecosystem of microbes that live in your intestines) and protein for my muscles. As we get older, we lose muscle mass, so, for longevity, muscle health is key.

I eat yoghurt and berries, the yoghurt helps my gut bacteria, and the berries are sources of anti-ageing antioxidants. If I have nuts, I’ll have almonds, cashews, pecans… and one Brazil nut. Brazil nuts contain selenium – which is great for brain health and memory. Just one Brazil a day provides all your selenium needs.

Afternoon

12.30pm

After eating, if you go for a walk or do squats, you’re then driving the glucose from your blood into your muscles – stopping your blood from getting sticky and reducing your chances of developing pre-diabetes and diabetes. A meta-analysis comparing exercise timing found that post-meal activity, particularly within the first zero-29 minutes after eating, was markedly more effective at reducing blood sugar spikes than activity before meals.

For more strength/muscle-building, I have a set of dumbbells at the bottom of my stairs and I carry the weights when I go up the stairs, do 10 bicep curls when I get to the top, and vice versa on the way down. It’s amazing how many times you go up and down the stairs in a day.

1.00pm

If I am at my desk, I alternate between sitting and standing. This is the “9-90 stand sit switch” – making sure I stand for at least every 90 minutes of sitting. Prolonged sitting suppresses lipoprotein lipase – the enzyme that clears harmful fats from the blood. By standing every 90 minutes, I keep this metabolic switch turned on – supporting circulation and protecting heart health.

Post-meal activity can do wonders for your digestion (Atstock Productions – stock.adob)

3.00pm

I slow my breathing to six breaths a minute for 60 seconds. This gentle control stimulates my vagus nerve, which flips my nervous system out of stress mode and increases my heart-rate variability: a key marker of resilience and longevity. Stress – that constant “fight or flight” – leads to increased inflammation, which damages cells, breaks down collagen, and accelerates your biological age. Slowing down our breathing helps with our cortisol levels.

Evening

6.00pm

I pause to think of 10 things I’m grateful for in the day that has just passed. Gratitude practice has been shown to reduce inflammatory markers (and chronic inflammation can cause widespread damage and lead to a variety of serious health problems), improve sleep quality and lengthen telomeres – the protective caps at the end of your DNA.

6.15pm

An early dinner because I aim to leave at least 2-3 hours between eating and sleeping. This allows my insulin levels to fall, my gut to finish digesting, and my body to switch into overnight repair mode. Eating late drives reflux, poor sleep and higher glucose spikes – all of which accelerate ageing. I periodically track my glucose with a continuous glucose monitor to help support my food choices. Sugar is a really important fuel source – but it’s the type of sugar that’s important. Refined sugar contributes to weight gain and increases the risk of diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Go for the sugar you find in fruit – it’s full of fibre.

8.40pm

I turn off my devices as I like to protect my sleep with 80 minutes of screen-free time before I go to bed – so I can get eight hours of restorative sleep. This is the 8-80.

Revolve your life around sleep, not the other way round (StockPhotoPro – stock.adobe.com)

9.30pm

Cool, dark, calm – and a book in hand. I lower the lights and room temperature to signal melatonin release. Then, with blue light-blocker glasses on, I read a few pages of something that inspires rather than stimulates. Reading slows brain waves, nudges the nervous system into the “rest and digest” parasympathetic mode, and is far kinder on the brain than scrolling a screen.

10.00pm

Good sleep promotes healthy ageing by allowing the body to repair cells, restore energy and detoxify the brain. Revolve your life around sleep instead of the other way round! I say “thank you” to my brain and body for what they have given me today – then tell them to rest up as I’m going to need them again tomorrow...

All these small hacks make an impact – but the biggest difference comes from testing and tracking. Using data rings to glucose monitors, I test my hormones, my gut microbiome, my metabolism, my nutrients, my vitamins… We all know to eat and move better, right? But testing gives you the precision that’s individual to you. If you see the numbers and your stress is really high, you’re going to respond to that. The data gives you directives you can’t ignore.

My philosophy is focused on getting to the root of what makes us ill. None of us can stop the chronological clock, but it’s no good if someone lives their last 20 years frail and in decline. There are so many things we can do to preserve and have that same vitality in the last 20 years. Your biological age is not an ego-fuelled number – it’s your health forecast. By dropping your biological age, we can live longer with less pain, with more energy and agility, and with fewer prescriptions. “Younger ageing”, I call it.

I want people to hold on to their health and really start to understand how their own body works. That’s my strong purpose. And did you know that if you have purpose in your life, you live seven years longer?

As told to Bibi Lynch