Dr Dawn Harper's 7 tips for living to 101

Dr Dawn Harper is one of the most famous GPs in the UK, known for imparting her medical wisdom on shows such as Embarrassing Bodies.

She came into Steve Wright In The Afternoon to talk about her new book, Live Well to 101, and to share some top tips for living a long and healthy life.

Here are some of her key pieces of advice...

When it comes to catching some shut eye, too much or too little, OR the wrong kind of sleep, can all be damaging. "So it's all about fine tuning," says Dr Harper.

Those of us who rely on little lie downs, to help us catch up on sleep, should be careful. "I think there is a place for the catnap," says Dr Harper, "But it is important that we get what I call, 'proper battery recharge sleep' as well. If we’re constantly cat napping we’re not getting the normal variation of sleep. We go down into deep sleep and back again several times a night."

Many of us spend a lot of time sitting down, and it's not good for us. The good news is that we don't have to become marathon runners - unless we want to - we just need to MOVE regularly.

Dr Harper interviewed many centenarians for her new book, and found that they all had one thing in common. "They didn’t necessarily go and do an aerobics class or play squash, but they moved," she said.

While a nice glass of red is one of life's pleasures, Dr Harper doesn't advise us drinking one every evening.

"Certainly not every night," she said. "Your liver should have at least two nights off a week."

It can be frightening to find out you have a predisposition to a certain illness or condition, but Dr Harper believes that being fully informed about our family history can help us to live healthier and happier lives.

"There is no doubt that our genes play a significant role," she said. "At the moment we can’t do a lot about our genes, but we can look at our genetic predisposition to certain conditions, let's say heart disease, and then say, 'Right, I’m not going to make my life a misery, but perhaps I am going to be a bit sensible about x and y.'"

It's become fashionable to shun carbs in recent years, but Dr Harper says we should keep eating them as part of a balanced diet. Hurrah! Nevertheless, there are caveats.

"I would always rather go for complex carbs than refined carbs," she says. So we're talking granary bread and brown rice...

It's important to remember that living healthily should be a pleasure, not a chore, and that we can affect so much with our mindset. "Positive thinking is really important," says Dr Harper.

While researching her book, she found a study by a scientist who had looked at team photos from 1920 before going through the subject's records to find out how long they had lived. He found a strong correlation between the people who were smiling in the photographs and those who lived considerably longer.

"Do something to make yourself smile every day," she said. We'll sign up for that!

Many of us find ourselves negatively impacted by stress, which can have a detrimental effect on both our physical and mental health.

"Today, stress comes in work deadlines, relationships, family stresses and juggling all of the above," says Dr Harper. She believes that each individual needs to find a personal way to deal with their own stress levels, perhaps with the support of their GP or another professional.

"That is very much an individual, tailored decision," she said. "All of us can do something."