Anti-age your body the easy way: DON’T go jogging, DON’T eat breakfast - but DO enjoy an evening glass of wine. A fascinating new book reveals how to rejuvenate easily

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There comes a time when a woman has to decide whether to fight the ageing process or embrace the elasticated waist.

But while some happily wave the white flag and others battle on through starvation diets, injectables and subterfuge, there's a wave of gorgeous, high-profile women in their 40s, 50s, 60s and even 70s who epitomise an altogether different approach to the whole business.

The likes of Jennifer Aniston and Cate Blanchett - both effortlessly elegant in their mid-40s - and Dame Helen Mirren - a glamorous role model at 70 - represent a new breed redefining the ageing process.

They key to aging gracefully, but not looking old, is a series of small changes that can slow down your aging

The key is not aggressive regimes of needles and peels, with trainers and diet chefs on speed-dial, it is a series of small changes that can have a dramatic effect on the rate you age.

The trend has been picked up by sports scientist and writer Peta Bee and dietitian Dr Sarah Schenker, who have written a fascinating new book that provides a fresh take on keeping yourself young.

And the great news is there's no draconian diet plan and no exhausting exercise regime. This new approach is more chocolate and red wine than kale and wheatgrass, and a greater focus on deportment than signing up to a triathlon.

Here we share their more surprising tips and tricks for hitting the pause button . . .

You should skip breakfast - lots of research which says otherwise was funded by cereal companies

SKIP BREAKFAST

After years of being told that to breakfast like a king is essential to fire up metabolism, that breakfast eaters are slimmer, more quick-thinking and more inclined to eat healthily, the weight of evidence has turned. It is now known that while some of us are naturally inclined to be breakfast eaters, others are not. And it makes not a blind bit of difference to our weight or well-being. Joanna Lumley confesses to barely touching breakfast, and Liz Hurley says she maintains her figure by consuming hot water and the occasional espresso in the morning, adding 'the only meal I have is dinner'.

Of course, cutting back on food generally is not a bad idea. One reason our middle-aged celebrity role models look so fresh is because they keep one step ahead of the thickening waist so typical of middle age. But if you've tried fat-watching, carb-cutting or soup-sipping you will know that standard diet advice just doesn't seem to cut it past the age of 30.

The brutal truth is most of us eat far too much. And, as our metabolisms slow we need fewer calories to survive at 40 than we did at 30, decreasing with every advancing year. In fact, the optimum intake for women of middle age is likely to be 300–400 calories below the official 1,900 a day beyond 51 recommendation.

This doesn't mean dieting. Instead, the answer to eating less lies in reminding yourself what hunger feels like and eating only when you are hungry, then not putting anything in your mouth until you next feel properly hungry again.

Snacking is big business, and the food industry has perpetuated the myth that hunger is a bad thing. But constant grazing means levels of insulin (the fat-storing hormone) are kept high, putting the body in laying-down-fat mode.

To hit the pause button on middle-aged weight gain, you need to build hunger back into your life. If you eat only when hungry (after around four hours without food) your body will enter a 'fasted state'. Blood sugar levels drop, levels of insulin slow and your body releases a hormone called glucagon which helps mobilize stores of carbohydrate and fat.

A three to four-hour 'hunger' gap between meals isn't just the key to dropping a dress size, it will also help hold back the years. A mini fast between meals limits the action of an age-accelerating hormone called Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1). Studies show just four hours without food is enough to reduce the amount of IGF-1 your body produces as well as switching on a number of repair genes to prevent damage to your DNA.

CARBS JUST ONCE A DAY

Studies show dwindling oestrogen levels cause the body to use starches and blood sugars less efficiently, promoting weight gain. But you do not have to cut carbohydrates out completely. Official recommendations suggest we have carbs at every meal. Ignore them. We need less food, and certainly fewer carbs, as we age. Instead, aim to base just one meal a deal around starchy carbs, feasting on brown rice, quinoa, bulgar wheat and starchy vegetables like carrots, parsnips and butternut squash for lunch OR dinner. Not both.    

Leafy greens such as spinach can protect against osteoporosis and wrinkles

STRENGTHEN BONES

Looking after your bone health protects against osteoporosis, but it could also protect your face against wrinkles and jowls too.

As we get older, our eye sockets, jaw and nose begin to change. Eye sockets enlarge and the angle of the bones beneath the brows decreases, causing frown lines and crow's feet to form.

Researchers at the University of Rochester found that the angle of the jaw can increase with age too, triggering a loss of definition in the lower face and the appearance of the dreaded jowls as well as a crepey neck. Add the menopause (and the drop in oestrogen which causes facial muscles to slacken) and you could be placing undue trust in the power of your face cream to hold back time.

But if you follow accepted advice for bone health - packing in vitamin D and eating plenty of calcium-containing leafy green vegetables – you'll be protecting bones in your face as well as elsewhere in your body. The result? Less sagging, no jowls - and fewer frown lines.

QUICK FIX FOR CANKLES

As your core weakens with age, your body could be unconsciously compensating for poor balance by turning your feet and toes outwards - like a duck - in an attempt to widen your support base.

This can make the stomach stick out, suggesting you have gained a pot-belly. Act fast. Stand and walk with your feet precisely parallel, forcing your all-important postural muscles -those muscles most involved in maintaining your upright posture such as the spinal muscles, hip flexors and calves - to work hard to keep you balanced.

CANKLES - The term used to describe the fusion of ankles with calf muscles that afflicts many women as they get older - Hilary Clinton and Patsy Kensit included - are likely caused by gravity-pulling fat stores down towards the ankle and calf area.  

Regular exercise of an kind, but particularly 'calf raises' (lift up onto the balls of your feet and down, with feet parallel) is one way to minimise the effects of cankles. 

Fluid retention can sometimes cause blood to pool in the ankles, so it is worth getting checked by your GP if your ankles seem more 'puffy' than fat.   

Standing like a ballerina can improve posture, slim the torso and add height immediately

POSE LIKE A DANCER

As the important postural muscles of the core and abdomen start to weaken and the jelly-like disks between the vertebrae of the spine dry out and become thinner, women's bodies often revert to the foetal position as they get older: the head and shoulders shift forwards, the chest curls inwards and the spine crunches into a 'C' position as the pelvis tilts forward. 

Which, of course, is thoroughly ageing in itself.

This one is a quick fix. Merely thinking like a ballerina (stand tall and hold your tummy in) can be incredibly rejuvenating as it creates height and slims the torso.

Practise standing up straight with your back to a wall, heels touching the skirting board and your shoulders and the back of your head touching the wall. This may feel odd, but it's the quickest way to drop a decade. 

WALK, DON'T RUN

Extreme cardio workouts can cause dramatic weight loss and inflict the kind of wear and tear that leads to drawn features, sunken cheeks and hollow eyes. Moderation - and fun - is key.

Take walking. We tend to deride walking as a poor relation to running because it's not as good at working up a sweat. Yet it forms an essential element of the A-listers' exercise regimen. Charlize Theron, 40, Uma Thurman, 45, and Eva Mendes, 41, are among those who credit walking with helping them stay in shape.

It's hard to find an activity with a greater barrage of research to support it. Studies show outdoor exercise has a 50 per cent greater positive effect on mental health than going to the gym and it's associated with plummeting tension, anger and depression too. 

If you have not exercised in a while, walking is a fantastic way to become more active. We recommend walking every day and adding more intense activity (this can be faster bouts of walking) on four days a week for between 20 and 45 minutes (BUT NEVER LONGER).   

SLEEP YOURSELF SLIM

Dropping oestrogen levels trigger a switch in the pattern of fat storage from the bottom to the abdomen. You can wake up one morning to find there's nothing to fill your trousers - but plenty bulging over the waistband. Study after study also shows stress makes abdominal fat worse - even in otherwise thin women. So adequate rest is key to keeping that slender youthful waist.

Adequate sleep is essential for keeping a trim waist

A good night's sleep is one of the best ways to balance errant hormones and reduce stress. During deeper sleep, human growth hormone (HGH) is released. Not only does it repair muscles but it works hard to convert fat to fuel, naturally reducing levels of the stress hormone, cortisol - the enemy of the nipped-in waist.

GET SEXY

Friskiness is never age-dependent - in fact studies show sexual desire can be boosted, whatever your age, and there's a certain twinkle in the eye and a glow to the cheek of the sexually-active woman that can be incred-ibly rejuvenating.

One surefire way to rescue a flagging libido is through exercise. It takes just 20 minutes of activity (any activity - fully clothed!) to boost blood flow, resulting in more lubrication, better arousal and better orgasms.

Keeping active also keeps your fat percentage down which is great news because the more body fat you have, the less libido-boosting 'free-floating' testosterone you have.

SUPERBOOST YOUR DIET

Skin health depends on vitamin C, betacarotene and vitamin E

Skin health depends on vitamin C (in fruit and veg), betacarotene (in brightly coloured fruit and veg) and vitamin E (in avocados and whole grains), as well as essential fatty acids (in olive and rapeseed oil, nuts and seeds).

Scientists measure the antioxidant power of food by its ORAC (oxygen radical absorbency capacity) score. 

The oldest living people consume at least 6,000 ORAC units a day. 

Add these to your shopping list - each contains 2,000 ORAC units per portion:

• Blueberries, cherries, blackcurrants, raspberries, strawberries.
• Pear (half), grapefruit (half).
• Plum, orange or apple.
• Dark chocolate (4 pieces).
• Walnuts (7 halves).
• Pecans (8 halves).
• Pistachios (handful).
• Avocado (1/3).
• Broccoli (1 medium).
• Asparagus (8 spears).
• Red wine (150ml).
• Red grapes (200g/7oz).
• Cinnamon (1/3 tsp).
• Oregano (½ tsp dried)
• Turmeric (½ tsp).
• Mustard (1 tsp).
• Lentils, kidney beans (½ tin)

Extracted by LIZ HOGGARD and LOUISE ATKINSON from The Ageless Body by Peta Bee and Sarah Schenker, published by Bloomsbury at £8.99. To order a copy for £6.74 (offer valid to 4/1) call 0808 272 0808 or visit www.mailbookshop.co.uk