HEALTHY LIVING

How drinking water (and a touch of alcohol) can keep you smarter for longer.

IT AIN’T ABOUT THE MONEY, HONEY

It turns out that healthy people are about five to six times as likely to be happy than wealthy people. Data from the 2010 US Census shows that those who described themselves as healthy are 20% happier than the norm, compared to people in the highest income bracket who are only a paltry 3.5% happier. (Unhealthy people came out about 8% less happy than the average.) Winning!

MOVING TARGET

Using gadgets that measure how much we move can actually make us eat more, says co-author of The Fast

Diet Dr Michael Mosely, for one of three reasons: because we’re so buoyed up by the idea of the calories burned that we want to reward ourselves, or because we’ve reached a target and want to reward ourselves, or because we’re so depressed by not having reached our target that we want to comfort ourselves. His suggestion? Lose the tech and focus on what you eat and how you feel – and, in terms of exercise, try HIIT (high-intensity interval training).

LIQUID ASSETS

British neuroscientist Dr Lisa Mosconi believes that the single best thing we can do to keep our brains in good nick is to drink eight glasses of water daily. Water is involved in every chemical reaction in your brain, and not drinking enough can cause fatigue, brain fog, reduced energy, headaches and mood swings, she told the UK Sunday Times.

Research shows that eight to 10 cups of water a day can boost your brain’s performance by almost 30%! Coffee and black tea don’t count – as diuretics, they actually further dehydrate you.