The secret to daily health is as easy as

From 1 cold shower every morning to 10 minutes’ meditation, the numbers I live by every day to stay happy and well

YES, I’m a geek and I love numbers. So much so that when I first came up with a new diet, in 2012, I decided to call it The 5:2 Diet, which I was assured, at the time, was a terrible name.

Turns out that a geeky-sounding name made it memorable. So I thought it would be fun to share some of the numbers that I live my daily life by — and why!

1 COLD SHOWER

THIS has been a relatively recent addition to my daily habits. I don’t love cold water, but I was encouraged to give it a go after talking to Mike Tipton, a professor of human and applied physiology at Portsmouth University, who is also expert in the benefits of cold water — and I have stuck with it.

I start with a warm shower, then go fully cold and try to stay there for a minute. It certainly wakes me up and I love the tingly feeling afterwards.

There is evidence that a cold shower every morning can boost your immune system and cut your risk of getting a cold, so with winter fast approaching this may be something you want to try.

2 BRISK WALKS

I USED to wear a fitness tracker and tried to hit 10,000 steps a day, but the strap broke and I lost the tracker, so now I aim for a couple of brisk walks a day instead, as that fits in with my life.

To get the biggest health benefits, a walk should be brisk, at least 100 paces a minute (120 paces is jogging speed).

3 CUPS OF COFFEE

I LOVE coffee for the taste and the mood lift it gives me but I have to ration myself, otherwise my blood pressure shoots up and I sleep badly.

The optimal dose seems to be around three cups a day. In one study of 50,000 women carried out by the Harvard School of Public Health in the US, researchers found that those drinking two to three cups of coffee per day were 15 per cent less likely to develop clinical depression over a ten-year period than those drinking one or less.

This could be because coffee is packed with antioxidants and antiinflammatory chemicals. Decaf had no impact.

4 GLASSES OF WATER

THE European Food Safety Authority says men should be drinking 2.5 litres of fluid a day, women 2 litres, but personally I don’t find that helpful guidance.

Instead I try to drink a large glass of water with every meal, and at least one other at some point during the day, as well as coffee and tea. There is evidence that drinking water with your meal means you eat less and we also know that even mild dehydration can lead to loss of cognitive ability.

5-A-DAY

WE ALL know about five-a-day — the ideal seems to be three portions of veg and two portions of fruit, and try to make the fruit and veg varied in colours. I try to eat veg at every meal (I even add some to my morning omelette).

6 WEES

TO BE honest, this is more a measure of how much water you’re drinking than a target to aim for: six to seven wees a day is normal and many people over 60 also go twice during the night.

If you’re going less you’re probably not drinking enough. If, however, you are one of those who goes to the loo before you leave the house ‘just in case’ then you might want to cut back, as that can lead to an overactive bladder, with frequent, sudden urges to urinate that may be difficult to control.

7-MINUTE WORKOUTS

THIS is one of my favourite ways to exercise, because you work so many muscles and it’s all over so fast. The programme was originally developed by an exercise physiologist from the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, in the US, who designed it to cram a good workout into just seven minutes.

You can find plenty of free sevenminute workout apps, which normally consist of 30 seconds of vigorous activity, then a ten-second break before the next exercise.

8 HOURS’ SLEEP

WE NOW know that sleep is as important to health as diet and exercise, as it’s when lots of repair goes on, and our brains get a good spring cleaning.

We all have different sleep needs, but eight hours seems to be as good a target as any and from trial and error I know it’s what I need. You can tell if you’re lacking by how tired you feel during the day: if you go to bed in the afternoon and fall asleep within 15 minutes, you’re not getting enough.

9 NUTS

NINE almonds or walnuts make up a small handful, and there’s a wealth of evidence that this amount every day is good for the heart and the brain. Despite the fact that nuts are high in fat, their high fibre content means a small handful a day can also help you lose weight.

10 MINUTES’ MEDITATION

I TRY to spend ten minutes a day practising mindful meditation. I use an app called Headspace (it’s free if you’re doing only ten minutes), and I find that ten minutes, in the morning, spent sitting in a quiet space trying to focus on my breath, is enough to help my sleep and calm me down.