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Rob Seddon, 48, has decided to continue renting a property, rather than buy, thanks to the level of autonomy it provides him.
He said: “My life has been extremely transient having lived in Australia, Italy, Scotland, Cyprus and the UK. Renting has given me the flexibility of being able to move if I needed to or wanted to for work or to take some time off from the UK.”
Rob, who is self-employed and the owner of Cooper’s Markets, currently rents in Buckinghamshire and admits he has never felt the need to buy, as he feels like it would tie him down.
Shorts
Forget lifespan, everyone is focused on extending their healthspan: meaning, the number of years you live in good health
So what tiny tweaks can you make to your daily routine to extend a fulfilled life? Health writer Rosie Fitzmaurice tried some out.
The research
One year
Analysis from the University of Sydney found that getting an additional five minutes of sleep, two minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity and an additional half-serving of vegetables per day could lead to an extra year of life.
A decade
Getting seven to eight hours of sleep each night, more than 40 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise each day and following a healthy diet, were traits associated with almost a decade of additional lifespan.
Daily tweaks to make
Daily spoonful of beans
One large study found that an intake of 20g of legumes daily may reduce a person’s risk of dying in any given year by up to eight per cent.
Fibre at breakfast
Most people in the UK eat around 16–18g fibre a day but 30g is recommended.
Photographer: Teri Pengilley
Provider: Teri Pengilley / i news
Source: Teri Pengilley
Olive oil shots
One major study found those who ate the most olive oil (more than half a tablespoon a day) had a 19 per cent lower risk of death from any cause.
Daily tweaks to make
- 4There are benefits to eating an early dinner when we’re insulin sensitive and strolling afterwards to help digestion.
- 5Vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity – rather than structured exercise -ccould reduce the risk of a heart attack.
- 6Strength training is still important and just 30 to 60 minutes each week is associated with a 10 to 20 per cent lower risk of death.
- 7Balance training improves neuromuscular co-ordination and proprioception, which are critical for preventing falls.
Rosie puts this to the test
- She had a helping of beans daily and loaded her breakfast with nuts, seeds and berries.
- Fitzmaurice swapped butter for olive oil, had dinner two hours earlier (around 6pm) and did one-minute bursts of exercise throughout the day.
- She also practised her grip strength through dead hangs at the local park and brushed her teeth on one leg to improve balance.
The verdict
I can’t predict the future, but it’s true that making a few microtweaks to my weekly routine have had a surprisingly uplifting effect on my mood. As the world feels so utterly terrifying, taking control of the small things feels like therapy.
ROSIE FITZMAURICE, HEALTH JOURNALIST FOR THE i paper
Photographer: Teri Pengilley
Provider: Teri Pengilley / i news
Source: Teri Pengilley
Is napping an
invaluable part of the day or an unproductive hour?
To find out how to feel better, brighter and bushy-tailed, we asked Russell Foster, a
professor of neuroscience at
the University of Oxford, everything you need to know about napping.
Photographer: Jamie Garbutt
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Stone RF
Copyright: Jamie Garbutt
How long should we nap for?
For Professor Foster, the ideal length of a time for a nap is just 20 minutes and certainly no longer than 30.
“You don’t want to do is fall into deeper sleep, because then recovery from that can leave you groggy,” he says.
Is there an optimum time of day to nap?
Napping too late in the day is warned against.
- An early-afternoon nap of around 20 minutes can improve your cognition during the second half of the day.
- If you have a nap later on, you can push back your sleep pressure, which means the longer you’ve been awake the greater need for sleep, at night.
- As long as you’re getting the sleep that you need to function optimally, that’s the main thing.
How much sleep does a person need?
Sleep is like a shoe: one size doesn’t fit all.
Oversleeping on days-off or sustaining your waking day with caffeine and other stimulants are signs of tiredness.
Not everybody needs eight hours of sleep; it’s variable, dynamic and individual. And will vary over a lifetime depending on the season.
Other things to know
It doesn’t matter where you physically nap as long as it feels right and you’re comfortable. You can create the right environment by making it dark, calm or using a smell like lavender.
Generally speaking, napping is probably a metric that you’re not getting the sleep you need at night, says Professor Foster. “But don’t beat yourself up over it. A short nap, if it improves the second half of the day, is fine”.
What is causing damp? And how to fix it
In addition to being generally unpleasant, living in a damp property can lead to structural and health issues if left unaddressed for long periods of time.
Read on to find out the industry expert advice on how to cut the risk of damp forming in your home…
Start with your windows
Don’t keep them closed.
Regularly opening windows – even on cold days – can improve the ventilation inside and decrease the humidity of the room.
Also wipe away the condensation that has formed overnight with a microfiber cloth to remove the dampness.
Big Read
8 min read
How to reduce the risk of damp
Dry clothes in the bathroom
Avoid drying clothes in bedrooms or living rooms without airflow.
Avoid curtains over radiators
It can trap heat behind the fabric, reduce room warmth and cause condensation on windows.
Nudge your furniture
Large furniture items placed tightly against cold walls can trap condensation, leading to mould over time.
Photographer: Thomas Trutschel
Provider: Photothek via Getty Images
Source: Photothek
It could be the age of your home
Close to 90 per cent of UK homes with solid external walls lack insulation, making them vulnerable.
The airtight design of some new builds helps with energy efficiency but can trap moisture if ventilation isn’t properly managed, says Chad Bragg, chief technical officer at insulation company SuperFOIL.
How to reduce the risk of damp
Clear clothes out
Clothing that is packed too tightly in a wardrobe traps humidity, especially if it is slightly damp.
Photographer: Steve Parsons
Provider: Steve Parsons/PA Wire
Source: PA
Heat strategically
If the heating in your home is reduced in temperature by just two degrees, humidity levels will increase by 10 per cent.
Keep lids on pans
While cooking it avoids releasing moisture into the air. A good cooker hood is most effective.
Planning for an extension?
Pay attention to insulation
Poor insulation creates ‘thermal bridges,’ or cold spots, where the new structure joins the old house. These cold junctions act as magnets for condensation, causing localised mould, heat loss, and discomfort.
LIFESTYLE
4 min read
How to fake your way to being organised
Do you have your life together? Is your home tidy and clutter-free; your diary neatly colour-coded; your to-do list full of satisfying ticks?
If these questions feel like a personal attack don’t worry. We asked the put-together experts for their secrets.
Get to know your brain
The real magic is rarely in the system but in how your brain likes to work.
- If you love analytical tasks, try making spreadsheets.
- Set reminders for the things you usually forget.
- Use the Notes app for the ideas you think of in the shower but never remember when you get to do it.
- But if you are more likely to structure your day around how you’re feeling, a calendar isn’t the best option.
How to fake your way to organisation
Make it easier
If you hate folding, change your storage style. If you’re always forgetting your keys, put a sign by your door.
Make a launch pad
Keep a small tray or basket in the hallway for your can’t-leave-home-without essentials.
Use technology
After meetings use an AI tool to note down what you have to remember as a brain dump.
Create new habits
The one-touch rule
If you put your shoes straight on the rack as you take them off, instead of kicking them onto the floor and moving them later, that’s one touch. If you hang things up rather than tossing them onto the ‘bedroom chair’ it’s another one-touch win.
Talk to yourself out loud
This verbal anchor helps you remember what you have decided to do and cuts down on mental drift.
The 300-second challenge
Photographer: Prostock-Studio
Provider: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Source: iStockphoto
- Give yourself five minutes to deal with one overdue chore or task.
- Using seconds rather than minutes creates urgency and gives your brain a novelty hit.
- Try it when putting the laundry away, making a phone call or reading an overdue email.
LIFESTYLE
9 min read
Make it easier for yourself
Use completion cues
Drop a marble in a jar or move a sticky note across a board each time you complete a task.
Support your future
Write down where you left off and the next small task to tackle to strengthen your control over every day demands.
Ask for help
Consider seeking support from loved ones, neighbours, colleagues, community groups or professionals.
Eight tips for
combating loneliness
Ree Young, works for Mind mental health charity as a ‘befriender’ – this means working with people aged 50 and over in the city of Leeds – who may be struggling with social isolation or loneliness.
Young advises these people on how to get social, even when you don’t want to. Here are her tips.
How to combat loneliness
Social isolation affects us all
27%
of adults reported they felt lonely always, often or some of the time in data published by the Office for National Statistics in 2024.
7%
reported that they felt lonely always or often.
How to combat loneliness
Stay socially active
Check out what’s going on at your local community centre or learn something new to make connections.
Use technology
Look up old friends online, or use video-call features to connect with those who don’t live nearby.
Get creative
Why not learn how to crochet, write short stories, plant a herb garden or play the ukulele in a group?
Adopt a pet
They can provide companionship, a listening ear and a structured routine. They can be good listeners and stroking them can make us feel calmer and more at ease. Even the smallest pets, like fish, can bring us joy and a sense of purpose.
REE YOUNG, BEFRIENDER
How to tackle loneliness
Join a death cafe
They are safe and inclusive spaces for people to be curious about death in a supportive environment.
Try citizen science
It’s a great way to feel part of a community, while also contributing to worthwhile initiatives.
Explore your faith
Try attending services if spiritual practices are important to you. They can offer strong support networks and open doors to new people.
Photographer: Tom Maddick / SWNS
Provider: Tom Maddick / SWNS
Source: Tom Maddick / SWNS
Seek professional help
If you are unsure what support is available, speak to your GP. Research local charities and find out what services they have to offer, and try accessing local befriending, group or peer-support services.
There is nothing shameful about asking for help.
The six reasons your partner might cheat
Cheating is still the number one cause of divorce, and one in five Brits admit to doing it.
But what are the main drivers of infidelity?
Why your partner might cheat
They want a way out
Sex and relationship therapist Cate Campbell says exit affairs are one of the three “big reasons” she sees.
Fear of commitment
This often happens when a person doesn’t feel good about themselves, or have a fear of being found out.
A mid-life crisis
Transitions like moving house, new jobs or becoming parents makes cheating more common.
Why your partner might cheat
They’re getting too close to a colleague
This dynamic is usually an unhappy man who confides in a woman in a work context, and it switches from a supportive friendship into an affair.
They want something new in bed
Desires change – consiously or not and people may believe they want something different, or to experiment.
They feel lonely
Nobody stays the same in a relationship – and if we’re not communicating that to each other, it can be disconnecting.
Susie Masterson, a relationship therapist, says when people feel undervalued, or stretched too thin in day-to-day life, they can look at their relationship and realise it isn’t filling the gaps.
How to recover from an affair
Infidelity doesn’t have to be the end of a relationship
- Psychotherapist Esther Perel says in her book The State of Affairs that affairs can actually save a relationship, by forcing us to address deep-rooted issues and come back stronger.
- Campbell says couples should be having conversations about infidelity and what it means to them.
- “Often it’s not the affair that ends the relationship, but the fallout – and the way it’s managed. Which is why it’s useful to get some therapy if you can,” she adds.
Think you know all the signs of heart problems? Some might be myths rather than fact…
These are the beliefs to be wary of, according to Dr Abdul Mozid, a consultant cardiologist at Nuffield Health Leeds Hospital.
‘Getting out of breath is just a sign of getting older’
Photographer: PicTour Studio
Provider: Getty Images
Source: iStockphoto
- While ageing can contribute, breathlessness is also a common early warning sign of heart disease.
- When the heart cannot pump efficiently, fluid can build up in the lungs, making simple activities difficult.
- If it occurs while laying down, or while doing minimal activity, it should never be ignored.
LIFESTYLE
4 min read
‘Sleep has little effect on the heart’
Poor or fragmented sleep increases stress hormone levels, raises blood pressure, disrupts glucose metabolism and promotes inflammation — all of which contribute to cardiovascular disease.
Good-quality sleep is not a luxury; it is a pillar of cardiovascular health alongside diet and exercise.
‘Exercise gives you a healthy heart’
You can ‘out-exercise’ metabolic stress
This is not true. A poor diet high in saturated fats, refined sugars and salt promotes high cholesterol, diabetes and hypertension, regardless of your activity levels.
Analysis
3 min read
Other heart health myths to ignore
Only “bad” cholesterol matters
While HDL cholesterol may be associated with lower risk in some contexts, it does not provide total immunity to heart problems. Managing LDL levels remains crucial as part of your overall health.
It’s just anxiety
Women are more likely to present with less “classic” heart attack symptoms, such as fatigue, nausea, jaw pain or back discomfort. If symptoms are new or persistent, cardiac issues must be considered.
‘Heart disease is an older person problem’
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in women, yet risk is often underestimated. Symptoms may be subtle and attributed to life stage or stress.
Recognising these unique risk enhancers is vital to earlier diagnosis and prevention.
Photographer: Thomas Trutschel
Provider: Photothek via Getty Images
Source: Photothek
Fridge or cupboard?
This is your definitive guide on where and how to store your foods at home to maximise the quality and shelf life, from ketchup and butter to nuts and jam.
Where to store the basics
- Keeping butter in the fridge maximises food safety and freshness.
- Ketchup and mayonnaise can be stored in the cupboard but once opened, are best in the fridge.
- Bread shouldn’t be refridgerated due to the starch molecules. A bread bin at room temparture, or an airtight container is best.
LIFESTYLE
6 min read
How and where to store food items
There is a fine line between ripe or matured and spoilt.
Jam
Keeping it in the fridge will help it last longer.
Eggs
Storing them at a constant cool temperature, preferably in the fridge, will keep them safe to eat.
Berries
Keeping them in the fridge slows down mould growth and keeps them fresh.
LIFESTYLE
5 min read
Where to store your food
Photographer: Maria Korneeva
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
Tomatoes
Ripe ones should be kept on the counter uncovered if you’re going to enjoy them in the first few days after purchase.
Potatoes
They need to be in a dry, dark place like a cupboard. Exposure to light or moisture can rot the skin.
Photographer: bauwimauwi
Provider: Getty Images
Source: iStockphoto
Bananas
12°C is best, as they will ripen quicker if they are too warm, so a darker space with no direct sunlight is ideal.
Fridge or cupboard?
- 1Apples are best in cool to cold temperatures so the salad compartment of the fridge is ideal to keep them crunchy.
- 2At room temperature lemons stay good for a week but in the fridge it stretches to two.
- 3Ripe avocados should go in the fridge to slow down the ripening process but if they’re firm, a warm sunny spot is best.
- 4Soy sauce, due to the high levels of salt, is best in the cupboard – even once opened.
Where to store your food
Nuts
Nuts are fine in the cupboard but keeping them in the fridge in an airtight container helps prevent spoilage.
Photographer: Jelena990
Provider: Getty Images
Source: iStockphoto
Garlic
This suits dry, dark places so a cupboard is ideal.
Onions
Low temperatures can transform the starches of the onion into sugars, making it soft, and potentially mouldy.
He is not alone – data from SpareRoom found 14 per cent of renters thought they would never get on the property ladder, with 11 per cent of those saying it was because they actually preferred to rent.
This is despite the cost of renting rising, with average monthly payments hitting £1,377 in the UK this March, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.
The mortgage market is one reason why many don’t feel confident in buying a property with rates seeing much volatility in recent months.
Since the conflict in the Middle East began earlier this year, sub-4 per cent interest rates on mortgages slowly vanished from the market, with the average two-year rate now sitting at 5.75 per cent, rising from 4.83 per cent in March.
Rob is paying £1,200 a month in rent and despite enjoying the freedom it affords him, says the steady rent increases in the market are worrying, especially as he lives alone and has “to pay the ‘single tax’ of paying for everything like bills and rent.”
He said his friends and family have urged him to buy, but admitted “something about being tied down to a property doesn’t sit right with me,” adding that being self-employed makes it very hard to buy.
He has also been lucky with the landlords he has had thus far and described them as being understanding and happy to fix things when they went wrong.
“Broken boilers, water leaks, one even installed new windows and doors as the draft through the old front door and single pane windows was driving up my fuel prices,” he said.
Another person opting to rent is 26-year-old Maxwell Marlow, who lives in Chelsea and has been renting since 2018.
Although Maxwell has the savings to buy a property worth between £400,000 to £500,000, he is choosing not to.
He said: “The London market is in an exceptionally precarious position.
“Circumstances also mean I’d rather stay where I am. I have an exceptionally good landlord who provides an exceptionally nice flat, and I enjoy living with my current flatmate in a lovely area of London. Finally, the money I have saved is performing much better invested in the economy (or other economies) than in the much riskier housing market.”
Maxwell is currently paying £1,140 a month in rent and although he doesn’t believe he will always rent he doesn’t see the appeal of taking the money he has invested to enter a market he describes as currently being “poor” for first-time buyers.
“I also don’t see the appeal of adding more turmoil to my professional and personal life when, truth be told, things are going alright for me. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
The rising cost of rent is something that worries Maxwell but he still believes financially it is much better for young people and professionals to rent with a good landlord.
He said: “I don’t have to worry about the various costs of maintaining a house (bar the cleaning and minor maintenance we do to keep our flat in a good condition), and dealing with the building’s management authorities.”
It comes as millions of renters across England have been given a swathe of new rights under the Renters’ Rights Act this month.
Landlords can no longer issue so-called no-fault notices to evict tenants; they will only be able to increase rents once a year using a formal 13 notice and fixed-term tenancies have ended – with all renters now on rolling contracts with no end date.
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