The 10 daily habits that helped Queen Elizabeth live 96 years

Living to be nearly a century is no small feat…yet Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, or Queen Elizabeth II, added that milestone to her very long list of impressive accomplishments. Queen Elizabeth was born April 21, 1926 and died September 8, 2022, making her 96 years and four months old. For context, a woman born in 1926 has just a 3.2 per cent chance of making it to the century mark.

Not only did Queen Elizabeth live long – making her the longest-reigning monarch in English history – but she was remarkably healthy, too. After her husband Prince Philip, died at age 99 in 2021, the Queen herself experienced a series of health scares, including a bout of Covid-19. However, she was well enough to officially appoint Liz Truss as the newly elected Prime Minister just two days before she passed.

How did Queen Elizabeth live so long? Good genetics and chance likely played their roles, but a lot of the credit goes to her healthy lifestyle. Queen Elizabeth had some famously great health habits. Ready to take notes? Following her lead probably won’t make you a monarch, but it will definitely make you happier and healthier.

Queen Elizabeth’s breakfast was a routine priority, with breakfast served at 8.30am sharp. Eating a healthy breakfast has been linked with a longer life, perhaps due to breakfast-eaters having a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Queen Elizabeth’s daily pick? Reportedly tea with biscuits, followed by a bowl of what was said to be the Queen’s favourite cereal: Special K.

Here are some healthy breakfast ideas to start each day right.

Elizabeth was famously devoted to her band of adorable dogs, especially her corgis. Research has found that owning pets can boost your health by lowering blood pressure, reducing stress, lowering health care costs (pet owners visit the doctor less frequently than those who don’t have an animal), fighting depression, and reducing your risk of obesity, cancer and diabetes. Time for a walk!

Check out the British royal family and their pets: which is your favourite?

Horses have been a fixture in Queen Elizabeth’s life from a very young age, as she was an accomplished equestrian. In fact, she loved horses so much that she even gave her son Prince Charles a broodmare as a wedding gift.

Riding horses is fun – but it’s also great exercise, which might have contributed to her famously sharp mind (and wit!). Regular exercise is the sweet spot in reducing cognitive decline associated with ageing, according to a leading 2022 Alzheimer’s study. The type of exercise didn’t matter greatly, so take a page from the Queen’s book and pick something you enjoy!

Queen Elizabeth started her day with a cup of Earl Grey tea.  Like many of the British, she took her tea sans sugar, but didn’t mind a little milk.

Drinking a daily cup of tea supports organ health, prevents chronic diseases and helps repair cells in the body. Green tea gets a lot of the love in health circles these days; but black tea, like Earl Grey, has an impressive list of benefits too. A major pro of black tea? It may boost your immune system and reduce the risk of infection – two benefits definitely linked to a longer life.

Read on to find out what happens to your body when you drink tea every day.

Jam sandwiches were served every day for Elizabeth’s afternoon tea. These treats, known as ‘jam pennies,’ are simply jam spread on buttered white bread and cut into crustless circles.

Not exactly the healthiest fare, but it’s been reported the Queen loved them. And nutrition experts say that the key to a healthy lifestyle isn’t forbidding all treats, but instead indulging in them in sensible portions. This worked for the Queen: the reason her favourite sandwiches were called ‘pennies’ is because each sandwich is the size of an old English penny, about 2-3cm across!

Elizabeth was known for her sharp wit and dry sense of humour and was often photographed mid-laugh.  Close friends and acquaintances have shared many stories about her enjoyment of a good joke. For instance, when a tourist told her that she “looked a lot like the Queen” she retorted “Well, that’s reassuring!”

Humour is powerful medicine for your brain and body – boosting mood, lowering stress, improving social ties, and, yes, increasing longevity. Do your own laughter experiment and see how it changes your life!

Here are some funny corgi memes that will make you laugh out loud.

We’re sure that Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth had their ups and down like any couple, but they appeared to be extremely close – after all, they were married for over 70 years!

Being in a happy partnership has health benefits that go beyond simply being in love. Called ‘the marriage benefit,’ research has shown that stable couples are more likely to maintain a healthy weight, exercise, take vacations, and enjoy better overall health.

Check out these things you didn’t know about Queen Elizabeth II’s marriage.

Being part of a high-profile family can be complicated. But despite the periodic challenges, it was clear that Queen Elizabeth had a close-knit group of loved ones who were there when she needed them.

Some research has shown that loneliness and isolation may reduce your lifespan as much as smoking cigarettes, while having a strong social network adds years to your life (not to mention adding life to those years!).

Gardening and walking outdoors were two of Elizabeth’s favourite hobbies and she was often photographed combining those loves, walking through garden shows. Good news for nature lovers: both happen to be linked with a longer life in the research. It’s not just the exercise that boosts your health. Simply being outdoors, in nature, lowers stress hormones, slows your heart rate, reduces blood pressure, and increases feelings of safety and wellbeing, according to a study of ‘forest bathing’. In addition, keeping plants indoors – like Queen Elizabeth did – improves your mental health.

Don’t miss these jaw-dropping pictures of the world’s most amazing trees.