"Longevity" is the word on everyone's lips lately, and we all seem dialed into the best ways to boost longevity as birthdays relentlessly come and go. Recently, I spoke with expert Leslie Kenny, co-founder of the prestigious Oxford Longevity Project, who shared three exercises she recommends for maintaining muscle as you age.

"One of the most important things we can do for healthy aging is preserve our muscle mass," Kenny says. "From our 30s onwards, we can gradually lose muscle, particularly if we’re sedentary. This becomes increasingly important in our 40s, when hormonal changes, particularly during perimenopause for women, can make maintaining muscle more challenging."

The good news is that you don’t need an expensive gym membership or complicated equipment to start protecting your muscles. Three simple bodyweight exercises can make a real difference. We share them below.

If you experience pain at any time, stop and rest. If you're working with an injury or health condition, I recommend seeking advice before starting these exercises.

When we keep our largest muscle groups strong and active, we’re doing much more than protecting our mobility. We’re also supporting the body’s ability to regulate inflammation, which is particularly important as we age.

"My colleague at the Oxford Longevity Project, Sir Muir Gray, always says that the quickest route to a care home is when you can no longer sit down on the toilet and get up again unaided," says Kenny.

"It sounds rather blunt, but he makes an incredibly important point. The ability to sit down and stand up independently is one of the fundamental movements that allows us to remain independent as we age.

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