Moving to Spain now proven to extend expats? lifespan

Moving to Spain guarantees a longer, fuller life for British expats, but there’s a catch!

It’s true that becoming an expat in Spain is guaranteed to help you live longer, but the catch is that you need to adopt a Spanish lifestyle to get the full benefits. Those whose lives in the UK included a daily full English breakfast, the local curry house every Friday night and a Sunday roast piled high with greasy roast potatoes and overcooked green veg have a choice to make – go healthy or go to the morgue. The truth may be harder to digest than a double McDonalds’s rubbish-burger, but it comes from a highly-respected source.

The Washington-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation has published a report in which it states Spaniards are soon to overtake the Japanese at the top of the world’s longevity tables, outliving the average Brit by just short of three years. The secret, according to the institute, is more walking, more fruit and more sex rather than punishing workouts at a local gym, a diet consisting of raw vegetables and little else and abstinence from everything that’s seriously enjoyable.

Walking is recommended, but as a simple stroll taking around ten minutes and repeated four times a week rather than a marathon including small mountains and a timer. Cycling or walking to work is also recommended, both of which aren’t a great idea in the UK due to its inclement weather. Ditching the unhealthy British diet and replacing it with delicious Spanish dishes using fresh vegetables, nuts, olive oil and fish accompanied by several glasses of Spain’s excellent red wine will work wonders with your mood and your health, especially if a hearty lunch is substituted for a heavy evening meal.

As regards using sex as a rejuvenator, a recent survey revealed Spanish women enjoy a romp in the hay more than twice a week, whilst their British counterparts have to make do with just under twice. Sex beats out stress, and a good time to indulge is just before you take your afternoon siesta, another Spanish ritual which helps improve longevity as well as enhancing your lifestyle. If a siesta isn’t possible due to pressures of work, the traditionally long lunch break takes your mind off work, although it’s perhaps not quite long enough to get home, have sex, eat lunch and get back to the office!