Say hello to Marion Reynolds. She was born in Pimlico in 1910, the youngest of three sisters. Her father worked at the local brewery and her mother was a seamstress. Marion can clearly remember hiding in the cellar of their two-up, two-down while German Zeppelins bombed London in August 1916. 'I wasn't scared - I was too young. And too excited.' In 1928 she survived the great Thames flood. 'Fourteen people drowned just up the road from us in Millbank. The Tate Gallery and the Houses of Parliament were flooded, the Embankment collapsed - a real mess.'

Having lived through airship attack, the Depression, the Blitz and 18 prime ministers, Marion knows a thing or two about long life. 'Everyone asks me, "What's your secret? How have you kept so young for so long?" I'm 98 this year, but I don't feel a day over 80,' she chuckles. Marion is still remarkably active and lives in her own flat, just 200 yards from where she was born. She must be doing something right, so what is it?

Food and drink
'First off, I've never smoked. I do like a drink, mind. Always have. One small glass of red wine a day with my lunch. It keeps me going.' Marion's right - scientists have found that people who enjoy one drink of alcohol a day, typically wine, are less likely to develop dementia than people who never touch a drop. Does that mean getting regularly tanked-up will keep you forever youthful? Sadly, no - higher levels of drinking don't have a beneficial effect and can do serious harm.

Then there's Marion's diet. She's never been a big eater, she doesn't go for rich or fatty food ('I've got my figure to think about') and she's always eaten her greens. As Marion says, 'These days it's all "make sure you get five portions of fruit or veg a day" - I've been doing that for years'.

Keeping active
Living in her own flat means Marion keeps active, although as she admits, 'I don't do much shopping these days. Or cleaning. But I do like to watch the home help hard at it'. After a stint as a maid in a West End hotel, Marion worked most of her life as a foster parent, helping to raise 10 children between 1929 and 1961. 'That keeps you fit, I can tell you,' she says.

In fact keeping active is vital for longevity. Dr Anne Fabiny, geriatrician and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School, comments, 'If there is anything close to a fountain of youth it is exercise. Given its proven benefits and low side-effects, if it were a pill everybody would be on it'.

Of course, embarking on an exercise programme in the second half of our lives does call for caution. Aim for moderate exercise (say 30 minutes of brisk walking) four or five days a week. Warm up first with some easy stretching exercises. And remember that a regularly active life - gardening, walking, energetic housework, dancing, using stairs and carrying shopping - can be as effective as an exercise programme.

Stay sharp
Next there's the issue of staying mentally active. As we age, our ability to process information slows down. The good news is that by keeping our brain active we can look after our minds just as we look after our bodies. In short, 'if we don't use it, we lose it'.

For Marion, crosswords are almost an obsession, although it could be anything. Challenging games, stimulating discussions, travel, learning new skills, getting involved in further education or learning to play a musical instrument are all great ways of keeping our minds in shape.

Birds do it, bees do it
Last, but by no means least, there's sex. Marion has always been, well, enthusiastic. 'No point being coy about it: sex was important, it kept me and my Harry young right into our seventies.' It's a fact that older people who have regular sex enjoy better physical and mental health than those who don't. That's because sex is what doctors call a 'life enhancer'.

'Self-esteem is better among older people who have sex, emotional well-being is greater and a feeling of togetherness exists which can be absent in others,' reports Dr Merryn Gott, author of a report on well-being and the over 50s. But don't despair if sex sounds impossible - there are new drugs that can assist in maintaining sexual drive. This is definitely a subject that's worth discussing with your GP.

So Marion's tips for a longer, happier life are simple: eat well, keep active, stay mentally sharp and enjoy sex. Doesn't sound too bad, does it?

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