If you want to live as long as possible, eat well, take exercise, spend less time in the office and move to Cambridge!

Cambridge is the number one area of Britain for longevity amongst men, where they can expect to live six and a half years longer than those in Manchester, which is bottom of the life expectancy league. Male babies born in the early 1990s in Cambridge can expect an average life span of 76.6 years, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.

Unsurprisingly, inner city areas like Manchester, Liverpool, and South Tyneside are years below the Cambridge experience. The combination of the male culture and working class culture of heavy drinking, heavy smoking and eating too much fatty food puts men years below women for life expectancy rates.

Women have an average life expectancy of around 80.

Office life can pile on the pounds

As working hours seem to get longer, waistbands are getting bigger. Six in ten workers use staff canteens, but although healthy options are usually available on the menu, Britons tend not to pick them.

More than 50 per cent of workers have chips with lunch at least once a week; 40 per cent pick stodgy puddings and more than 30 per cent choose fry-ups.

Overweight people may become victims of unfair pressure. American researchers say that discrimination against the obese by employers could help to account for their findings that slimmer people and their families have on average more than twice as much money as the obese.

Health Department figures show that more than two-thirds of men and nearly six in ten women are now so heavy that their health is at risk. Male obesity has risen by 75 per cent in a decade while the number of female heavyweights has increased by 45 per cent. Weight-related diseases are claiming 30,000 lives a year.

The rise in obesity among young children has also shocked Government health experts. The number of youngsters with weight problems has doubled in the last 20 years and one in ten six-year-olds, is now classed as obese.

Combat that unhealthy office lifestyle

• Choose the foods rich in all the vitamins and minerals and you'll stay slimmer and healthier and boost your short-term memory and alertness.
  
  
• A sedentary lifestyle means you need to eat less than more active people.
  
  
• Carbohydrates in high-fibre breakfast cereals give long term energy – but sugary snacks only provide a fast blood-sugar surge and will leave you feeling drained later.
  
  
• Avoid heavy lunches – they make you tired. Salads or sandwiches are better and include oily fish - salmon or tuna - at least once a week. (Fish can also give your memory a boost).
  
  
• Don’t drink more than two or three cups of tea or coffee a day, thenand then stick to water.
  
  
• Simple regular exercise like walking 20 minutes a day or taking the stairs instead of the lift reduces the risk of numerous disorders.
  
  
• Nutrients from fresh vegetables, unroasted nuts and seeds, and whole grains will improve your skin condition and help you feel healthier.
  
  
• Substitute fresh fruit for crisps and biscuits when you get the mid-morning munchies. Health experts recommend we eat five different fruit or vegetables each day to stay healthy.

Look after your heart

Heart disease is Britain's biggest killer. Every year around 300,000 people suffer heart attacks, of which 170,000 are fatal. And the trouble is that it is rarely inherited – it is something that humans build up in their own lifestyles. But there are positive ways to stave off heart problems. Healthy eating habits and an active life will significantly reduce the risk of a heart attack.

Don’t keep going on a diet Weight-obsessed individuals are twice as likely to contract heart disease; fluctuations in weight brought on by yo-yo dieting put additional strain on the heart.

Include red wine, oily fish, and fresh fruit and vegetables in your diet In moderation red wine can genuinely reduce the risk of a heart attack. Its properties can have an anti-oxidising affect which help stop arteries clogging up.

Relax Music is good for relaxation and that is food for the heart. Get plenty of sleep and even keep a pet – people with pets are less likely to develop heart problems.

And of you should know the rest… Eat oily fish at least once a week; get 20 minutes of exercise every day; sleep well; don’t smoke.

Take minerals Most people don’t stick to a perfectly- balanced diet, so top it up with a daily mineral supplement.

Keep your head at work Accept that people play political games at work, and just get on with it. You won’t change them, so change yourself. Try to take a break and forget about work. Those who fire people have more heart attacks than those who are fired. And make sure you take a proper holiday.

Web help

NHS Direct Online offers advice about health and healthy living. www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/

nhs.uk helps you find your nearest doctor, dentist, hospital and other local services. www.nhs.uk

And if you are the type who likes to diagnose your own illness… the NHS health encyclopaedia can be used to fuel your paranoia. www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/resourceindex.asp

For Aadvice on healthy eating www.food.gov.uk/healthiereating

You can also browse our list of links to the top health and nutrition sites (www.uknetguide.co.uk/Health_and_Fitness/Health/).