Gloucestershire &amp; Worcestershire

You know the drill at most medical check ups &#8211; bright lights, a quick in and out, job done; well thankfully it&#8217;s time for something entirely different. <a href="https://ghsclinics.health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">GHS Clinics</a> has arrived in Cheltenham to much excitement, with an innovative, longevity-led and data-obsessed approach to your health. 



Based at Eagle Tower in Montpellier, the team are more interested in what’s unfolding beneath the surface than simply ticking off symptoms, the ethos here is all about a &#8216;stay well, don’t just get fixed&#8217; mindset. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/03/1.clincis-1000x667.jpg" alt="ghs clinics" class="wp-image-81844" style="aspect-ratio:1.4992503748125936;width:640px;height:auto" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/03/1.clincis-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/03/1.clincis-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/03/1.clincis-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/03/1.clincis.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



It’s all in the diagnostic detail at this private health clinic &#8211; deep-dives into bloodwork, heart health, body composition, fitness, sleep, stress levels, all layered together to spot patterns rather than one-off problems. 



What you will get is a bespoke plan that actually feels personal, spanning medical input, nutrition and lifestyle. Less box-ticking, more fine-tuning with a fabulously Starfleet medical bay feel! it&#8217;s the kind of insight that makes you wonder why no one joined the dots sooner. 



Everything sits under one roof &#8211; which is incredibly handy &#8211; from GP access and hormone and menopause care to psychological therapies, all located in a state-of-the-art clinic. The future is all about hyper-personalised healthcare &#8211; just look at the USA, Singapore, Germany to name a few &#8211; and we&#8217;re so here for it.



Time to get some top tips for longevity from one of GHS Clinics&#8217; top experts, we reckon. 



We chat to GHS Clinics Founder &amp; CEO, Claire Richardson and Health Scientist behind&nbsp;the <a href="https://www.secondprime.health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Second Prime®</a> system, about the biggest &#8216;living longer&#8217; myths &#8211; and her top tips.



Over to you Claire&#8230;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/03/1.claire-richardson-1000x1000.jpg" alt="claire richardson from ghs health in cheltenham" class="wp-image-81795" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/03/1.claire-richardson-1000x1000.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/03/1.claire-richardson-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/03/1.claire-richardson-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/03/1.claire-richardson-500x500.jpg 500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/03/1.claire-richardson-1100x1100.jpg 1100w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/03/1.claire-richardson.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



&#8216;Lifespan&#8217; is how many years we live and &#8216;healthspan&#8217; is how many of those years we spend with enough physical and mental reserve to do the things that matter to us. 



In the UK, average life expectancy is still around 81, but the number of years lived in good health has stalled or even slipped back. For many people, roughly the last fifth of life is now spent in poor health.



Put bluntly, we are adding years to life, but not reliably adding life to those years. As someone who has spent much of my career in health and research, from NHS research leadership into ageing science and preventative care, closing this gap is one of the defining challenges facing people in midlife today.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-claire-s-golden-tips-for-living-longer">Claire&#8217;s golden tips for living longer</h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-you-have-more-than-one-age">You have more than one age</h3>



For most of history, age has been a simple question: how many birthdays have you had? Over the past decade, research has shown that we all carry several different &#8216;ages&#8217; inside us.



Scientists studying epigenetics (the chemical tags on our DNA that influence which genes switch on or off) have shown that these tags change in predictable ways as we get older. By measuring them, they can estimate our biological age.



Other researchers have also looked at patterns across blood tests, blood pressure, kidney function, inflammation and muscle strength. What emerges is a picture of multi-system ageing. Where, instead of one organ failing suddenly, several systems drift gradually out of their ideal range together, for example; a little higher blood sugar here, a little more inflammation there, slightly poorer sleep, slightly less muscle.



A useful analogy is an orchestra. Ageing is less like one violin snapping a string, and more like lots of instruments slipping out of tune. The music suffers long before anything actually breaks.







<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-use-it-or-lose-it-anti-ageing-problem-and-why-it-s-good-news">The &#8216;use it or lose it&#8217; anti-ageing problem (and why it’s good news)</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/03/4.clinic-1000x667.jpg" alt="books at ghs clinics" class="wp-image-81843" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/03/4.clinic-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/03/4.clinic-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/03/4.clinic-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/03/4.clinic.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



The slightly uncomfortable truth is that many anti-ageing changes are linked to how we live in our forties, fifties and sixties.



Long-running studies suggest that about half of the difference in how long and how well people live can be traced back to behaviour and environment: how much we move, whether we smoke, what we eat, how well we sleep, how much alcohol we drink and how connected we are to other people.



Muscle and bone are an example. For years we thought that loss of strength and bone density was inevitable with age, especially after the menopause. Newer clinical trials are more hopeful. Structured strength programmes, started even in the late 60s or early 70s, can not only slow bone loss but actually&nbsp;add&nbsp;bone density at key sites like the hip and spine, while increasing muscle mass.



In other words, “use it or lose it” is not a slogan, it is a mantra for longevity. Systems that are regularly used and challenged (muscles, bones, the brain) tend to keep more of their capacity. Systems that are neglected tend to decline faster.



As a former performance swimmer and long-distance open-water athlete, I have seen this first-hand. When I&#8217;m training hard for a Channel-length swim, I&#8217;m reminded how responsive the body still is, even in midlife. When I am pulled into too many meetings and not enough movement, I feel how quickly stamina, mood and sleep quality begin to slip. 







<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-your-second-heart-and-other-unglamorous-superpowers">Your second heart and other unglamorous superpowers</h3>



Some of the most powerful levers are also the least glamorous. Take the so-called &#8216;second heart&#8217; in your calves. Every time you move your ankle or push through your toes, the muscles in your lower leg squeeze blood back up towards your heart against gravity. When this calf pump is strong and active, (because you walk regularly, take the stairs, or do heel raises), it supports healthy circulation. 



When it is weak or switched off for long periods by sitting, blood tends to pool in the lower legs, which can contribute to swelling, varicose veins and, over time, higher cardiovascular risk. No supplement or gadget can do that job for you. Only movement can.



We see similar patterns in the brain. Midlife MRI studies show that better cardiovascular fitness; think brisk walking up Cleeve Hill, a regular swim at the lido, or a decent bike ride, is linked to healthier wiring in the brain’s white matter. 



The same applies to cognition. People who continue to stretch their skills, learn new things and stay in work or community roles that challenge them tend to maintain thinking abilities better than those who drift into permanent &#8216;autopilot&#8217;.



The message is simple: your everyday choices are either gently training your future self, or quietly de-training them.







<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-stories-we-tell-ourselves-about-getting-older">The stories we tell ourselves about getting older</h3>



There is also a psychological side to all of this. Research from European ageing studies suggests that how we picture our older selves shapes how we behave now. People who see later life purely as decline are less likely to invest in their health, finances and relationships. Those who see it as a stage with potential for growth and contribution are more likely to take practical steps to prepare.



Some people in their late forties or early fifties say: &#8216;I feel ten years older than I am&#8217;. Others say: &#8216;I want to be hiking or swimming in my seventies so what do I need to put in place now?. Your mindset will affect your ultimate trajectory.



Part of the work of healthy ageing is to update the story in our heads. Getting older is unavoidable. Becoming unwell earlier than necessary is not.







<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sorting-the-signal-from-the-noise">Sorting the signal from the noise</h3>



With so much information, and marketing, around longevity, how do you know what is worth paying attention to? Across my research and practice, three themes stand out.



Firstly, movement is medicine. Cardiorespiratory fitness and strength are consistently linked to longer healthspan and a lower risk of disability, even when started in midlife or later. Secondly, systems age together. Focusing on a single &#8216;magic number&#8217; like; cholesterol, weight, or an off-the-shelf biological age score, rarely tells the whole story. It is the overall pattern across systems that matters.



And lastly, personal context counts. The right plan for a 50-year-old woman juggling work, teenagers and ageing parents in the Cotswolds will look very different to the right plan for a semi-retired man in his early 70s. The principles are the same; the application is not.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="733" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/03/4.weight-1000x733.jpg" alt="ghs clinics" class="wp-image-81800" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/03/4.weight-1000x733.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/03/4.weight-800x587.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/03/4.weight-400x293.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/glosworcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/03/4.weight.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



To book in for a bespoke health assessment, or to chat more, head to GHS Clinics, find it at <a href="https://ghsclinics.health/contact-us/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Eagle Tower, Montpellier Drive, Cheltenham, GL50 1TA</a>.&nbsp;







<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-want-more-try-these">Want more? Try these:</h2>



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<a href="https://glosworcs.muddystilettos.co.uk/wellbeing/game-on-7-best-places-for-padel-and-pickleball-fun-in-glos-worcs/">Pickleball vs paddelball + where to play in Glos &amp; Worcs</a>

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