HEALTH NOTES: Twiggy: Get tap-dancing for fitness


Her waif-like figure saw her grace the cover of Vogue magazine in the 1960s when she was just 17 – and Lesley Hornby, better known as Twiggy – is still a familiar face today at the age of 66.

Now she has revealed some secrets of her ever-youthful figure – tap-dancing, and not taking exercise too seriously.

Twiggy said: ‘I am not fanatical, but over the years tap-dancing has been a big thing in my life.

Twiggy, pictured, said her ever-youthful figure is down to tap-dancing and not taking exercise too seriously

‘I have one-on-one lessons. It’s such great fun. I did it for the show My One And Only on Broadway and for The Boy Friend. 

‘I think everyone should learn to tap-dance. It’s a great way of keeping fit. Fred Astaire was still dancing in his 70s.’

As for the gym, Twiggy, who designed the Aurora range of frames for Specsavers, says: ‘I used to go to the gym but I think you have to be careful, especially as you get older.

‘I just want to be supple, and Pilates is brilliant because it stretches you. I love that.’

Standing desks may not only be good for posture but could boost productivity too. 

A study featuring nearly 200 call-centre workers showed that those who used stand-up desks increased their productivity by 46 per cent over a six-month period. 

In addition, about 75 per cent of those who used the desks, and who stood for an average of 1.6 hours a day more than workers using traditional desks, had fewer body aches and pains during the day.

One theory is that less discomfort makes people feel better, which in turn leads to increased productivity. 

Another suggestion is that people who use stand-up desks move more. 

The research, at Texas AM University, is among the first to look at long-term use of the desks, which are designed to encourage people to be more active at work.

A student who had two operations after injuring his back has developed a piece of pioneering physiotherapy equipment to help others with rehabilitation. 

Harry Back (yes, really!) has degeneration in his lower spine stemming from an injury as a teenager and playing rugby through his youth. 

Now the 23-year-old has developed The Neutral Board, an innovative device that assists tricky single-leg exercises shown to improve posture and strengthen the core.

Harry Back, pictured, 23, invented the Neutral Board, pictured, that helps strengthen the core and improve posture through single leg exercises

Harry, a BA product design student at Nottingham Trent University, said: ‘Single-leg exercises helped me but there is a lack of equipment to support controlled movements of this type.’

The Neutral Board, designed to be used in a physiotherapy studio, comprises two platforms, one of which slides forwards and back on a bungee cord to allow users to practise unilateral leg exercises. 

The aim is to increase stability in both legs and hips by exercising one leg at a time.

A Jealous nature may begin very early on in life.

Babies start showing signs of jealousy at the age of nine months, say researchers, because it is the time when another sibling may be coming along to compete for food and attention.

It is thought the strategy evolved from ancient times when baby death rates were high, and where those who could attract the most food and attention were more likely to survive.

Previous research has suggested that jealousy is an extremely complex emotion that does not emerge until later in childhood.

But according to the new study being reported in the journal Evolutionary Psychology, it occurs much earlier.

Go to work on an egg, or even better two, and it could help you slim and slow the effects of ageing.

Researchers claim that the high-quality protein and amino acids in eggs may preserve healthy lean tissue and reduce the risk of chronic diseases associated with advancing age.

A clinical trial has started involving overweight men and women where an egg-rich diet – two or more a day – is being compared to a carbohydrate-rich diet with no eggs.

‘Data from previous studies supports the hypothesis that consumption of higher-fat food sources rich in high-quality proteins and essential fatty acids in whole eggs has beneficial effects on metabolic health,’ says Dr Kevin Fontaine, lead researcher at the University of Alabama.