Best foot forward: Sir Richard Branson recommends keeping fit
Sir Richard Branson, the billionaire entrepreneur,
60, takes our health quiz...
DO YOU LOOK AFTER YOURSELF?
Yes — I don’t smoke and I eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and veg, but I party hard. When I’m at home on my island in the Caribbean, every night is a party, so I’ll join in.
HANGOVER CURE?
I wish I knew. Give up drinking, I suppose. But swimming definitely helps. I get up and swim round the island which takes about an hour-and-a-half. It’s beautiful and there are eagle rays and giant turtles to see.
WATCH YOUR WEIGHT?
Yes, I’m 6ft 2in and weigh 11st 11lb, but I work out more for fitness than anything else. I pop into the gym when I’m travelling, play tennis and kitesurf, and ran the marathon last year. I think it’s good for a woman to put on a bit of weight when she gets older — it looks better. But a man has to stay balanced.
EVER HAD PLASTIC SURGERY?
No, and I wouldn’t want my children to. I don’t see the need, and if you start having it, you have to keep it up.
ARE YOU FROM  HEALTHY STOCK?
My parents and many of my relatives have lived into their 90s. But I have regular check ups — a yearly blood test and a PSA test for prostate cancer.
POP ANY PILLS?
I take Lipitor, a statin, which lowers cholesterol. Mine isn’t particularly high, but I think most people over 40 should take it. For ten years now I’ve been taking a daily aspirin — I’ve read how it protects your heart.
BIGGEST VICE?
Whole Nut chocolate. Give me a bar and I’m happy.

WORST ILLNESS?
In my 20s I got pneumonia. I was living on a houseboat in Little Venice, London and it might have been because it was a bit damp, so I got run down. The solution was to rest, which I’m not very good at.
Celebrity friends: Nell McAndrew, left, and Melanie C helped Branson launch the Virgin Active London Triathlon, which he'll compete in this July
Celebrity friends: Nell McAndrew, left, and Melanie C helped Branson launch the Virgin Active London Triathlon, which he'll compete in this July
EVER HAD SURGERY?
Last year, when skiing, a teenage friend ran into the back of me. I did a somersault and landed badly, damaging the anterior cruciate ligament in my knee. I had to have a new one made from my own tissue. I’m on the mend and can’t run for a few months, but I can still swim.
EVER BEEN DEPRESSED?
No — I’m lucky to have the most incredible life, full of variety, so I throw myself into it. Although when I reached 40, I wanted to give up Virgin and go to university. I think it was a mid-life crisis. My wife Joan said: ‘You only want to go to university to chat up those lovely young girls.’ She was right, so I was straight back to work.
SLEEP WELL?
Like a baby. I only need six hours a night and can get by on five.
HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH PRESSURE?
I’ve had to deal with lots of mentally challenging situations, like when my world sailing record attempts failed. That’s why I keep fit. If your body is sharp, your brain will be sharp.

DailyMail.co.uk

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