The latest secret to looking and feeling young does not involve plastic surgery, expensive products or a fitness regime that will leave you feeling physically exhausted. All it requires is paying membership to the most sought-after club in town - synagogue. The annual fee may leave your pockets feeling drained, but a visit at least once a week will uplift your saggy bits as well as your soul.
Or at least that is what researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem would have you believe. A recent study published in The European Journal of Aging found that adults who attend synagogue regularly live longer than their peers who do not. According to Professor Howard Litwin of the university's Israel Gerontological Data Centre (IGDC), faith helps people deal with psychological pressure. And, he adds, people who go to synagogue normally walk there and are therefore fitter.
In fact, the link between longevity and shul-going makes even more sense than he thinks. First, there is fashion. At synagogue you are expected to wear your best clothes. A new pair of Manolo Blahniks and a hat by Philip Treacy are enough to keep anyone alive and kicking from week to week.
Possibly more important is a feeling of general well-being. Synagogue means "meeting place", and a weekly gossip with your synagogue friends is where you can get all that built-up tension over recent broigeses off your chest. Having a moan about Mrs Berelowitz (sitting opposite), who didn't invite your kids to her daughter's batmitzvah, will stop you from bottling up your anger, which can cause heart failure later in life.
As well as walking to synagogue, congregation members have always known the value of standing up for extended periods of time during the service. During this time, you should really pull in your abdominals. You will be amazed at the difference to your six-pack. At various points, congregants are required to bend their knees and bow. Doing this light exercise at least once a week will strengthen your knees and tone your glutes.
In terms of relaxation, while the rabbi delivers his sermon most of the beauty-conscious congregation takes the opportunity to get some shut-eye. The sermon can go on for up to half an hour - ample time to rejuvenate the body, which may be feeling sluggish after last night's dinner. All the conditions in synagogue are just right, and if you take advantage, you will notice the difference in the wrinkles around your eyes almost immediately.
Food-wise, kiddush usually includes gefilte fish, which provides essential omega-3 oils. These stop the build-up of fatty acids which can clog arteries and cause a heart attack or stroke. A shot of whisky has also been proven to reduce stress levels.
Last, but not least, there is the community. Being around people of all ages is a good way to make you feel younger - especially if most of those people are much older than you.
If the above reasons are not enough of an incentive to spend as much time in synagogue as possible over the High Holy Days, then nothing will convince you.
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