Want to live forever? New TV show uncovers the myths and truths of ageing

Dr Nick Coatsworth, former Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Australia, wanted to show everyday Aussies it is possible to improve your quality of life as you age without having infinite amounts of money.

In the new Nine network documentary series, Do You Want To Live Forever?, which launched on June 17, Dr Coatsworth teams up with Tracey Grimshaw to put six ordinary people through different "trials" to prove how they affect health.

"You've got people like Chris Hemsworth [doing it on the docu-series Limitless] ... that's all cool and interesting but it's not really relatable for everyday Australians," Dr Coatsworth said.

"You can hack your own body in the activities that you're doing on a day-to-day basis. And if you do that then you'll feel better ... life is good fun and I think people don't want to pop off the Earth nor do they want to become frail."

Having worked in hospitals for decades, he mentioned he had seen a fear of losing independence and cognitive capacity as people age, but no matter what age you were there were things you could do to prevent it.

"We've got participants [on the show] who are in their late 20s all the way through to people in their 50s, but even in people that are in the 60s and 70s, they can start these things and it will make a difference," he told The Senior.

Read more from The Senior

Dr Coatsworth said for 12 weeks participants underwent different "biohacking" interventions - a popular way to describe changing cells in your body - whether that be through moving more, altering their diet, adjusting sleep, and monitoring stress.

He couldn't reveal the results of the experiment, but he certainly had a smile on his face when talking to The Senior.

"It's actually a biohack to make a choice to move from butter to olive oil because it does different things to your body at a cellular level, and then there's one that I'm really fond of which is getting up in the morning and taking a long cold shower," Dr Coatsworth said.

"We are designed to be upright and moving around for the entire day and then we go to sleep. If we don't do that then every day movement is just going to get worse and worse. But if we do it, then it's just that opportunity to stay active, to stay independent and not feel like you're buying time."

He said by the end of filming the docu-series everyone - including himself, Grimshaw plus cast and crew - began living their lives a little differently.

Ending his morning shower with 60 seconds of cold water has become a ritual for Dr Coatsworth, who values it more than having a morning coffee. He's also a firm believer that cold water therapy can boost mental health regardless of whether it's in the shower, jumping in the ocean or braving an ice bath.

As more and more Australians hit the centenary mark, he said it's more important than ever to keep your body in check to improve the quality of your life as you head into your golden years.

"You're going to be slower at 100 than you are at 70," Dr Coatsworth said.

"But one of the most amazing things about working in hospitals is every now and then you'll see someone who's close to 100 who's coming in [for a broken ankle] and they're not on medication, they're moving smoothly and you look at them and you go: 'Wow'.

"If more of us could be like that, then that's going to be better at an individual level ... while [it's also important] if we're all going to live healthy lives to 100 then it's really important to retain our assets of relevance and purpose in our community."

Do You Want To Live Forever is a four-part series airing on the Nine Network, and 9Now launching on June 17. For more details, visit: www.9now.com.au