Seven Secrets For a Long Life

Here are the seven secrets to a long life: Stay away from cigarettes. Keep a slender physique. Get some exercise. Eat a healthy diet and keep your choleterol, blood pressure and blood sugar in check. Research shows that most 50-year-olds who do that can live another 40 years free of stroke and heart disease, two of the most common killers, says Dr. Clyde Yancy, President of the American Heart Association. This should be your goal: fasting blood glucose less than 100, blood pressure below 120/80, total cholesterol of less than 200, body mass index less than 25, get at last 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week, meet at least 4 of these dietary recommendations: 4 1/2 cups of fruit and vegetables a day; 2 more 3.5-ounce servings a week of fish; drink no more than 36 ounces of sugar-sweetened beverages a week; 3 or more 1-ounce servings of whole grains a day; 1500 or less milligrams of salt a day.