Who doesn’t want to add quality years to life? It’s simpler than you might think. “We’re not talking about extremes of behavior,” says Kay-Tee Khaw, MD, at the University of Cambridge Institute of Public Health, “but easy behaviors that most people can achieve.”

Following more than 20,000 men and women ages 45 to 79, the EPIC-Norfolk Prospective Population Study identified four healthy habits that can add up to 14 years to the lifespan:
 

1. eating at least five fruit and veggie servings daily
2. staying physically active
3. not smoking
4. drinking moderately

The Physicians’ Health Study of 2,357 men (averaging 72 years of age) also shows that vigorous exercise, blood pressure control, smoking abstinence, and weight management substantially increase the likelihood of living to 90 and beyond. “Inactivity may diminish life expectancy not only by predisposing to aging-related diseases but also because it may influence the aging process itself,” report the authors.