Lifestyle Choices for Longevity

5. Mediatate, do yoga (spinal health has long been correlated with general health), and be serene, no matter how many directions you're pulled in.

4. Drink lots and lots of water. Water is the most important element of life. Think about it. We get all the wrong stories about priorities as we grow up. How long can a person go without eating? At least 30 days without problem, much longer under controlled circumstances. Without water? Unconscious in 3 days and dead in 4. Do not underestimate the importance, long and short term, of regular and constant water drinking.

3. Reduce (or eliminate) your intake of saturated fats (especially animal fats) to the barest minimum. Eat bee pollen. Consume fermented products (sourdough, wine, etc.). Make the majority of your diet whole grains. These are a few of the common denominators among populations of centagenarians around the world.

2. Exercise your brain every time and every way you can. Keep your mind sharp and active. Do math problems for the heck of it. Play chess. Do crosswords. Engage in heated debate. Study areas of knowledge which are new to you. Investigate philosophy and theology. Just keep thinking!

1. Chronically under-eat. Since ancient times, Ayurvedic physicians in India have been advising patients never to eat more than 75% full in any given meal (a figure you have to work at in order to gauge), and never to even consider eating unless you are actually hungry. Consistently under-eating has been shown, anecdotally forever, medically more recently, to be of utmost importance in the long-term health of the body.