15 science-backed signs you could live to be 100

It’s predicted there will be 3.7 milllion centenarians across the globe in 2050. If you’re doing most of the 15 items listed below, there’s every chance you’ll be one of them.

Swear you feel like 35, not 55? That’s good for longevity, according to a recent British study. The subjects who felt three or more years younger than their real age – this group was 65-plus – were less likely to die over an eight-year period than were people who felt their age or older. The findings were so powerful – feeling older was linked to a 41 percent increased risk of dying – that the study authors recommended that doctors ask patients how old they feel as part of their annual physicals.

Be sure to also follow these 18 rules to help you reach triple digits. 

Women who consumed the most veggies and fruit had a 46 percent lower chance of dying over a five-year period compared with those who ate them infrequently, according to a University of Michigan study of 700 participants in their 70s. (Intake was measured by assessing blood levels of certain plant compounds.) Residents of Okinawa, Japan, which boasts one of the world’s highest centenarian ratios (about 50 per 100,000 people, compared with only ten to 20 in the United States), are living proof you should eat your veggies. Older Okinawans have eaten a plant-based diet most of their lives, and almost all grow or once grew a garden.

Here are 19 things you can do in under 10 minutes that’ll help you live longer. 

Near-centenarians share a number of personality traits, including optimism and joyfulness, according to a 2012 study of 243 volunteers in the journal Aging. “Being adaptable and flexible helps people avoid stress and anxiety, which can increase longevity,” says Rosanne Leipzig, MD, PhD, a professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

Older adults with the highest blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids lived two more years on average than did those with lower levels, a Harvard study found. Participants did not take fish oil supplements; they simply ate a lot of fish, which is packed with omega-3s.

We’ve known that eating a Mediterranean-style diet (one with an emphasis on olive oil, legumes, nuts, and whole grains, as well as fruits, veggies, and fish) has been linked with long life. But new Harvard research of more than 4,600 women reveals the trickle-down effect of good nutrition. Researchers scored volunteers based on how closely they followed this style of eating; those with the highest scores had the least cellular ageing.

Residents of Ikaria, Greece, a small island in the Mediterranean with a high population of centenarians, are fond of an afternoon nap, and it turns out it’s good for their tickers. Harvard researchers studied more than 23,000 people for six years and found that those who regularly took a 30-minute siesta had a 37 percent lower chance of dying from heart disease than did those who stayed awake all day.

A 2012 study in Archives of Internal Medicine confirmed that physical fitness in midlife can predict how healthy you’ll be later. After following 19,000 middle-aged adults, it found that the most fit were less likely to develop Alzheimer’s, certain cancers, heart disease and type 2 diabetes in their 70s and beyond. The most in-shape men had fitness levels the equivalent of running an eight-minute mile; the women had levels equal to logging a mile in ten minutes. “People who remain active throughout their life span, whether that’s running, walking, or riding bikes, live longer,” says Jeremy Walston, MD, a professor of geriatric medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

A study in Psychological Science found that people who feel they have a sense of purpose in life are less likely to die over a 14-year period. “Make a new friend, pick up a new hobby or volunteer,” says Dr. Leipzig. “My great-uncle, who is in his mid-90s, still works in his wood shop almost every day,” adds Dr. Walston.

Women with a waist of 94 centimetres or more had a life expectancy that was five years lower after age 40 than did women with a waist of 68 centimetres or less, found one study. For men, a waist of 109 centimetres or more was linked to a three-year decrease in life expectancy compared with those with a waist of 89 centimetres or less. Trimming even a few inches from your pants size may have a powerful health impact. “I tell my patients that whenever possible, walk, don’t drive,” says Dr. Leipzig.

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