We don’t yet have the perfect formula for long life, happiness, and physical health, but a little careful distillation of the enormous amount of health and longevity research reveals that growing nine basic garments You will significantly increase your chances of living long, well and happily, in a robust, healthy body suitable for your weight.

1. Eat your vegetables. I’m not kidding, and I’m talking about at least 9 servings a day. Unless you are following the strictest first stage of the Atkins diet, you should be able to consume 60 to 120 grams of carbohydrates a day (depending on your weight and exercise level), and you would have to eat a corral full of spinach to get to that amount. All the major studies of long-lived, healthy people show that they eat a ton of plant foods. Nothing provides antioxidants, fiber, flavonoids, indoles, and the entire pharmacopoeia of disease-fighting phytochemicals like things that grow in rich soil.
2. Eat fish and / or take fish oil.. The omega-3s found in cold-water fish like salmon deserve the title of “wellness molecule of the century.” They lower the risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure, improve mood, and are good for the brain. And if you are pregnant, they can make your child smarter!
3. Connect. And I don’t mean the Internet. In virtually every study of healthy, happy people in their ninth and tenth decade, social connections are one of the “prime movers” of your life. Whether it’s church, family, volunteer work, or the community, finding something that interests you that is bigger than you, that you can connect with and Involving other people (or animals) will extend your life, increase your energy, and make you happier, always.
4. Get some sun. At least 10-15 minutes three times a week. Interestingly, a recent study showed that the four healthiest places on earth where people lived the longest were in sunny climates. The sun improves your mood and increases levels of vitamin D that fights cancer, improves performance and strengthens bones, a vitamin that most people do not get enough of.
5. Sleep well. If you’re low on energy, gaining weight, grumpy, and looking haggard, guess what? You are most likely not getting enough sleep or not well enough. Sleep “well” I mean an uninterrupted sleep, in the dark, without the television on, in a relaxing environment. Nothing nourishes, replenishes and reboots the system like 7-9 hours of sleep. Suggestion: start by going to bed an hour earlier. And if you have a computer in the bedroom, banish it!
6. Exercise every day. Forget these 20 minutes three times a week. Long-lived people do things like field chores at 4:30 in the morning! Our Paleolithic ancestors traveled an average of 20 miles per day. Our bodies were designed to move regularly. New studies show that walking for just 30 minutes a day not only reduces the risk of more serious diseases, it can even grow new brain cells!
7. Practice gratitude. By making a list of the things you are grateful for, you focus your brain on positive energy. Gratitude is incompatible with anger and stress. Practice using your underused “right brain” and spread some love. Focusing on what you’re thankful for, even for five minutes a day, has the added benefit of being one of the best stress-reducing techniques on the planet.
8. Drink red wine or eat grapes. The effect of resveratrol on dark grapes is being studied to prolong life, which appears to be the case in almost all species studied. (By the way, it does eat about a third less food, too.) If you have a problem with alcohol, you can get resveratrol from grapes, peanuts, or supplements. (And if you’re a woman choosing the alcohol option, be sure to get folic acid every day.)
9. Take out the sugar. The number one enemy of vitality, health and longevity is not fat, it is sugar. The effect of sugar on hormones, mood, immunity, weight, and possibly even cancer cells is huge, and it’s all negative. To the extent that you can eliminate it from your diet, you will be adding years to your life and life to your years.

This list may not be perfect and it may not be complete, but it is a start. As my dear grandmother used to say, “It couldn’t hurt.” None of these “habits” will hurt you, all will benefit you, and some can mean the difference between life and death.

And it’s never too late to start growing them.