Exercise is all around good -- giving you the positive effects of increased endorphins and a reduced waistline. It makes your heart stronger by pumping more blood with less effort, lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, prevents and controls diabetes, strengthens bones and muscles, lift depression and gloominess, makes the brain sharper, increases energy, and controls weight. A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed that participants who had moderate to high exercise routines lived 1.3 to 3.7 years longer than their couch potato counterparts.

Give Your Brain a Workout

Having a good workout isn't only limited to your body. Playing chess, reading newspapers, attending plays or finishing a crossword puzzle all have positive health results, experts say. Brain fitness is paramount to maintaining your cognitive abilities. According to one study by Neurology Online, people who mentally exercised their brains had a reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment and a risk of Alzheimer's that was 2.6 times less than people who did not stimulate their mind.

Limit Sun Exposure

Wearing sunscreen, limiting your exposure to the sun during peak hours and wearing sunglasses are some ways to prevent skin damage and cancer. Considering skin cancer is the most common of cancer types -- more than one million cases are diagnosed each year in the U.S. -- prevention and early detection are key to prolonging your life.

Visit the Doctor Regularly

Seeing a general physician on an annual basis can significantly lengthen your life by catching ailments before they start or treating emerging ones. An annual exam should include a blood pressure check, cholesterol and sugar level screening, bone density test, and examination of the ears, nose, throat and reflexes. For instance, if high blood pressure is not found and treated, significant health problems such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure or eye problems may result. Alternatively, an experienced acupuncturist can assess your overall health through a thorough physical exam and making sure all is good, or referring you to an MD if deemed necessary.

Eat Fish

Eating up to two portions of fish on a weekly basis is beneficial, reported the Harvard School of Public Health. In fact, eating fish could possibly cut the risk of death by heart disease by one-third. Here's why: omega-3's fatty acids are healthy. They keep blood from getting too sticky and over clotting, lower the amount of fats in the bloodstream and reduce the risk of obesity. Plus, they provide a lot of nutrients like selenium, antioxidants and protein. However, pregnant women and children need to consider more carefully the source of the fish due to potential mercury content which damages the fetus and youngsters more. Fish like tuna and mackerel and swordfish generally contain small amounts of mercury (due to pollution of the oceans). Fish oil and Omega 3’s are also powerful antioxidant and neuroprotecting compounds and so help with lowering the chances of contracting Parkinsons and Alzheimers. Omega-3’s such as DHA and its precursor EPA, both found in fish oil are also anti-inflammatory and specially useful in preventing Alzheimers or moderating it; and in 2000 it was shown that Omega-3’s in fish oil can revert to normal colonic tissue in a case of colitis.

Eat more fruits and veggies

You know what they say, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away". Broccoli, kale, bananas, whatever the fruit or veggie, chances are you're doing a body good with its vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and fiber. According to the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research, diets that contain substantial and varied amounts of fruits and vegetables may potentially prevent 20 percent or more cancer cases. Broccoli for example, has a compound in it, DIM, that can kill prostate and breast cancer cells. When it comes to cancer, prevention is the key. Once cancer takes hold, it’s a difficult disease to treat.

Share a Hug

Couples who had physical contact, such as a brief hug and ten minutes of hand holding, actually lowered their heart rates and blood pressure by 30 percent, according to researchers at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Plus, in a previous study it was determined that hugging and hand-holding reduces the negative effects of stress.

Limit Alcohol

Too much alcohol will shorten your life, while moderate imbibing may actually lengthen it, concluded researchers published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Generally men who drink up to two drinks on a daily basis and women who drink up to one drink per day reduce the risk of death from any cause by roughly 18 percent. However, men and women who drink more than this amount curtail their lifespan and increase their risk of death. I like to also point out that although the study points to daily consumption of alcohol in small doses being beneficial, daily consumption of alcohol could easily, if not certainly, lead to a dependence on alcohol which brings with it other consequences. I would recommend a drink or two, preferably wine, every other day, or every two to three days, not daily.

Get Your Zzzz's

Getting less than six hours of sleep each night could have negative health effects. A study from the Sleep Health Centers in Boston reported that getting less than this amount of sleep each night increased the risk of dying. Plus, having too little sleep increases your risk of diabetes. Sleeping reduces the levels of leptin, which is the hormone that signals us to stop eating. A heavier weight equates to an increased diabetes risk. Also, if we go with less sleep each night than we need, over time we have to start to utilize more and more adrenaline and cortisol hormones to keep going, which will change our metabolism and make us put on weight. Experts recommend getting between six to nine hours of sleep each night for optimum health. Remember we are all unique and different, so different people require different amounts of rest.

Stay Positive

If you always think the glass is half full, you're on the right track. Mayo Clinic research shows that people with a positive outlook typically live 19 percent longer than people who see the glass as half empty. Although it's questionable if this can be attributed to optimists being more likely to seek medical help when they're ill or their immune systems being stronger as a result of their sunny outlook, the result is that they live longer. Optimists are also less likely to suffer depression and helplessness than their pessimist counterparts. There is power to positivity.

Consume a Low-fat Diet

While you may have a Big Mac attack every now and then, experts say a low fat diet is the way to go for aspiring centenarians. One of the benefits, of course, is cutting calories. Health-conscious people tend to choose lower fat options such as light Italian salad dressing instead of oily, thick regular salad dressing. Low fat diets help lower risk of heart disease as well. There are also numerous studies that suggest a diet high in olive oil is healthy. Another type of fat to be aware of in our diet is Omega 6 fatty acids, which are pro-inflammatory and consumed in our western diet to excess.

Go to the Dentist

As we age, regular visits to the dentist may become less about flashing those pearly whites and more about preventing the onset of diseases like gingivitis. This mild form of periodontal disease causes the gums to become red, swollen and bleed easily. This is reversible with proper care, but other gum ailments may ensue if they're not treated. For instance, when left untreated, advanced conditions such as tooth loss, heart disease, respiratory disease and diabetes can develop from severe gum ailments. Recently RA was added to that list.

I highly recommend a dentist I know in Washington DC. He has lots of experience and does excellent work.

Manage Stress

Whether you manage stress by getting a massage, meditating, working out, or simple deep breathing, as long as you're doing something to curtail the anxiety, you're headed towards a healthier life. Stressful situations such as births, deaths, divorce and employment concerns often slow down the blood flow to the heart, raise cholesterol levels, decrease your mental well-being and weaken the immune system. Stress also does a number on our brain, specifically the hippocampus, the horseshoe structure deep in the brain responsible for memory formation.

Contact me for free classes offered in down town Silver Spring, at the clinic, to teach you techniques for lowering your stress.

Higher Education

If you want to live a longer life, hit the books. A recent study from Harvard found a correlation between a longer lifespan and people with at least one year of college compared to people with a high school diploma or less. People with at least one year of college increased their lifespan by almost 1.6 years, while the less educated remained flat. A study published in the journal Nature about fifteen years ago showed that people with more education, such as college professors and others with large amounts of schooling, had a slower rate of cognitive decline as they reached their later years. This points again to the old adage of "use it or lose it".

Take Vitamins

If you stroll down the vitamin aisle in a store you may be overwhelmed and confused with the many options. A good multi-vitamin contains a full assortment of vitamins with minerals, amino acids, herbal extracts, and other specialty nutrients. The Journal of the American Medical Association recommended vitamins as a way to prevent heart disease, since their benefits were strong and significant. Coupled with the lack of vitamins in food, due to present day farming techniques and nutrients lost when storing, freezing or processing your food, the case for vitamins is strong. I educate my clients on their specific needs when it comes to supplementing their diet (if I feel they need to supplement) as getting necessary nutrients is essential to maintaining optimal health.  In general, a multi-vitamin, plus an additional
B-complex containing all the B vitamins, a reputable source of Fish oil Omega-3's, vitamin D3 at 2000 IU per day, and a good source of calcium is a must, in my opinion.

Drink GreenTea

By now, everybody knows about the numerous benefits of green tea. An old and large study in Japan showed that green tea and the cathecins in it help with cardiovascular and heart health. It even lowered the risk of lung cancer in smokers! That’s a pretty powerful benefit .

My own research, in the field of cancer has shown that some of the most important research on green tea and its active constituent catechins such as EGCG and ECG, show that it’s a powerful down regulator of EGF and VEGF. EGF is a growth factor that although necessary for normal cells, cancer cells (breast, lung, and other cancers) over express it and so its inhibition, or more specifically its reduction, is beneficial in cancer treatment and prevention. VEGF is a growth factor used by cancer cells to grow blood vessels to feed themselves in order to grow, and likewise its downregulation is key in cases of cancer formation inhibition and even cancer prevention. Recently VEGF inhibition has been shown to help with vision loss in cases where angiogenesis in the eye is de-regulated resulting in progressively decreasing eye sight as blood vessels to the retina increase. Green tea consumption therefore is a key factor for good health.