For Kirk Douglas staying busy and active throughout his life helped him to live to such an impressive age. “Kirk’s life was well lived,” his son Michael wrote in a tribute on Instagram. With such an impressive life lived, many begin to think of their own mortality and what age they may live to. Howard Friedman, a psychology professor at the University of California and Leslie Martin, a psychology professor at LaSierra University wrote their interesting theories and research on the subject and created the book, The Longevity Project which showcased a study that followed participants over 80 years and focussed on why some people lived so much longer than others.

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Friedman and Martin found the healthiest people were those who lived a meaningful and committed life.

Their research found that people who worked hard, achieved much for their families, nurtured close relationships and were persistent, responsible and conscientious lived a longer life.

The researchers debunked the many theories that health and life longevity is focussing on “yoghurts, meditation, vitamins and spas”.

But rather with meaningful habits that directly impacts a person’s life.

What are four habits we can implement in our lives to live a long, healthy and happy life?

Move more

A huge amount of scientific evidence suggests that staying physically active is one of the keys to long life, but going to the gym or running in a marathon is not the secret, Friedman and Martin said.

“Formal ‘exercise’ is not even necessary, although if you love exercise, keep it up,” Friedman noted.

“Staying active, or becoming more active, was key.

“People who regularly do things that get them up and out of their chairs are the ones who thrive.”

Enjoy a challenge both at work and beyond

To achieve good health and live a long life, many people think they should take it easy, avoid working too hard and take lots of vacations, but the researchers discovered the opposite was true.

“Those who worked hard and accomplished much — the responsible and successful achievers — thrived in many ways,” Friedman said.

Take a hard look at your situation – having challenging work in a supportive environment and with access to the appropriate tools can be very healthy.

But if you are trapped in a hostile work environment with limited ability to do your job well, it may be time to look elsewhere, the researchers said.

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Stay connected

When it comes to staying young and living a longer life, what mattered greatly was staying active, not only physically, but also in the social aspects of life.

Being in contact with supportive family, friends or parties, doing more fun things with others and helping those less fortunate than yourself can make all the difference, said Friedman and Martin.

Be friends with healthy people

One of the best ways to get on a healthy pathway is to be around other healthy, active, involved people.

Join social groups and take part in outings that will lead you to other healthy activities.

This could include joining a running club or taking part in healthy cooking classes.

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