Longevity is living beyond the average lifespan.1 Many people believe genetics is the primary factor determining how long you live, but your genes account for only about 25% of your longevity.2 This means your daily choices and lifestyle habits influence the remaining 75%.

The Top Habit for Longevity 

Experts agree that regular physical activity is the most influential daily habit for improving longevity.3 Research shows that making exercise a daily habit can add about 2-4 years to your life expectancy—and possibly more when considering how exercise may improve other health factors.4

Daily movement benefits your body and mind, helping you live longer and healthier. Here’s how:

• Improves blood circulation: When you move your body, your heart pumps more blood, delivering oxygen-rich blood and nutrients to your body’s organs and cells, supporting optimal functioning.5
• Reduces inflammation: Chronic (long-term) inflammation is associated with many chronic and age-related diseases, including diabetes, arthritis, and neurodegenerative conditions (related to the nervous system) like Alzheimer’s. Exercise can reduce inflammation and support your overall health.67
• Enhances metabolism: Physical activity helps regulate blood sugar levels, maintain a healthy body weight, and reduce the risk of metabolic disorders like diabetes.89
• Boosts brain health: Exercise triggers the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that helps repair and grow brain cells. This supports better memory and learning and protects against age-related cognitive decline.1011
• Manages stress: Chronic stress can speed up aging and increase the risk of chronic disease. Movement helps reduce stress hormones like cortisol and increases feel-good hormones like endorphins, helping reduce stress.1213

How To Incorporate Daily Movement

Exercise is fundamental to good health, and it’s never too late to start, regardless of age or fitness level. Even if you’ve been inactive for a while, beginning now can improve your health and lifespan.

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise per week, combined with muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days per week.14

Here’s how to incorporate body movement into your daily routine:1516

• Start small: Aim for 30 minutes of moderate activity each day. Depending on your fitness level, this may include light activities like walking, stretching, yoga, brisk walking, cycling, or swimming. For example, try to set a goal to walk before or after dinner every day.
• Mix it up: Combine aerobic exercises with strength training and flexibility workouts for a well-rounded routine. Beginners can start with bodyweight exercises like squats and push-ups and work up to more intense exercises, like weightlifting or high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
• Make it enjoyable: Choose activities you enjoy to make it easier to stick with the habit. Dance classes, gardening, or playing a sport can be fun ways to stay active if you prefer not to spend time at the gym. If you enjoy social interaction, try exercising with friends or joining group classes for added motivation and mutual encouragement.

More Ways To Improve Longevity

While daily movement is the best way to improve longevity, other healthy habits can amplify your efforts toward a longer, healthier life.

Follow a Balanced Diet 

A well-rounded, nutrient-rich diet is the cornerstone of good health and a longer life. The foods you eat fuel your body, and choosing nutritious foods can lower your risk of chronic diseases and help you feel your best well into older age. Eating for longevity typically involves incorporating whole, nutrient-dense foods into your diet, including:17

• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Whole grains
• Lean proteins
• Healthy fats
• Low-fat dairy

Diets like the Mediterranean diet—rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats—may add years to your life. Researchers studied over 5,200 adults from southern Italy for 13 years to see how consuming a Mediterranean diet affected their lifespan.18

Study participants who closely followed a Mediterranean diet lived longest, with an average lifespan of about 90 years. Low adherence to the diet reduced lifespan by nearly 10%.18 These results suggest eating whole, nutrient-dense foods is a powerful tool for living longer and healthier.

Prioritize Quality Sleep

Prioritizing high-quality sleep is one of the best ways to support your long-term health. During sleep, your body repairs itself and stores memories. Getting enough sleep can help lower the risk of heart disease, obesity, premature aging, and cognitive decline.192021

Sleep doesn’t just protect your health—it also lowers the risk of accidents. People who regularly have difficulty falling asleep are two times more likely to die in motor vehicle accidents and more than 1.5 times more likely to die from other fatal injuries than people who get adequate sleep.22

Adults should get 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night. If you have trouble falling or staying asleep, establishing a healthy sleep routine can help. Habits for improving sleep quality include:23

• Establish a sleep schedule: try to go to bed and fall asleep around the same time every day.
• Avoid electronic use, including television and mobile devices, at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
• Engage in relaxing activities before bed, such as reading, meditation, or breathing exercises.
• Keep your bedroom cool, quiet, and dark.
• Avoid caffeine intake in the afternoon and evening.
• Avoid large meals and alcohol before bedtime.

Stay Socially Connected 

Strong social relationships offer more than just companionship. Meaningful connections with other people can significantly improve your long-term health and longevity. Spending time with friends, family, and community members can reduce stress, boost mood and happiness, and help you live longer.24

Research shows that people with positive relationships and robust social networks are less likely to develop chronic health conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and dementia.25 They also tend to live longer; some research suggests a lack of social connections increases the risk of death by at least 50%.26 This increased risk refers to a higher chance of overall mortality unrelated to a specific condition.

Activities that can help create and foster meaningful connections include:27

• Join local groups or clubs that match your interests, such as art classes, community gardens, book clubs, or recreational sports leagues.
• Make it a habit to call or visit friends and family regularly, even for a quick chat.
• Volunteer for causes you care about to meet like-minded people while giving back to your community.
• Attend community events or workshops to expand your social circle.
• Consider adopting a pet if human companionship is harder to access; caring for an animal can also improve your mental well-being.28

Stay Mentally Active

When it comes to longevity, keeping your brain engaged is just as important as caring for your physical health. Mental activity helps keep your memory sharp, maintains cognitive function, and lowers the risk of age-related neurodegenerative conditions like dementia.29

Activities like reading, solving puzzles, learning new skills, or engaging in creative hobbies stimulate your brain and create new neural connections, keeping your mind active as you age.30 Think of it as a workout for your brain—challenging it regularly strengthens it over time.31

To stay mentally active, try incorporating some of these activities into your routine:2931

• Take a class, learn a new language, or try out a musical instrument to keep your mind flexible and engaged.
• Play games, such as crossword puzzles or Sudoku.
• Join book clubs or discussion groups to exchange ideas.
• Practice mindful meditation, which helps reduce stress and improve focus and emotional regulation.30

Habits That Reduce Longevity

Just as adopting healthy habits is essential for a long and vibrant life, it’s equally important to recognize and avoid behaviors that can shorten your lifespan. Certain habits increase the risk of chronic diseases, accelerate aging, and reduce overall quality of life.

Habits to avoid or limit if you want to support longevity include:

• Smoking: Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death, increasing the risk of lung disease, cancer, and heart disease.32Quitting smoking can add up to 10 years to your life.33
• Sedentary lifestyle: Prolonged sitting and lack of movement increase the risk of chronic diseases and early death.34
• Excessive alcohol consumption: Regular heavy drinking is one of the leading causes of premature death worldwide.35 It contributes to liver damage and cognitive decline and increases the risk of chronic diseases.36
• Non-nutritive dietary choices: Diets high in processed foods, added sugars, and unsaturated fats promote inflammation, weight gain, and chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease.37