Being conscious of fat and sugar in your diet, and working out at the gym, may seem like the keys to a long and healthy life. But you may easily tire of calorie counting and workouts. It seems the real signs of whether you will be blessed with considerable longevity is if you've adopted certain lifelong healthy lifestyles and attitudes - some of which you can still start.

Here are five of them. (Read more about Another Five Predictors of Long Life)

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Your life can be changed - and extended - by just a little regular exercise, according to a report by a blue-ribbon U.S. panel.

A commission empaneled by the federal Department of Health and Human Services says your most important exercise paraphernalia are your legs. The panel declares that a moderately paced half-hour walk five days a week will lower your risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and many other disorders. And the benefit will be conferred even if you're overweight or obese - and regardless of your age, race or gender. (Read more about Even a Little Exercise Confers Benefits)

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A recent understanding of the origins of brown fat cells - the "good" kind of fat that burns energy and keeps us warm - may lead to the discovery of new treatments for obesity. Researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston said they used a single molecular switch to turn immature muscle cells into brown fat cells in the lab. This suggests that brown fat may be more akin to muscle cells than traditional white fat cells.

Another team from the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston found a protein important for bone growth helped promote the development of fat tissues in mice. Both teams claim their new findings lend understanding about the origins of brown fat, which releases energy, in contrast to white fat, which only stores energy. (Read more about Understanding "Good" Fat May Help Fight Obesity)

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For people who run regularly, you may be extending your disability-free, higher quality of life. When senior author, James Fries, began research on vigorous exercise in 1984, many scientists expected the results would do more harm than good. Some experts believed the long-term effect of serious running would be an onslaught of orthopedic injuries, with older runners suffering from chronic injury. But Fries believed it would improve quality of life and reduce the period at the end of a person's life where they couldn't carry out daily tasks on their own. (Read more about Stay Young by Running)

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Exercise may not halt the aging process, but mounting evidence suggests people who stay active can slow its effects. The latest issue of Mayo Clinic Women's Healthsource offers 8 benefits to regular exercise.

It Provides Energy: Feeling tired and lethargic is largely a result of being inactive. Endurance exercises like walking, swimming, jogging, biking, and rowing improves stamina and energy. Even after a few weeks in a walking program, people have more energy for activities.

It Improves Mental Health: There's considerable evidence that regular physical activity can help reduce stress, manage mild-to-moderate depression and anxiety, improve sleep quality, boost mood, and enhance the overall feeling of well-being. (Read more about 8 Ways Exercise Keeps You Young and Healthy)

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Most of the news we hear about breast cancer deals with addressing the disease after it's already been diagnosed. The best treatment for any disease, is through prevention. Here are 10 ways to lower your breast cancer risk.

1. Exercise and be consistant about it. Moderate physical activity, like brisk walking, 3 times a week can reduce a young woman's risk of developing breast cancer by 33%, and the risk of breast cancer after menopause by 26%.

2. If you smoke, quit now. The sooner, the better. (Read more about 10 Ways to Lower Your Risk of Breast Cancer)

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Increasing exercise capacity reduces the risk of death in African-American and Caucasian men, according to research on the link between fitness and mortality, including over 15,000 participants. Reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, the researchers investigated exercise capacity as an independent predictor of overall mortality for African-American men (6,749) and Caucasion men (8,911) in addition to analyzing whether racial differences in exercise capacity influenced the risk of death. Each participant was tested by a standardized treadmill test to assess exercise capacity. They were encouraged to exercise until they were fatigued or unless symptoms of cardiac ischemia developed. These individuals were then tracked for an average of 7.5 years. (Read more about Men's Death Rates Cut Drastically Through Daily Exercise)

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There is a growing body of evidence that shows that people can delay and even prevent the onset of dementia by living a healthier lifestyle when young, and that includes exercising.
We don’t completely understand what triggers Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in general. For decades doctors have been preaching we should pump, run, and row our way to good health. But hitting the pavement and the gym for your brain? That’s exactly what a growing number of scientists are advising their patients. (Read more about ALZHEIMER’S AND EXERCISE)

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A study from bmj.com has found parents who are active during pregnancy and early in their child's life are more likely to raise active children. Up to this point, some risk factors for adult diseases have been associated with lower levels of activity in children. Other associations have also been found between early life factors, up to age five, and childhood obesity. To find out more about the early life influences on children's level of physical activity, researchers observed children aged 11 to 12 who were taking part in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Each child wore an accelerometer for seven days, which recorded the intensity and frequency of physical activity by the minute. Data was collected from over 5,000 children, who were observed for at least 10 hours during 3 days, and were analyzed according to various factors hypothesized to affect physical activity. (Read more about Active Children are Influenced by Active Parents)

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If you're one of the many who have been made to be concerned about your cholesterol and are thinking about removing bacon and eggs from the daily menu, you might want reconsider. A new study finds that these traditional breakfast foods may have benefits. Researchers at Texas A&M University found that low cholesterol intake can actually reduce muscle gain from exercise. The team studied 55 men and women, ages 60-69, who were healthy non-smokers and able to perform exercise testing and training. Three days a week for 12 weeks, participants performed several exercises, including stretching, stationary bike riding, and vigorous weight lifting. Additionally, all participants consumed similar meals. (Read more about The Benefits of ...Cholesterol?)

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