Photo: mod as hell, Flickr

Carrying a few extra pounds won't hurt as long as you're more or less in the healthy range, right? Well, actually, recent studies published in the British Medical Journal are answering that question with a big fat no -- gaining even just a bit of weight over the years can have a serious impact on your health later in life. In fact, every 2.2 pounds women gain can decrease their chances of making it to age 70 by 5 percent. It's even worse news for those who are obese in their 40s and 50s -- they're 79 percent less likely to be healthy at age 80 than women who were lean during those years.

So who fared the best? Researchers found that women who reported a BMI of 18.5 to 22.9 at age 18 and kept it stable over the next 30 years were the healthiest, and women who maintained the same weight throughout their lives -- regardless of BMI -- were healthier than those who let the numbers on the scale creep up.

According to the researchers, "These data emphasized the significance of maintaining a healthy weight throughout adulthood to enjoy a long and healthy life." In other words? A little bit of extra junk in your trunk -- even if you're not reaching obese proportions -- won't do you any favors in the long run.

Need inspiration to stay fit until your golden years? Check out this 74-year-old body builder!

When it comes to eating a healthy diet and staying fit, what's your biggest motivator? Is it feeling good? Staying active? Fitting into your jeans? Maybe it's all of the above. Those are all good reasons for staying fit, but here's maybe the biggest one of all: Being obese could cut your life by 10 years. I don't know about you, but I'm suddenly feeling very motivated.

This finding comes from an analysis of 57 different studies that included almost 900,000 people. The short story is this:

• A normal BMI is 18.5 to 24.9.
• Death rates were lowest among people with a BMI of 23 to 24.
• A BMI of 30 to 35 could potentially take two to four years off life.
• Being morbidly obese, or having a BMI of 40 to 45, could shorten life by eight to 10 years.
• Being underweight, with a BMI of less than 22.5, was also associated with a shorter lifespan.

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Practicing activities that make you think (like crossword puzzles) could do a lot more than just improve your memory -- they just might lengthen your life a little too.

Any activity or game that requires you to concentrate will do the trick so you can pretty much take your pick, but if you're looking for something fun to practice on right now try taking this brain quiz and see how you do. An example from the quiz:

• Say "silk" six times. What do cows drink?
  

...

...

How did you do? Cows drink water, by the way, not milk (yeah, I totally fell for that one...). Happy concentrating!

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Jacki recently filled us in on seven ways to add years to your life. Shape Magazine gives us some more tips -- this time from Dan Buettner's bestselling book, The Blue Zones. The author traveled around the world to areas known for the long life spans of residents. He observed the people's lifestyles and interviewed centenarians to develop his theories on living a long, full, healthy, and happy life. His tips are:

• Laugh. Laughing is an obvious sign of a good mood -- and it's widely accepted that your mood can affect your health. In addition, laughter can help relax blood vessels which may lead to a lowered risk of high blood pressure.
• Make exercise a part of your routine. The people Buettner interviewed weren't hard-core athletes. Instead, their daily lives were just filled with natural activities such as gardening and walking.
  
• Eat wisely. Enjoy your food and eat appropriate portions.
• Cultivate positive friendships. Choose friends who are supportive and are positive influences in your life.
  
• Live with intention. Find activities that make you happy and really live each moment.
  

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Finding a way to thwart death and live forever is the stuff of movies and legends -- how many characters have gone in search of the fountain of youth? That's all just fiction and fun, of course, but in real life there are real things you can do to help not only get the most years out of your life as possible but also the most quality years out of your life. A good start to a solid fitness plan is implementing healthy (i.e. life-extending) habits. So try these on for size:

• Get enough sleep, but not too much! Studies show that people who sleep too much (generally 8+ hours per night) have shorter life expectancies, but then again so do those who don't get enough sleep (less than 6 hours). It seems there's a magical number of just enough sleep, which for most people lands somewhere between 6 and 8 hours.

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Researchers have found a link between education and life expectancy. Life expectancy in the US has been on the rise in recent decades, but the numbers are disproportionate. On average, those who continued education beyond high school have a life expectancy of 82. Those with 12 or less years of schooling have an average life expectancy of 75.

So what do books have to do with life span? Nothing really. Researchers attribute the difference to lifestyle. People with less education are more likely to have a lower income which can lead to subsequent health-related issues such as poor housing, crime, or lack of medical insurance. In addition, researchers feel tobacco usage may account for the discrepancy in life expectancy.

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The good news is that a recent study found that patients with obesity and those who smoke actually cost less to treat over their lifetime than people who are thin and healthy.

The bad news? They cost less because they don't live as long.

It seems like common sense -- people who live longer have higher health care costs. But researchers were surprised to find out that people with obesity and those who smoke actually cost less in the long run than those who are fit. The research pokes holes in the alarmist theory that the obesity epidemic will cost billions as the obese seek help for their health issues.

It's an interesting study. What do you think?

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In Medieval times, peasants lives relatively short lives compared to us -- elderly people were those who lived into their 40s, 50s and 60s. So the news that the Medieval diet was much healthier than ours should come as a shock, shouldn't it? Well, not really. Truth is, the Medieval people probably would have lived longer than most of us if they'd had our access to modern medicine and farming technologies.

Here's the thing: Medieval people ate much better than us. According to the BBC, they typically ate 8 oz of protein, a variety of fresh, organic vegetables and two loaves of whole wheat bread per day. Nothing was processed, and nothing was refined. Any sugar they got was typically from the fruits they grew. And they didn't go to the gym, but couple that with a day of physical labour and you've worked off those calories easily. They were fitter, and the reason they lived shorted lives than us was typically due to illness, starvation, pestilence and so forth.

Doesn't it seem odd that we have all this technology and yet we're going backwards in terms of life expectancy? It seems about time we started going back to basics. What do you think?

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Japan has some of the longest lifespans in the world. And while this is a sign that they are healthier on average than the rest of the world, longer lifespans are putting a strain on the healthcare system in Japan.

New studies are showing that spending on healthcare in Japan is lower than in US, and there just aren't enough resources to keep up with the needs of patients, so many of whom are elderly. And the result? Doctors and other healthcare professionals are cutting corners where ever they can -- yikes! Apparently longevity isn't always a good thing, at least as far as the healthcare system is concerned. Still, a country whose patients are just too healthy is far better off than one in which people would rather die young than eat healthy.

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Researchers have discovered a fountain of youth, in a manner of speaking, for the fruit fly. At first you're probably thinking why on earth would we want longer living flies? The good news is that the researchers were able to extend the lifespan of fruit flies by modifying only one genetic protein, which means inhibiting the aging process in humans may be much simpler than previously thought.

Fruit flies with the modified gene saw 1/3 longer lifespans with no apparent side-effects (although measuring side-effects in a fruit fly can't be easy or very accurate), so if the same were true for humans we could all theoretically live to around the 110-120 yr old range regularly.

Cool or scary? A little of both, I think.

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In death programmed into our genes? It is affected by certain lifestyle decisions? The answer to both of those questions is probably a big "yes", but right now we only have control over lifestyle decisions, not genetics. Or do we?

Many studies on different animals have shown that partial starvation caused an increase in lifespan -- sometimes to the tune of 40%. But, why?

Calorie restriction that leads to longer lifespans is the reason according to many recent stories I've seen. Scientists now say that they have identified a gene in roundworms that directly links calorie restriction to longer lifespan. Is that proof enough for humans, though?

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Recent numbers from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows two very different bits of news: on one hand certain parts of the Australian population are among the longest living in the world, while other populations are among the shortest.

The nations capital, Canberra, boasts the longest life spans -- with women living an average of 84 years and men 79.9 years. But the indigenous Australians don't fair so well, with the average dropping about 17 years -- only 64.8 years on average for woman and 59.4 years for men. Why the dramatic gap? Poverty, substance abuse, and limited access to healthcare are the suspected culprits. Fortunately, these groups make up a very small percentage of the entire population of Australia.

Only 3 places in the world beat Australia's over-all life expectancy averages for men and women: Iceland, Japan, and Hong Kong.

I wish I could see where the U.S. ranks on that list.

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