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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Despite the glaring fact that obesity, unhealthy diets, and an overall lack of exercise pose quite a threat to our nation, we are making some pretty good health advances -- healthy eating is on the rise, smoking is on the decline, and medical progress is clearly evident.

Now, more than ever, it's actually possible to make it to the ripe old age of 100. I'm not sure if I personally want to reach this number but for those who do, here's one take on what you've got to do.

Go Mediterranean

A Mediterranean diet is the best for healthy aging and disease prevention.

Read the Paper

Keeping up with current events can extend your life.

Reproduce

Having kids, especially if you're a woman, can help you live longer.

Drink! Drink!

Certain beverages tend to lower the rates of death from cardiovascular disease and other causes.

Slim Down

Obese 100-year-olds just don't exist.

Get Married

Married people live longer than singles.

Have Faith

You can expect to live longer if you have some kind of regular religious practice or belief.

Head to the Country

Avoid the city and long you will live.

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What is the secret to a long life? It's something humans have been trying to figure out ever since we started counting years. Maybe it has something to do with geography. Or what about those cold showers? Whatever the case may be, it seems like there are a million different ways to live to 100.

Here's another radical theory to explain why people live longer than others. University of Chicago researchers have found that it could all boil down to the age at which your mother gave birth! Apparently if your mom had you before age 25, you are twice as likely to live for 100 years.

A bold claim indeed! Luckily for the rest of us, exercise and healthy eating can offset that birthed advantage that our other siblings may have. But a more plausible fact coming out of the article suggests that women could be up to five times more likely to reach that centenarian mark than us men.

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