Living a long, healthy life

As Thanksgiving rolls around, our thoughts turn to the things we are thankful for, such as the fact that we are alive to enjoy our family, friends and activities that we like to engage in. So it makes sense that if there’s some good info on how to live as long and as healthily as possible, we’d be thankful for that, too.

A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study cites four behaviors that lead to a longer, more physically sound life—eating healthfully, getting regular exercise, not smoking and avoiding excessive alcohol use.

Researchers found that people ages 17 and older who engaged in these four practices were 63 percent less likely to die at an early age than those who didn’t have such a proactive lifestyle.