 The average life expectancy in the U.S. is 76 for men and 81 for women, as against 50 in the 1900s. Advances in health, education and disease prevention and treatments are said to be the reasons for the increase and that makes sense. But what you may not know is that similarly unimportant everyday habits or circumstances in your past can influence how long and how well you live. In this video, I will share with you 9 of these habits that show you will live more than 100. 1. You eat more vegetables, fruits and purple food According to the University of Michigan study of 700 participants in their 70s, women who consumed the most veggies and fruits had a 46% lower chance of dying over 5 years compared with those who ate them infrequently. Further studies also asserted that conquered grapes, blueberries, red wine all get that deep vibrant color from polyphenols. Polyphenols are compounds that help keep blood vessels and arteries flexible and healthy. They reduce heart disease risk and may also protect against Alzheimer's disease. Residents of Okinawa, Japan have one of the highest number of centurions in the world, 50 per 100,000 people. It is observed that old Okinawans consumed plant-based diets for most of their lives. Most of them have or had a garden. 2. Your pulse beats 15 times in 15 seconds 15 beats in 15 seconds amounts to 60 beats in 1 minute. Your heart rate changes from minute to minute. It depends on whether you are standing or lying down, moving around or sitting still, stressed or relaxed. When you have been at rest for a bit, the heart beat settles down. This is your resting heart rate. The average resting heart beat rate for a healthy person is 60 to 100 beats per minute. Scientific researchers have disclosed that men with fast resting heart rates were more likely to develop high blood pressure than those with slower speeds. The lower the heart rate at rest, the more effective the heart functions and the better the cardiovascular fitness. Director of the Women's Cardiovascular Center at Cleveland Clinic, Leslie Cho, once asserted that a lower heart pulse implies that your heart does not have to work as much and could last longer. 3. You have a positive outlook about life According to a 2012 study of 243 volunteers in the journal Agen, Nearing Centenarians share several personality traits, including optimism and joyfulness. Your mental health and perception of life plays a huge role in determining your lifespan. Your ability to adapt to life's changes and think positive, in worst case scenario, reduces mental stress and anxiety and increases longevity. According to a recent study of more than 500 men and women aged 78 and older from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, outgoing people are 50% less likely to develop dementia. The participants describe themselves as grateful individuals who are not easily stressed. When you think only negativity and pessimism, soul can isolate yourself, the chances of getting up to 100 is lower. Still, when your energy level is high and your view about the situation is full of life, then you are most likely going to stay alive till 100. 4. You love to work out Archives of internal medicine reported that a survey which was carried on 19,000 middle-aged adults found that the fittest amongst them were less likely to develop Alzheimer's, certain cancers, heart disease and type 2 diabetes in their 70s and beyond. Another study proved that middle-aged people who did a run for a total of about 5 hours per week no longer functioned better physically and cognitively as they got older. In essence, skip and fit can reduce your risk of diabetes, heart disease and other health complications. Furthermore, in every individual, age leads to loss of muscle mass. However, for a person who exercises, muscle mass is built and metabolism is revved up to maintain a healthy weight. Thus, if you are the type of person who loves to sweat it out, the chances are high that you would live up to 100 years of age. 5. You sleep well Working or sleeping around the clock is a wrong approach to living. A survey carried out by the School of Medicine in the University of California looked at 1.1 million adults between 30 and 102 years old, over 6 years and found that people who slept for 8 hours or more each night or less than 4 hours died earlier than those who slept somewhere in between. Shockingly, even people who slept only 5 hours each night on average lived longer than folks who snoozed for 8 hours or more. What this means is that the average hours of night sleep that individuals are expected to have is between 5 to 7 hours. Anything more or less can reduce the individual's lifespan. One attitude that many people develop when they are young is staying awake every day during the week and sleeping excessively at weekends. However, if you can get the recommended hours of sleep daily, there is a high possibility that your lifespan will reach and even exceed 100. 6. You hang around healthy people First, having good interpersonal relationship with people act as a buffer against stress. Knowing you have people who support you keeps you healthy, mentally and physically and can increase your longevity. The otherwise shortens your lifespan by 4 to 8 years. Also, the New England Journal of Medicine claims that if your friends gain weight, your chances of doing so increase by a whopping 57%. This claim shows that the healthier your friends are, the higher your chances of living longer. According to researcher Nicholas A. Christakis, to maintain a healthy lifestyle, it's important to associate with people who have similar goals. Of course, it does not mean that you should abandon your friends because of ill health. Instead, support them and help them to become healthier again. 7. You love to drink tea In a study of more than 40,500 Japanese men and women, those who drank 5 or more cups of green tea every day had the lowest risk of dying from heart disease or stroke. Other studies involving black tea showed similar results. Both green and black tea contains catechins which relax blood vessels. Drinking one or more cups of tea a day is excellent for your heart. So, if you naturally love to drink tea, there's a high chance that you will live longer. However, further studies have also shown that ready to drink tea is to not offer the same health benefits because once water is added to tea leaves, the catechins dissolve within a few days. Adding milk to your tea can also reduce the tea's protective effects on the cardiovascular system. So, you might want to opt for honey or lemon instead. 8. You'd rather walk than drive A recent study of 2,603 men and women showed that people who walked for about 30 minutes a day are more likely to live longer than those who walk less, regardless of how much body fat they have. Consequently, overweight women can improve their heart health by adding just 10 minutes of activity to their daily routine. Lower body strength translates into flexibility, the right balance and endurance which are essential to reducing the risk of falls and hip fractures which lead to a decline in the health of older people. Robert Butler, MD, president of the International Longevity Center USA, emphasizes that having weak time muscles is the number one predicator of frailty in old age. Hence, a person who would instead take a walk than drive or remain in the same position for a long time is more likely to be healthier and leave longer than one who is always in the driver or car owner's seat. 9. You feel 13 years younger than you are The old saying age is just a number is nothing but the actual truth. As you grow older it does not matter how old you are but how old you feel. A recent British study examined subjects who fill 3 or more years younger than their real age. It was concluded that these groups of 65-plus seniors were less likely to die over 8 years than were people who felt their age or older. Also, the study revealed that feeling older was linked to a 41% increased risk of dying. In other words, researcher Jacquie Smith, professor of psychology at the University of Michigan says the reason why feeling youthful is linked to better health and longer life is that the feeling improves optimism and motivation to overcome challenges. This improvement helps to reduce stress and boost your immune system and ultimately lowers your risk of disease. Research shows that there are more than 72,000 centenarians in America today and over 573,000 in the whole world. Do you want to be a part of this community later in the future? Then pay attention to your everyday practices.