How to Hit Age 70 Without a Hint of Health Trouble

Remember that resolution you made to be more active this year? Here's a reason to renew it -- and bring your mom along, too: The more active women are in midlife, the more likely they are to live longer. So taking your mom and her best buddies hiking for her 60th birthday (and 61st, 62nd, 63rd -- you get it) could mean one heck of a turnout for her 80th.

How do we know? From many studies, including a new one that looked at more than 13,000 women to see who got to or passed age 70 in super health -- no cancer, diabetes, heart attacks, bypass graft surgery, congestive heart failure, stroke, kidney failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Parkinson's, cognitive impairment, or physical or mental health limitations. (Really. YOU can be that healthy, too, if you follow our recommendations!)

What the superhealthy had in common: physical activity. Those who did the most activity in their 60s were nearly twice as likely to be that healthy after age 70 than people who did the least. And get this: About 4.5 to 8 hours of walking a week was enough to bring on the benefits. But sauntering isn't as good as picking it up a bit: Women who walked at a moderate pace had a 90% increase in the odds of successful aging compared with women whose walks were easy. No need to wait until you're 60 to get moving. Gather your girlfriends (and get your guys off that couch, too!) and get moving. Better yet, replace the couch with two treadmills.