You probably have two goals when it comes to an anti-aging regime. The first, of course, is to live as long as possible; the second, to be as healthy as possible during that long life. The reality is that the two are intertwined. Your genes play a part in how long you'll live, but far more depends on how you treat your health.

There are many factors to anti-aging management, including healthy eating, supplementing the diet, exercise, and considering how every part of the body is affected by aging, including the skin, bones, muscles, cardiovascular system and internal organs. The body is greater than the sum of its parts, and each system is intricately entwined with all of the others. It doesn't do a lot of good to invest in an anti-wrinkle facial serum, for example, if the skin isn't being nourished from inside by a healthy cardiovascular system.

Without very few exceptions, people in their 90s and 100s have several things in common. They're not overweight, their lifestyle did or does include exercise, they're mentally active, they don't smoke cigarettes, they drink moderately if at all, and they seldom "sweated the small stuff," staying relatively stress-free. Following their health and lifestyle habits are essential if you're also going to be healthy as you head to the full-century milestone.

Researchers generally agree that the aging process starts around the time we turn 25 years of age, but it isn't necessarily "all downhill from here." Even if you haven't been putting your well-being first, many health problems can be minimized or even reversed with the proper care - but you can't put it off. For every day that you're still packing on pounds or nurturing your nicotine habit, you'll pay the penalty in your senior years.

No one actually dies of old age. Instead, we die of diseases, conditions or injuries that take their toll on older bodies. If we take steps to look after ourselves, there's no reason why we can't live long and healthy lives.

Very few people in their 90s or 100s develop such conditions as heart disease or cancer if there were no signs of it before. These debilitating diseases originate earlier in our lives, the accumulation of poor health habits over a period of time. Advancing age itself doesn't cause such diseases and conditions. Instead, the effects of unhealthy lifestyle habits build up gradually over time, until they become major problems.

Anything that affects our overall health will affect the way we age. The causes of too-early aging, and long-term health problems as we age, are those that affect the heart, lungs, cardiovascular system and immune system: poor diet, including too many fatty foods, too much sugar and salt, and too many processed foods; high cholesterol levels; insufficient vitamins and minerals; smoking; drinking alcohol beyond moderate levels; lack of exercise; stress; and not enough restful sleep.

The skin will always change with age, but the transformation is also affected by health and lifestyle. Dull-looking, wrinkled and thickened skin can be caused by smoking, too much sunshine or artificial tanning, lack of exercise, vitamin deficiency, and dehydration. Creams and serums only temporarily improve the skin's appearance; good health is the key to a good complexion, in both men and women.

Researchers still don't know all of the causes behind the cruelest diseases associated with age, Alzheimer's and dementia. However, cardiovascular health plays a major role, especially in dementia associated with arteriosclerosis (hardening or thickening of the arteries) in the brain.

Anti-aging health is overall health. You can't stop your chronological age from advancing, but by adopting good health habits, you can help prevent the diseases and conditions that lead to premature death or disability.

Good health depends on what goes in, what comes out, and how much we move. An anti-aging diet is one that is low in fat, high in fiber, and rich in antioxidants. This helps with weight loss, prevents constipation, and neutralizes free radicals, which are unstable molecules in the body that attack healthy cells. Antioxidants are found in certain fruits and vegetables, or available in supplements. The diet should also contain a full complement of vitamins and minerals, supplemented if necessary whenever it isn't possible to get them all through food.

Exercise is essential for the anti-aging process. Staying active is beneficial for all parts of the body: it strengthens the heart, keeps the muscles and joints supple, improves blood flow, and increases lung capacity.

Keeping the skin looking younger involves more than just creams and serums. While it's important to use a moisturizer, as skin gets drier with age, good health habits go a long way toward preventing wrinkles and dark spots. Quitting smoking is one of the most important, as is using sunscreen and avoiding artificial tanning lights, which can make skin look leathery and also increase the risk of cancer. Diet and exercise also have a considerable effect on the skin's appearance.

Although doctors don't know everything about the causes of Alzheimer's disease and dementia, cardiovascular health plays a huge part in prevention, as damaged arteries in the brain are major factors in memory loss.

Health habits are like a savings plan for retirement: look after yourself in your earlier years, and you'll reap the benefits in your senior years.