She will however, admit to being more than 80 years old with a knowing smile as she watches people's expression of surprise. The feisty redhead appears to be in her late 60s or early 70s.

"I've exercised my whole life," David said Tuesday after her hour-long exercise class at the Cultural Center of Charlotte County's Fitness Salon. "I used to be an exercise fiend."

David, a 24-year resident of Port Charlotte, credits an active lifestyle for her youthful appearance and attitude, along with being diet-conscious.

"I used to ride my bike 10 miles a day until a couple years ago," she said. "Then my knees got bad. I put on a little weight since then, but I watch what I eat and diet all the time."

Living a healthy lifestyle when you are younger could be the key to living longer, according to a study that appeared recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The study involved 5,820 Japanese-American men from the Hawaiian island of Oahu, who were followed for up to 40 years, but the researchers said the results likely apply to women and men of other ethnic heritage, too.

Study participants were in their 50s on average when the research began. About 58 percent died before age 85. Health was evaluated at the start and then at eight follow-up examinations.


Eleven percent -- 655 men -- reached a milestone the researchers dubbed ''exceptional survival.'' That was reaching age 85 without any mental or physical impairment, including cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung disease, Parkinson's disease and diabetes.

The men who had none of nine disease risk factors -- including smoking, high glucose levels, high blood pressure and being unmarried -- at mid-life had a nearly 70 percent chance of living to age 85 and a 55 percent chance of reaching the exceptional milestone.

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