More People Are Reaching 100. Experts Say Aging Well Comes Down to These Everyday Habits
Reaching 100 is no longer as rare as it once was.
The number of Americans living to age 100 and older has grown rapidly over the past several decades. The U.S. Census Bureau counted 80,139 centenarians in 2020, up from 53,364 in 2010, a 50% increase in one decade. Census projections cited by Pew Research suggest that number could reach about 422,000 by 2054.
Japan has seen a similar shift. The country reported 107,677 residents age 100 or older in 2026, becoming the first country reported to surpass 100,000 centenarians. Women made up nearly 88% of Japan’s centenarian population.
But a growing number of people reaching extreme ages doesn’t mean everyone is destined to live to 100.
The bigger question behind the longevity trend is changing: How can people add more healthy years to life, not just more years?
Researchers often describe that goal as healthspan, the years when people can remain active, independent, and able to do the things that matter to them.
The Rise of Centenarians Reflects Decades of Progress
More people are reaching 100 because several long-term trends are happening at the same time.
People are surviving longer into their 80s and 90s because of improvements in public health, medical care, disease prevention, and treatments for serious illnesses. Larger generations are also moving into older adulthood, increasing the number of people reaching advanced ages.
This trend signals progress, but it also creates new challenges.
A longer life can mean more years managing chronic conditions, maintaining mobility, and finding ways to preserve independence. The CDC reports that three in four U.S. adults have at least one chronic condition, making long-term health management a major part of modern aging.
The Habits Linked With Healthier Aging Are Surprisingly Familiar
The growing interest in longevity has created a booming market for supplements, tracking devices, and “anti-aging” products. But the strongest evidence still points toward everyday behaviors that have been recommended for decades.
These habits do not guarantee a longer life. They are tools that can support better health over time.
Regular Movement Helps Protect Strength and Independence
Exercise doesn’t need to involve intense workouts or expensive equipment.
Federal guidelines recommend adults get 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, along with muscle-strengthening activities on at least two days.
Walking, gardening, dancing, cycling, climbing stairs, and household activities can all help you stay active. Strength exercises also become increasingly important with age because maintaining muscle helps support everyday tasks, balance, and mobility.
For people starting from a low activity level, small changes can still count. A short walk, a few minutes of movement throughout the day, or simple strength exercises at home can be more sustainable than an ambitious routine that quickly disappears.
The goal is consistency.
Healthy Eating Is About Patterns, Not a Single Longevity Food
Longevity headlines often focus on one ingredient or diet trend. Research has not identified one food that unlocks a longer life.
Instead, dietary guidance focuses on overall eating patterns that include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, protein sources, and healthy fats while limiting excess added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium.
That approach can look different for each person.
A healthier routine might mean adding more vegetables to familiar meals, choosing beans or lentils more often, eating more fiber-rich foods, or replacing some highly processed options with simpler alternatives.
Foods often associated with healthy eating patterns, including oats, beans, eggs, frozen vegetables, nuts, seeds, and canned fish — can fit into everyday meals without requiring expensive wellness products.
Sleep Is One of the Most Overlooked Parts of Healthy Aging
Sleep is often treated as something people sacrifice when schedules get busy, but it plays an important role in overall health.
The CDC recommends adults get at least seven hours of sleep per night. In 2024, 30.5% of U.S. adults reported sleeping less than seven hours in a 24-hour period.
Short sleep is associated with a higher risk of conditions including obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, anxiety, and depression. These associations do not mean poor sleep directly causes every health problem, but they show why sleep belongs in conversations about long-term health.
Improving sleep does not require a perfect routine.
Helpful steps include keeping a consistent wake time when possible, creating a calming bedtime routine, getting daylight during the day, and limiting habits that interfere with restful sleep.
Related: How Sleep, Stress, and Diet Affect Your Sexual Energy
Avoiding Tobacco Remains One of the Clearest Longevity Choices
Among all health behaviors, avoiding tobacco has some of the strongest evidence behind it.
The CDC says quitting smoking improves health at any age, lowers the risk of premature death, and can add as much as 10 years to life expectancy.
The benefits begin after quitting and continue to build over time.
For people trying to stop, support can make a difference. Counseling, quitlines, medications, and other resources can improve the chances of successfully quitting.
Preventive Care Helps People Make the Most of Added Years
Healthy aging isn’t only about daily habits.
Preventive care, screenings, and knowing key health numbers can help identify concerns earlier. The American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 framework combines lifestyle factors, including diet, activity, sleep, and avoiding nicotine, with health measures such as blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and body weight.
Research has found that adults with higher cardiovascular health scores have longer estimated life expectancy than those with lower scores. The findings show an association, not a guarantee that changing one measurement will add a specific number of years to an individual’s life.
Regular checkups and age-appropriate screenings remain part of the bigger picture.
Longevity Science Is Advancing, but There Are Still Limits
The growing interest in living longer has also fueled excitement around calorie restriction, biological-age tests, and other longevity strategies.
Some research is promising, but many popular claims have outpaced the evidence.
A major calorie-restriction trial in healthy adults found small changes in one biological aging measure after two years, but researchers noted that the results do not prove restrictive diets will extend lifespan for everyone.
The science of aging is evolving, but the most reliable advice remains straightforward.
Move regularly. Eat a balanced diet. Protect sleep. Avoid tobacco. Stay connected. Keep up with preventive care.
Those habits may not guarantee a century of life, but they can help support the years people already have.
As more people reach 100, longevity is becoming less about reaching a certain number and more about having the health and independence to enjoy the years that follow.
What is one habit you believe makes the biggest difference in staying healthy as you get older?
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