Want to age gracefully? Start while you're still young

Personal trainer Rickie Ali works with Jenny Rodriguez at a gym in Miami Lakes, Fla., on April 17, 2014. Building cardio-vascular health as well as muscle mass and bone density can make it easier as one ages. (CW Griffin/Miami Herald/MCT)

We can age more successfully if we develop a healthy lifestyle when we’re young – one that includes exercise, a healthy diet, sufficient sleep and watching our weight.

Astrid Flaherty nimbly hops off a low platform, then swoops from side to side touching orange plastic cones. Though she's 70 and a breast cancer survivor, she seems barely winded. Her secret: lifelong exercise and healthy eating. “Exercise is the best anti-ageing pill you can take,” says Dawn Davis, a fitness instructor at Shula’s Athletic Club in Miami Lakes, Florida.