People who wait till middle age to adopt a healthier lifestyle have lower risks for heart disease and premature deaths within years of changing their habits, say researchers. The people who ate more fruits and vegetables each day, exercised for 2 ½ hours per week, kept their weight down and did not smoke decreased their risk of heart disease by 35%.

To read the full article, click here:
Study shows how to cut risk of death by 40 percent within 4 years

Dr. Diet weighs in:

This is good news and a reminder that it's never too late to get serious and start living a healthier lifestyle.

It's not that uncommon for someone in their 50's to think that it's too late for them to become healthier - however that's just not true. Research is supporting the notion that one's healthier lifestyle habits do add up and have positive effects, even later in life.

So if you're someone who has been putting off becoming more active or eating healthier, make today your day to get started.

Instead of doing a complete overhaul of your lifestyle, start with small, doable baby steps. Here are 3 ideas to get you started:

-- Start taking lunch time and after dinner walks on a regular basis.

-- Keep a filled-fruit bowl on your kitchen counter or in your workplace so you'll be more likely to eat these low-calorie, nutrition-packed foods.

-- Bring your lunch more often to cut down on all those excess eating-out calories.