Former "60 Minutes" host Andy Rooney once said, "It's paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn't appeal to anyone."

Well, a new study may make you feel that getting old is a great reward for a long, healthy life.

The research, published in The BMJ, reveals that if you stick with a healthy lifestyle you can reduce your risk for Alzheimer's by 60% and live healthier, longer. The healthy habits were:

• A brain-healthy Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay that contains whole grains, leafy greens, and other vegetables, as well as berries, beans, nuts, lean meats, fish, poultry, and olive oil and reduced consumption of cheese, butter, fried foods, and sweets

• Late life cognitive activities (such as speed of processing games)

• Moderate or vigorous physical activity (at least 150 minutes a week)

• No smoking

• Light to moderate alcohol consumption

The researchers found that those healthy habits increased lifespan and helped men and women live a larger proportion of their remaining years without Alzheimer's.

At age 65, women without Alzheimer's who followed four or five healthy factors had a life expectancy of 21.5 years, while those with zero or one of the healthy factors had 17 years. Men who followed four or five of the healthy habits had a life expectancy of 23.1 years — 5.7 years longer than men age 65 with zero or one healthy factor.

For more information on how to benefit from living younger longer, consider preordering "The Great Age Reboot."