In today’s society, people are now living longer than previous generations. Eric Plasker, author of “The 100 Year Lifestyle,” shares his suggestions to achieve a way of life that will not only increase longevity, but also the quality of life.

Plasker says his book applies common-sense principles for a high-tech world that help people make the most of their everyday lives.

“Unfortunately, many people today are living lifestyles that are not conducive to living a healthy and long life,” Plasker says.

• There are three life-changing principles Plasker talks about in his book. The first: Change is easy, but thinking about change is hard.

“What this means is if you know you need to eat healthier, exercise more and keep your spine well-adjusted, then thinking about it is hard because you end up suffering from being overweight, unfit and crooked,” Plasker says. “If you just do the things you know you need to do and make the necessary changes, it’s easy because you’re healthier, feel better and have more energy.”

• The second principle is change comes one choice at a time. Think progress, not perfection.

“It’s not the first cookie that made you fat, or overweight or unhealthy, and it’s not the first drink that makes you an alcoholic, or the first cigarette that gives you lung cancer, it’s all of them as a part of your lifestyle,” Plasker says.

Rather, it is the combination of eating right, exercising and limiting consumption of alcoholic beverages that will improve a person’s health, he says.

• Third, when making a change, make it with your 100-year lifestyle in mind.

“Learn to love the things that are good for you. And make compelling changes that give you lasting motivation,” Plasker says.

His motivation to write the book was when he learned centenarians, those people who have reached 100 years of age, were one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. population.

“One-hundred-year-old people in their lifetime have lived through 21 recessions plus the Great Depression,” Plasker says.

He says because centenarians have lived so long, they have a more long-term perspective of life, are adaptable to change and value their health.

“Healthy centenarians make their health a priority. They don’t wait until they get sick to make healthy choices,” Plasker says. “They keep themselves healthy all the time.”

The advice given in the book is targeted to people ages 40 to 65 years old. Plasker says the generation of baby boomers are faced with the reality that they have the genes of their aging parents and grandparents. He says this generation realizes that they will live longer, but Plasker wants the baby boomer generation to take a holistic approach to making advantageous choices to their lifestyle.

“I realized that our health care system and our thought processes of how we look at aging were unhealthy,” Plasker says. “I want to educate our community and society to make healthier choices so we can age well, instead of deteriorate as we age.”

Engaging in physical activity, reducing stress and debating are components Plasker recommends for a healthy lifestyle. He says physical activity burns stress, burns calories and strengthens the body. Being physically fit is a factor for maintaining quality of life as a person ages, Plasker says.

“Very rarely, if ever, will you see an overweight or obese centenarian,” Plasker says.

Debating gets people to talk through issues that are important to them with other people who might be able to offer them different perspectives and alternative views, he says.

Plasker says too much stress in a person’s life has been proven to shorten the telomeres that are a part of our genes and can affect the quality and quantity of life. By reducing stress, he says, a person was able to enjoy a higher quality of life.