Want to live a long, healthy life?

Want to live a long, healthy life? The American Heart Association has seven secrets to doing just that.

The Association Says these tricks will give most 50-year olds at least another forty years, free of stroke and heart disease.

*It's most effective if you've never smoked or stopped at least a year ago.

*Maintain a body mass index of less than 25 -- which is the cut-off for being overweight.

*Get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, each week.

*Keep your total cholesterol below 200.

*Maintain a blood pressure below 120/80.

*Record a fasting blood glucose of less than 100.

*And follow four of the following five dietary recommendations:

-Eat 4 1/2 cups of fruit and vegetables a day.

-Eat two or more 3.5 ounce servings a week of fish.

-Drink no more than 36 ounces of sugar-sweetened beverages a week.

-Eat three or more 1 ounce servings of fiber-rich whole grains a day.

-And finally... Consume less than 1500 milligrams a day of salt.

Researchers are saying thousands of lives could be saved if Americans reduced the daily amount of salt in their diets by just 3 grams.

One doctor says the profit could be on a scale compared to that of cutting smoking by 50 percent, saving $24 billion annually in health care costs.

Men typically have over 10 grams of salt each day, while the average woman is over 7 grams.