Does being rich, sleeping with supermodels and eating caviar promote longevity? No but it sure does sound like fun and it didn't hurt Hugh Hefner.

Over the years, many researchers have studied longevity and produced volumes of informative reports. Scores of these reports are now available online and all the popular magazines, including Forbes, continue to publish tips on ways to live longer.

Interestingly, these tips tend to run the gamut from eating healthy to having an optimistic attitude. However, a few common themes are almost always present: eat well, drink plenty water but drink alcohol moderately, exercise daily, stop smoking, sleep enough but not too much, stop worrying and have more sex.

Are these news findings? Not according to KnowledgeNews. In February 2006 they said, The World's Oldest Love Poem, discovered over a hundred years ago, was addressed to the Sumerian king Shu-Sin. Here are a few lines ...

You have captivated me,
Let me stand tremblingly before you.
Bridegroom, I would be taken by you to the bedchamber.

Even though there is no way to defy death, there is nothing wrong with wanting to live a longer, healthier life. What do you think will happen if we all eat well and exercise daily? We'll become strong and healthy! We'll be well developed and hopefully, sexually appealing! We'll have more sex and sleep well. Life will be exciting and we'll be too busy to worry! That can't be all bad.

Isn't that what we all want out of life? Yes! And if any of that is true, the next time you hear of a couple celebrating 50 or more years of blissful married life you'll know exactly what kept them together through the years.

What does that have to do with longevity? Everything! In fact, it means that we all hold the key to our spouse's longevity. All we have to do is love them, eat with them, exercise with them and have more sex -- with them. If we do that often there will be nothing to worry about and we'll all enjoy longevity. And, as you can see, this list does not have anything that is too difficult for any of us to achieve.

Is that all there is? You make it sound like all we have to do is eat, drink and sleep with Mary. If it were that easy, we'd all enjoy longevity. How will I get my exercise? From chasing Mary around the room?

Of course not! The preceding ideas will only help you to meet some of your physiological and biological needs. You still have to undertake activities that will address your other needs. They are all important and some of them are interdependent. You cannot survive without meeting all your needs!

To put this into perspective, let's think of life as a railway. We invest a lot of money building miles and miles of shiny new tracks. They pass through small towns, big cities and some scenic backwoods to ensure that travelers enjoy the journey. Is that enough to have a dependable railway system?

Definitely not! Even though tracks are an integral part of the railway system, we still need engineers, ticket collectors, maintenance crews, engines, train stations, shunting stations, crossing signals and such. It would be impossible, or difficult at best, to operate a successful railway system without any of these components. Can you now see how they are all important and interdependent?

Longevity is no different. To enjoy longevity, we have to meet all our needs: physiological, biological, emotional, spiritual, educational, mental, financial, etc. Fortunately, some of them are just as easy to meet, if you are willing to try. Consider these ideas.

Emotional Needs: You could start by giving your spouse a massage. Next week, let your spouse give you a massage. Neither of you need to be a professional masseur or masseuse. And, most important, this does not have to lead to sexual activity for it to be successful.

One of my earliest childhood memories is that of my father massaging my feet with oil. I woke up sick one morning, earlier than usual and while my mother administered her best home made medication, my father sat at the foot of my bed massaging my feet.

More than forty years later, I could still remember him gently rubbing the oil between my toes. There is little doubt in my mind about whether the medication or the massage made me feel better than morning.

Later in life, I had to go to a professional physiotherapist for treatment after a car accident. The touch of the massage therapist worked wonders for me as she touched places that had not been touched by another human being for a very long time. Now, please don't let your mind race off in the wrong direction. She was a highly professional therapist.

Many other simple activities will adequately meet our emotional needs e.g. enjoying at least one meal a day together as a family. Holding hands and talking with your spouse as you walk around the block after dinner will also work wonders for your emotional health.

Family fishing, hunting or picnicking in the park are excellent activities. So is sitting out on warm summer nights enjoying a cold beer under the stars and eating from the barbecue that you started after 10:00 PM. The list of possible events to strengthen your emotional life and that of your family is virtually endless. Try them!

An easy way to determine which areas of your life need further development is by using the wheel of life. The what? Don't worry; it is a very simple but powerful exercise.

Start with a blank sheet of paper, letter size (8 x 11) will do. Draw a line across the middle of the paper. Put a dot in the middle of the line. Write 3:00 on the line near the end on the right side and 9:00 on the same line near the end on the left side.

These numbers represent 3:00 PM and 9:00 PM on the face of a clock. Now fill in the numbers (no lines yet) for 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, etc. You already have a line connecting 9:00 and 3:00. Draw a line connecting 7:00 and 1:00. Draw another line connecting 11:00 and 5:00.

You now have three long lines, each divided by the dot in the middle so you really have six shorter lines. Now, divide each of the six shorter lines into ten equal parts. Let's label the numbers, 1:00 - Physical, 3:00 - Spiritual, 5:00 - Mental, 7:00 - Emotional, 9:00 - Social and 11:00 - Financial. That was easy!

The next step is to put an x on the line from the dot in the middle to 1:00 to indicate how you feel about your physical life. Poor is close to the middle and great in out towards 1:00. Do the same for your spiritual life on the line that extends from the dot in the middle to 3:00. Then do the other four. Now connect the six points you just marked off and with a pair of scissors, cut along the line.

That resulting shape represents your wheel of life. If it is not round then you may be experiencing a rough life. It is OK for your wheel of life to be big or small but it is important for it to be round. If you were honest when you marked the points, this simple exercise will tell you exactly what part or parts of your life needs developing.

This is your life; the choice is all yours!

Here are some keys to success and happiness: Love God unconditionally and place all your trust in Him. Be loyal to your family. Be positive. Live one day at a time. Live every day to the fullest. Expect only the best. Commit to your highest dreams. Be generous. Be kind to your neighbor. Work hard for what you want.

Last but certainly not least, eat healthy foods and eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper. The old adage, too much of anything is good for nothing, also applies to food. Eating too much, especially late in the day, is bad for you. As you grow older, it causes indigestion, sleeplessness and weight gain.

Many experts recommend that we eat dinner before 8:00 PM, get 6 to 8 hours of sleep every night and exercise regularly. Some tests revealed that the hours of sleep before 2:00 AM actually bring us twice as much benefit.

Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Drink lots of water. You could eat most foods if you use very little salt, sugar and butter. Why butter? Leave some in an open container on the deck and see if any flies will eat from it.

Other foods to avoid include fried foods, fatty foods, monosodium glutamate (commonly known as MSG or vetsin), hotdogs (it reportedly includes sawdust) and caffeine (an alkaloid found in coffee, tea and colas). Cold cuts are said to be among the worse food on the market for human consumption.

Pork and pork products like bacon, pepperoni and sausage. Why? Because pigs eat garbage and will even eat their dead young. They also process their food in four hours and store the toxins in their fat. On the other hand, beef come from cows that eat clean pure vegetation and take twenty-four hours to process their food.

Crustaceans (shell-fish) like crabs, shrimps and lobsters. Why? They are scavengers that live at the bottom of the ocean and eat the excrement of the other fish.