Living longer and a healthy life is a goal for everyone, but how many of us can actually achieve it? How about we tell you the life experience of someone who has actually achieved it, and the lessons you could learn from it. This is the story of Bill Redston, a 100-year old D-Day veteran from Wolverhampton, who attributes his long and healthy life to staying active. In an interview with BBC, he said, "By no means am I the sort of person that has to stay in bed all day or anything like that."He also ran for the London Marathon at 65, and followed it up with the New York Marathon the next year, "just to prove that London wasn't a one-off."In the BBC interview published on November 28, 2024, he said that in the coming week he would be celebrating his birth at home with his family. While, later the same week on a Sunday, he would be celebrating at a larger gathering of around 100 guests to honor his incredible life milestone. Daily Fitness RoutineDespite his age, Mr. Redston remains committed to fitness. He regularly walks around his housing estate and emphasized, "Staying fit and well is one of my greatest life lessons." Even in his 80s, he joined a local cycling club and still exercises regularly, either on his bike or by walking a mile at least four times a week.His passion for physical activity began when he was 18 and joined the Royal Navy. "From that day onwards, I was quite keen to do any sort of sports, or running, or anything like that that I needed to do," he recalled.The D-Day, A Close CallDuring the World War II, from 1939 to 1945, Mr Redston served as the First Lieutenant of Motor Launch 191 in naval coastal forces. His role during the D-Day landings was what guided the US soldiers onto Utah Beach. However, his motor launch was replaced by an American ship at the last moment and tragically that ship was among the first to be sunk on the D-day, reports BBC. He also admitted that he "might not have survived the war" if he had led the landing instead. However, his achievements are still numerous. Following the war, Mr Redston also worked as a civil engineer with Tarmac in Wolverhampton for the next 27 years. He also contributed to the construction of motorways. Over the last 20 years, he had dedicated his life as a volunteer at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, where he met King Charles on two different occasions. Honored for his serviceIn 2020, he was also awarded France's Legion d'Honneur medal for his service on the D-Day. When asked about it, he said, "it was one of the proudest moments of my life."What happens to your age and health when you stay active?The American Heart Association recommends that at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week is important to maintain overall health and wellness. Furthermore, a study published in the journal Circulation shared that physical activity could reduce mortality. The American Medication Association (AMA) notes, "The study found that working out two to four times beyond the minimum vigorous physical activity recommendations led to a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease. Those who worked out two to four times above the moderate physical activity recommendations—about 300 to 599 minutes each week—saw the most benefit."The study also found that participants who performed two to four times above the recommended amount of moderate physical activity had a 26% to 31% lower all-cause mortality and a 28% to 38% lower risk of cardiovascular disease mortality.