Despite its reputation, aging doesn't have to be a miserable process. Though some factors — our parents and the genes we inherit from them — may be out of our control, we can greatly influence how we enter the golden years by doing simple things, aging experts say.

As it is, Americans are living longer than ever — the average man can expect to survive 75.2 years. Women have a life expectancy of 80.4.

But if you want to make it to 100 — or even 120 — you have to want to live that long.

"Having a positive attitude toward aging is often overlooked," said Erdman Palmore, 79, a professor emeritus of medical sociology at the Duke University Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development.

In addition to the usual anti-aging suggestions — get more sleep and stop smoking — the following five strategies can help boost your resilience.

• Find a purpose. It will naturally bring you in contact with others and decrease isolation, which can cut years off your age. Helene Weinberger, 86, volunteers at the Menorah Park Center for Senior Living in Cleveland, where she inspires residents to write to their local politicians. "Research shows that those who stay more socially active — getting together with friends and family, joining clubs, volunteering — live longer and maintain better cognitive and physical functioning," said Teresa Seeman, a geriatrics researcher and professor of medicine and epidemiology in the UCLA Schools of Medicine and Public Health.

• Make exercise your job. First, redefine "exercise." Any movement is beneficial; you don't have to go to the gym four days a week, said John Rowe, who leads the MacArthur Foundation's Initiative on an Aging Society and co-wrote the book "Successful Aging." Even a fairly moderate 30-minute walk, several times a week yields 70 percent of the benefits of aerobic exercise, Rowe said.

Family physician Don Kennedy, who specializes in geriatrics in Florida, tells his patients to head off to exercise in the same way they used to leave for work: same time, every day.

• Spread your meals, not your waist. Maoshing Ni, known as "Dr. Wow" on the television show "Sex and the City," tells clients to eat five or six little meals rather than two or three big ones. "It's portion control; that way you never over-eat," he said. "If you eat more frequently, your metabolism will naturally speed up." By the same token, Ni said, skipping meals or eating large ones causes the metabolism to slow. Obesity causes osteoarthritis and is the greatest risk factor of high blood pressure and stroke.

• Embrace your inner otter. Lin Wellford, 58, was kayaking on a Florida river several years ago when she saw a group of otters frolicking. Otters, she realized, know how to have fun and seek out adventure. "I was more like a beaver — always on task, bustling through my days and guilty if I was not accomplishing enough," she said. Once she made an effort to be more like the fun-loving otter, people began mistaking her grandchildren for her own kids.

There's no better way to stay young than to nurture friendships with younger people, she said. They can benefit from your wisdom; you'll be invigorated with vitality and enthusiasm.

• Get balanced. If you're worried about falling, it could be a red flag that you're headed for one. A hip fracture shortens your life expectancy by six years, said Dr. William Meller, an expert in evolutionary medicine. Mind-body exercises such as yoga and tai chi are excellent ways to improve balance to prevent spills, and they increase flexibility and strength.