CLEVELAND -- It seems that many people are looking for that "fountain of youth."

But as part of The Cleveland Foundation's "Successful Aging Initiative," NewsChannel5's Leon Bibb reported that if you're in your 30s, 40s or 50s, there are things you can start doing now to keep you healthier longer.

It takes some work to battle approaching age. The fight calls for movement, so exercise clubs see more Americans on the battle lines.

Too many Americans take the easy way out and fail to exercise enough.

Dr. Paula Deuley said she sees it all the time. As a University Hospitals internist, she counsels people on how to age successfully.

Even in her own life, the mother of five -- who is in her 40s -- understands the importance of starting the fight to age successfully long before the older years hit.

"If we can do something aerobically, then we're going to do a lot to help our heart," she said. "If we help our heart, we're going to decrease our risk of heart disease later in life, such as heart attack. We're also going to decrease our risk of stroke."

Successful aging is not only about what people do to their bodies, but also what they put into it.

Too many Americans are a fast-food group. Increasingly, there is a need to join the vegetables and fruit bunch. Eating good foods can help during the later years.

"Sure, everyone is going to have an occasional burger and an occasional fry," Deuley said. "We know that's the way that it is. But, as a whole, we have family meals with vegetables at every meal."

There is no real fountain of youth -- no magical elixir to take to stop the aging process. But doctors said people can slow down the aging process by exercising right, eating right, and sleeping right.

Doctors said the secret is for people to do all those things in moderation.

For more information on the "Successful Aging Initiative" or available resources, write NewsChannel5, 3001 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44114, or log onto our special section on aging.