Life expectancy rates are soaring in this country. But when you think about it, that could be a good news/bad news situation — it’s only good to live longer if you can live well.

Nobody wants to live longer if it means living in pain, living housebound or being dependent on others to do even the simple things. The good news is, if you stay active, watch your diet and manage your stress, you stand a pretty good chance at a long and fulfilling life.

Starting right now, you can help stave off the physical limitations that come with an older body. Dr. Frank Wildman believes the best way is by using, not your brawn, but your brain.

He’s the author of “Change Your Age: Using Your Body and Brain to Feel Younger, Stronger and More Fit,” and Dr. Wildman says the key to regaining the vigor you had as a youth comes from understanding how your body moves.

He says exercise alone isn’t enough to change your age — you have to learn how to move. Dr. Wildman has created a new method that helps older people learn to mimic the movements they did as an infant and young child, and this program helps adults regain the flexibility and lost functions they once had.

His Feldenkrais movement improves the connection between the mind and the body. For example, if someone has a stroke, he helps them learn a new way of opening a jar. This new knowledge puts the brain in the body, Wildman says.

Find out how his methods can apply to anyone, whether you’re in your 30s or 90s.