Simple, healthy lifestyle habits adopted during your 30s could help people remain fit into their 70s and significantly influence how they age, researchers say.
Habits ranging from taking a brisk 15-minute walk to maintaining a regular sleep schedule can help protect physical and cognitive health later in life. By their 80s, however, population averages show that most people experience weakness, stiffness, declining cognitive sharpness, disrupted sleep patterns characterised by evening drowsiness and early waking, and at least one chronic health condition, reports BBC.
Researchers increasingly believe much of this decline can be prevented.
Eric Verdin, president and chief executive of the Buck Institute for Research on Ageing in California, said most people could potentially remain in good health until the age of 90 or even 95 by optimising their lifestyles. This compares with the current average, where health typically begins to decline around the age of 65 or 70.
Although healthy lifestyle changes can be beneficial at any age, scientists identify the 30s as a particularly important decade. This is when physiological systems, including muscle mass, muscle strength, bone density and metabolic regulation, begin to show subtle signs of age-related change.
Building long-term resilience
João Passos, professor of physiology at the Mayo Clinic’s Kogod Center on Ageing in Minnesota, describes the 30s as a key period for establishing behaviours that can build long-term resilience.
To understand healthy ageing, scientists study groups such as “masters athletes” – people over the age of 35 who regularly compete in sports including running and cycling into their 60s and beyond.
Paul Morgan, senior lecturer in nutrition and metabolism at Manchester Metropolitan University, said these athletes tend to have higher peak cardiovascular function and greater muscle strength, followed by a slower decline. This can help protect them from losing mobility and independence later in life.
Morgan advises people in their 30s to aim for the highest possible levels of aerobic capacity, flexibility and muscle strength. Aerobic capacity refers to the maximum amount of oxygen the body can use during exercise.
He particularly highlights the importance of lower-limb locomotion muscles in preventing trips and falls. These become a major health risk for people over 70 as agility decreases and the range of joint movement becomes more limited.
Choosing the right exercise
Taking part in sports can provide substantial protective benefits. Studies have consistently associated racquet sports such as tennis and badminton with longer lifespans.
A 2025 Japanese study also found that older adults who cycle regularly are less likely to require long-term care or die prematurely.
Running for more than 75 minutes a week can slow certain aspects of the ageing process. However, running marathons may accelerate some biological ageing factors because of the physical extremes involved.
Even small amounts of activity can make a measurable difference. As little as five minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each day can help slow brain ageing.
Aditi Gurkar, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh in the US, said even a brisk 15-minute walk after a meal can provide meaningful health benefits.
Protecting brain reserve, dental health and sleep
Physical health is not the only area that can benefit from healthy habits in your 30s. Brain reserve can also be strengthened during this period.
Maintaining good dental hygiene through regular check-ups, proper brushing, avoiding smoking and limiting sugary foods can help prevent periodontal disease. The gum condition is associated with elevated inflammation, and studies have linked it to cognitive decline through chronic systemic inflammation affecting the brain.
Reducing alcohol consumption in your 30s is also important. Alcohol can alter gene expression in ways that accelerate ageing and can disrupt sleep.
Verdin stresses the importance of sleep regularity, including going to bed and waking at the same time each day. He says this can help avoid age-related brain shrinkage and reduce the risk of dementia.
Sleep allows the body to carry out cellular repair while maintaining the energy and willpower needed to sustain a healthy lifestyle. Even a single night of lost sleep can alter metabolism and weaken motivation.
To remain synchronised with the body’s 24-hour circadian biology, Verdin uses a nightly alarm as a reminder to go to bed. He acknowledges, however, that maintaining regular sleep can be difficult for people in their 30s who are raising young children.
Fasting, nutrition and long-term evidence
Nutrition is another important factor in determining long-term health.
Verdin recommends allowing the body periods without food through intermittent fasting. He favours a manageable 12:12 pattern – 12 hours of fasting followed by 12 hours of eating – rather than a 16:8 schedule. He notes that fasting allows the body to focus on cellular repair rather than digestion.
Improving diet by replacing ultra-processed foods with fruits and vegetables can also provide protection. Gurkar points to research showing that a higher intake of dietary carotenoids – plant chemicals found in foods such as sweet potatoes, carrots, mangoes and apricots – helps protect cells from oxidative stress and slows ageing.
Long-term US population studies involving tens of thousands of participants tracked over several decades, including the Framingham Heart Study and the Nurses’ Health Study, provide further evidence that maintaining healthy lifestyles during midlife reduces the risks of cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline and frailty later in life.
Passos said healthy choices made in the 30s can delay subtle cellular and molecular changes and help shape the trajectory of ageing, protecting the heart, muscles, joints and brain in later years.
