Forget biohacking — these 5 simple habits in your 40s could help you age better
Think you’ve left it too late to improve your long-term health? Scientists say your 40s are the ideal time to start making changes.
- Rachel Hosie
Published: July 29, 2026 at 11:00 AM
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Longevity is having a moment. Open any social media app and you’ll likely come across self-proclaimed “biohackers” reeling off a long laundry list of niche, restrictive habits they follow to “optimise” their health and, supposedly, reverse their biological age.
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But the truth is that living longer actually comes down to nailing the basics: a healthy diet, a balanced exercise regime, plentiful sleep and strong social connections.
Living longer isn’t necessarily the goal either — living longer in good health should be (often known as your “healthspan”).
In fact, recent research from the Health Foundation found that in the UK, we can expect to live two fewer years in good health than a decade ago, until the age of nearly 61.
But don’t panic — if you’re in your 40s (or beyond) and think you might have missed the boat, you certainly haven’t. Your 40s are a great decade to make changes that will set you up for healthy ageing, and it’s never too late to start.
Why your 40s are important for boosting your longevity
Despite how ageing is often discussed, we’re all ageing from the day we’re born — or even before.
“Ageing is a lifelong process,” says Daniel Belsky, Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the Robert N Butler Columbia Aging Center.
Changes in your lifestyle and behaviours can have significant impact in your 40s, 50s and even 60s.
Chair of the Physiology and Ageing department at the University of Florida
“We have evidence from laboratory studies that ageing processes are active as early as embryogenesis, i.e. just after conception. We can see evidence of biological changes associated with ageing in children, adolescents and young adults. So biological ageing is happening to us long before we look or feel ‘old.’”
But just because ageing is inevitable throughout our lives, that doesn’t mean we’re powerless to affect it. “Changes in your lifestyle and behaviours can have significant impact in your 40s, 50s and even 60s,” says Karyn Esser, Chair of the Physiology and Ageing department at the University of Florida.
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Belsky believes that the middle decade of life, including the 40s, are a pivotal time when it comes to ageing because many people find their lifestyles have changed from their younger years.
“We are starting families, settling down, establishing careers, and so forth,” Belsky says. “This is a time when it’s easy to fall into a more sedentary lifestyle, to become reliant on unhealthy patterns of diet and sleep, and when we can fail to nurture critical relationships due to competing demands on our time and attention.”
But it doesn’t have to be the case and it’s never too late to turn things around. In fact, there’s lots of research to show that healthy lifestyle changes, such as improving your nutrition and being more active, can contribute to prolonged health as we age, boosting mobility and cognition, and thus independence.
“I would agree that the sooner one can start healthier lifestyle choices the longer one can enjoy the health benefits,” says Esser. “But I want to make sure that people older than 40 understand that it’s not too late and benefits are seen at almost any age.”
What to do in your 40s for healthy ageing
If you want to boost your longevity in mid-life, step away from the red light masks and the cryotherapy chambers. It actually all comes down to the basics.
1. Exercise consistently, including resistance training
There is endless research proving that people who exercise more frequently live in good health for longer. For example, a 2023 study found that people over the age of 80 who kept active were more likely to live longer than sedentary people, even if they didn’t start until they were older.
We start to lose muscle mass in our 30s and 40s, so exercise can help reverse that decline and keep us strong and mobile in our older years. Esser says the key is to find something you can do consistently and will thus continue with.
Cardio is important for our heart health, but don’t neglect strength training, which builds not only muscle but bone density too.
“Resistance exercises are really helpful for ageing, to help maintain upper body, core and lower body strength,” says Esser.
Combining both cardio and strength training has been shown to be the optimal routine for ageing.
2. Eat a Mediterranean-style diet
The Mediterranean diet has consistently been ranked as the best when it comes to longevity. This means prioritising vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds, healthy fats like olive oil and avocados, wholegrains, plant-based protein sources like lentils and beans, lean protein sources like chicken and fish, and some dairy.
In the areas with the greatest life expectancies, they all regularly eat beans, which provide both fibre and protein.
One common theme in the diets from all the world’s Blue Zones — the areas with the greatest life expectancies — is that they all regularly eat beans, which provide both fibre and protein.
The Mediterranean diet minimises ultraprocessed foods, sugar, red meat, saturated fats and alcohol (bar a small amount of wine).
3. Prioritise sleep
Getting enough sleep is crucial for our brain and cardiovascular health as we age. In fact, a 2024 study found that men who get enough sleep live for about five years longer than those who don’t. The great thing about sleep? It’s free.
Try to go to sleep and wake up at roughly the same time each day to maintain a stable circadian rhythm too. “Pay attention to sleep habits, minimise light at night and try to make sleep as routine as possible, taking into account both personal and professional commitments,” says Esser.
4. Don’t neglect social connection
If you skip a gym session to hang out with your friends, don’t beat yourself up because meaningful interpersonal relationships are important for longevity too.
A 2023 study found that visiting family and friends once a month as they age could help them live longer.
Being isolated, on the other hand, was linked to a 77% higher risk of death. There’s lots of research stressing the importance of social connection when it comes to healthy ageing, so don’t skip quality time with your loved ones.
5. Start small and stay consistent
Focusing on maintaining (or building) healthy habits in the middle decades of life can set us up for healthy ageing over the longer term, says Belsky, who recommends focusing on the four areas above.
“In all of these cases, we have evidence from decades of epidemiological research for what we call a ‘dose response’ relationship with healthy ageing,” he says. “That means even small changes in the right direction can help support healthier outcomes down the line.
"So people should not feel discouraged if they find themselves a long way from where they want to be lifestyle-wise. Make a small change today. Try to make another small one tomorrow.
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"Healthy ageing takes a lifetime.”
Authors
Rachel Hosie
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