Most Critical Decade Of Your Health Window

A new long-term study out of Finland has officially confirmed what your metabolism, your hangovers, and that weird back pain have been trying to tell you: your late 30s and 40s are the most important decade for your long-term health. Researchers followed a group of people born in 1959 in the Finnish city of Jyväskylä (bless you) and tracked them from their 20s into their 60s. They checked in at ages 27, 36, 42, 50 and 61, collecting everything from blood pressure and cholesterol to how often they exercised — or didn’t. And surprise: people who smoked, drank heavily, or skipped workouts saw signs of physical and mental decline as early as age 36. Yep, that’s the age when the Friday night tequila shots finally start clogging your arteries. To improve your odds of living long enough to see your great-niece become an influencer, researchers say to avoid:

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• Smoking (obviously)
• Heavy drinking (sorry again)
• Skipping exercise (yes, walking counts — if you’re doing it)

They also flagged that establishing good habits around diet, sleep and movement before your mid-40s is key. After that? It’s not impossible, just harder.

Source: 1075 Kool