Do you feel time speeding up after 35? Five habits to slow ageing down

After 35, your sleep, heart, muscles and metabolism start shifting subtly. An NHS doctor shares five simple daily habits, from morning light to strength work, that can help you age better

Thirty-five doesn’t feel old, but somewhere between work deadlines, responsibilities, and skincare routines, your heart, muscles, hormones, and internal clock begin to shift, often without obvious signs.

 

According to Dr Amir Khan, a general practitioner at the UK’s National Health Service and ITV’s resident doctor, this decade is not a decline; it’s the time to act. In a recent post on Instagram, he shares five simple daily habits that can change how you age, from the inside out.

Get morning light to reset your body clock

Dr Khan stresses that after 35, your circadian rhythm, whichi is the internal clock that governs sleep, energy, appetite, and hormones, becomes less responsive. “Just five minutes of outdoor morning light activates receptors in the eyes that speak directly to your brain’s master clock,” he says.

 

 

The result? Better morning energy, sharper alertness, stronger sleep pressure at night, smoother appetite control, and even more stable mood rhythms. A 2024 study by researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine also found that early-day and sunset light play a vital role in synchronising human biological timing.

Boost your VO₂ max daily to keep your heart and cells young

VO₂ max (maximal oxygen consumption) sounds like something reserved for elite athletes, but it’s actually one of the strongest predictors of long-term health and longevity, says Dr Khan. It reflects how well your body delivers and uses oxygen. After your 30s, both your heart’s pumping efficiency and your cells’ energy factories, the mitochondria, become less effective.

 

According to him, short, sharp bursts of effort, say 20 to 40 seconds of fast stair climbing, brisk uphill walking, or a quick cycling sprint, are enough to push your muscles into demanding more oxygen. That demand stimulates the body to build new mitochondria and become more efficient at using oxygen.

Monitor your blood pressure to catch silent risks early

High blood pressure rarely announces itself. No warning signs. No obvious discomfort. Yet it quietly damages arteries, raises stroke risk, and stresses the heart for years before symptoms appear. The World Health Organization estimates that over 1.4 billion adults globally live with hypertension, and hundreds of millions don’t even know they have it.

 

Dr Khan warns that from your mid-30s onwards, arterial stiffness rises naturally. That’s why monitoring matters. A once-a-month resting check gives you a baseline. If readings hover around 135/85, daily readings for a week and calculating the average gives a far truer risk picture than a single, anxious clinic reading.

Train your balance to protect your brain and prevent falls

Balance isn’t just about not tripping. It is a complex interaction between your inner ear, cerebellum, eyes, and tiny sensors in your muscles known as proprioceptors. These systems begin to dull after 35 unless they are challenged.

 

According to Dr Khan, one of the simplest training tools is standing on one leg while brushing your teeth. Thirty seconds at a time strengthens core coordination, sharpens brain–body signalling, and significantly reduces future fall and injury risk.

Build muscle and bone to slow age-related decline

After 30, most adults begin losing 3–8 per cent of muscle mass per decade through a natural process called sarcopenia. Bone density follows a similar decline, which affects metabolism, glucose control, joint stability, and fracture risk.

 

Strength and impact exercises work through a process called mechanotransduction, where physical force sends signals to muscles and bones to rebuild stronger tissue. Two focused strength sessions per week, using bodyweight, resistance bands, or simple weights, can slow biological ageing from the inside out, says Dr Khan.

So what does healthy ageing actually look like after 35?

It doesn’t look like chasing youth. It looks like supporting your body’s vital systems: sleep cycles, oxygen use, blood pressure, balance, muscle, and bone.

 

These five habits rely on consistency, not intensity. And when repeated daily, their effect compounds protecting the heart, sharpening the brain, stabilising hormones, strengthening bones, and adding not just years to life, but life to years. 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Dr Amir Khan GP (@doctoramirkhan)

 

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This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.