8 Ways to Age Poorly
A bioscientist’s field guide to self-sabotage after 40
Aging is the natural progression of human life.
It reflects experience, wisdom, and resilience.
Biologically, though, aging is widely misunderstood.
In today’s world, aging is often seen as inevitable decline — and an increasing risk of chronic disease.
And if we’re honest, that is what’s become normal.
Not because it has to be.
But because modern life quietly pushes us in that direction.
As a scientist, I want to be very clear:
Reaching 60, 70, or 80 does not have to mean decline or chronic disease.
But aging well requires intention.
If you live like the norm, you tend to get normal results.
The aging process doesn’t begin once you hit 60 — it’s shaped quietly over decades.
In this newsletter, I’ll walk through 8 subtle, everyday ways people unintentionally sabotage how they age — by following “normal” patterns that feel harmless.
Here’s exactly what I’d do if I wanted to age poorly:
To make habit-building simple in 2026, I’ve created a habit-tracking resource you can use alongside the weekly content:
Choose one habit per pillar, practice it daily for a month, print a new page each month and layer habits across the year.
#1 - I’d walk less than 4,000 steps a day.
Walking sends powerful biological signals that support healthy aging.
Regular movement helps:
improve blood flow (delivering nutrients and immune cells)
regulate blood sugar
reduce stress hormones (3)
support brain health by increasing BDNF, a key molecule for learning and memory (4,5)
Large population studies consistently show that people who walk more have lower risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, and early death from any cause (6,7,8,9,10).
What the data show:
4,000 steps/day = where health risks begin to decline
7,000–10,000 steps/day = the longevity sweet spot (the lower end works just as well if steps are brisk)
Walking is free, low-stress, and deeply biological.
Tip: Three 20–30 minute walks spread across the day gets most people there.
#2 - I’d disregard my gut health entirely.
The gut isn’t just about digestion — it’s a key regulatory hub.
It contains the largest proportion of the body’s immune cells because it’s our main interface with the outside world (food, microbes, toxins).
When gut health is poor, immune responses become dysregulated, weakening defence and repair.
The gut also helps keep inflammation in check. When this control is lost, chronic inflammation rises — accelerating aging and creating conditions where chronic disease develops more easily over time.
If I wanted to age poorly…
I’d live on ultra-processed foods, refined sugars, frequent alcohol, & constant snacking.
I’d avoid fermented foods (yoghurt, kefir), & polyphenol-rich foods (berries, olive oil, green tea) that support beneficial gut microbes.
#3 - I’d treat natural light exposure as optional.
I talk a lot about circadian health.
Over the years, it’s quietly climbed my leaderboard — and now I see it as foundational.
Natural light reaching the eyes entrains the brain’s master clock, helping align the timing of biological processes across virtually every organ.
This timing — especially from morning light — influences:
DNA repair & cellular clean-up processes (autophagy)
Immune rhythms (when immune cells activate and resolve responses) (11)
Metabolism (glucose handling is more efficient earlier in the day) (12,13)
Gut microbes, which follow daily rhythms (14)
Cortisol release, which rises in the morning to support alertness
Melatonin release, which rises in the evening to enable sleep, with timing shaped by earlier light exposure
If I wanted to age as poorly as possible, chronically misaligning my circadian rhythm would be one of the first things I’d do.