{"id":178676,"date":"2025-12-07T03:57:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T03:57:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/178676\/"},"modified":"2025-12-07T03:57:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T03:57:10","slug":"over-35-nhs-doc-reveals-5-simple-habits-to-stay-youthful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/178676\/","title":{"rendered":"Over 35? NHS doc reveals 5 simple habits to stay youthful |"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"OverDr. Amir Khan, an NHS GP, reveals five essential habits for individuals over 35. These simple, science-backed practices can significantly impact how you age. They include getting morning light, boosting VO2 max daily, monitoring blood pressure, training balance, and building muscle and bone. These habits require minimal time and no special equipment, offering a powerful approach to healthy aging. 35 is more than a milestone birthday. It is when your body starts to shift. While your retinol and other carefully curated skincare might be protecting you from fine lines and wrinkles, true youthfulness runs far deeper than what any serum can reach. Starting from cardiovascular health to cognitive reserve, everything begins to change in ways that are not immediately visible. Before you start to panic, here\u2019s the good news. According to Dr Amir Khan<\/a>, ITV’s resident doctor and an NHS GP, this decade is your golden window of opportunity. In a video shared on Instagram, Dr Khan explained five simple habits everyone over 35 must follow to stay healthy as they age. \u201cIf you’re over 35 years old, these five science-backed habits genuinely can change how you age,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Get the morning light<\/p>\n

The morning light is nature\u2019s anti-ageing ingredient. \u201cAfter 35, your circadian rhythm becomes a little less responsive. So five minutes of outdoor morning light hits receptors in the back of your eyes, and it sends signals to your brain’s master clock. That resets cortisol timing, boosts energy, improves sleep pressure at night, and even stabilises appetite hormones. It’s the most powerful free tool we have,\u201d the doctor said. A 2024 study by University of Washington School of Medicine\/UW Medicine researchers found that the mesmerising blue and orange hues in the sky at the start and end of a sunny day have an essential role in setting humans\u2019 internal clocks<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Boost your VO2 max every day<\/p>\n

Yes, that\u2019s right. You should make intentional steps to boost your VO2 max every single day. \u201cVO2 max is essentially how well your body can deliver and use oxygen. And it’s one of the strongest predictors of our health. As we age, our heart becomes slightly less efficient at pumping blood, and our mitochondria become less efficient at using oxygen,\u201d Dr Khan said. How to increase VO2 max? You don\u2019t really have to do intense exercise. \u201cShort bursts of intensity, such as 20 to 40 seconds of fast stairs, a brisk uphill walk, or a quick cycle sprint, force your muscles to demand more oxygen than usual. And that stimulates new mitochondria and improves oxygen extraction,\u201d the doctor explained. That\u2019s right. You don\u2019t have to do HIIT sessions; just short bursts of workout can help. <\/p>\n

Know your blood pressure<\/p>\n

High blood pressure is a silent killer. According to the WHO, 1.4 billion adults had hypertension in 2024, and about 600 million are unaware<\/a> that they have the condition. So, checking your blood pressure is crucial. \u201cCheck your blood pressure at home, people. Blood pressure creeps up quietly as your arteries stiffen with age. Checking it, say once a month at rest, gives you a baseline,\u201d the doctor said. If the readings are about 135\/85, he suggests getting daily readings for a week and working out the average. \u201cIf that’s high, speak to your doctor. That average is what predicts your stroke and heart attack risk, not one random reading, and catching it early can make all the difference,\u201d Dr Khan said. <\/p>\n

Train your balance<\/p>\n

It may sound simple, but your balance says a lot about your health. \u201cBalance relies on your cerebellum, inner ear, and tiny sensors in your muscles called proprioceptors. These systems decline after 35 unless you challenge them,\u201d the doctor said. How to train your balance? \u201cThirty seconds standing on one leg whilst brushing your teeth is a really good way to train it and train your core coordination and brain\u2013body signalling. It dramatically reduces future fall and injury risk. So tonight, when you’re brushing your teeth, do it on one leg,\u201d he suggested. <\/p>\n

Build muscles and bone<\/p>\n

After 30, most people experience muscle loss, a natural process called sarcopenia. Studies show a decrease of 3% to 8% in muscle mass<\/a> per decade after 30. Building muscle and bone is crucial for healthy ageing. \u201cFrom your mid-30s onwards, you slowly lose muscle fibres and bone density. Strength and impact exercises send mechanical signals through your muscles and bones, which we call mechanotransduction. Your body responds by building them back stronger. This protects metabolism, joint stability, glucose control, and long-term fracture risk. So get them in twice a week,\u201d the doctor suggested. Healthy ageing is all about giving your body what it needs to thrive. These simple habits recommended by Dr Khan require minimal time and zero expensive equipment, yet they help you age like fine wine. These small daily choices compound into dramatic differences.Note: The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting any new medication or treatment, or before changing your diet or supplement regimen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dr. Amir Khan, an NHS GP, reveals five essential habits for individuals over 35. These simple, science-backed practices…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":178677,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[97383,97381,103,2767,61,60,97382,97380],"class_list":["post-178676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-benefits-of-morning-light","tag-dr-amir-khan-tips","tag-health","tag-healthy-aging","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-vo2-max-and-health","tag-ways-to-stay-youthful-after-35"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=178676"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178676\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/178677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=178676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=178676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=178676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}