No, it’s not age 60; nor is it middle age.
Bad health habits such as never exercising can catch up to you at an age much younger than you’ve probably been thinking.
A study on this very topic reminds me of when I was around 11 or 12, when I actually planned on starting an exercise regimen when I was 40!
A peer-reviewed study published in Annals of Medicine (2025) has found that habits such as smoking, heavy drinking and avoiding an exercise regimen are connected to poorer physical and mental health by as early as the mid-30s.
Fortunately, I began strength training when I was just 15! And I’ve never stopped since.
Certainly, many people have already always known that poor health habits begin showing their toll well before middle age.
This includes personal trainers who get clients in their 20s reporting a sedentary lifestyle and wanting to “get in shape.”
Fitness deficits can be quite apparent in someone even under 30 if they’ve never been into exercise and especially if they’ve been smoking since their teens.
About the Study
The study was led by a research team in Finland and tracked people over several decades.
It builds on past research that usually begins in middle age and follows participants for around 20 years.
However, this team wanted to see what happens when bad health habits start earlier, and how they affect not only physical health but mental health as well.
The research used a long-running study of people born in 1959 in Jyväskylä in Finland.
The subjects were followed from childhood to their early 60s.
The team collected data through medical checkups and surveys when the participants were 27, 36, 42, 50 and 61.
At each of these ages, they assessed physical and mental health and looked at how much the participants smoked, drank and exercised.
Mental health was measured using questionnaires that asked about symptoms of depression and general emotional wellbeing.
Physical health was measured by combining data like blood pressure, waist size, blood sugar, cholesterol and other markers into what researchers called a metabolic risk score.
People were also asked to rate their own health over the previous year.
Results showed that people who smoked, drank heavily and didn’t exercise were more likely to have poorer mental and physical health than those who were nonsmokers, not a heavy drinker and did regular exercise.
For example, if someone had all three unhealthy behaviors at one time:
- Depressive symptoms increased by 0.1 points.
- Metabolic risk score went up by 0.53 points.
- Psychological wellbeing dropped by 0.1 points.
- Self-rated health declined by 0.45 points.
When people continued with all three negative habits over a longer period, the adverse effects were even greater.
Lack of physical activity was more strongly linked to poor physical health.
Smoking was mostly connected with mental health problems.
Drinking heavily appeared to harm both mental and physical health.
These effects were already noticeable by the time participants were in their mid-30s.
Cause and Effect
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Although the research found strong links between unhealthy behaviors and poor health, it can’t prove a direct cause.
It’s possible that poor mental health, for example, could lead someone to drink more or avoid working out, which then worsens their condition further.
People with mental health problems may be more likely to smoke.
The researchers believe the relationship goes both ways.
Limitations of the Study
For example, the study gave equal weight to each of the three habits, even though some may be more harmful than others.
In addition, other important and modifiable variables such as diet were not studied and could influence the outcomes.
Another point to consider is that the people in the study were all born in the same year and in the same country.
Cultural, societal and lifestyle differences may mean the findings don’t apply in exactly the same way to younger generations or people in other countries.
The Results Can’t Be Dismissed
Despite the limitations and the concrete lack of cause-and-effect, the study’s findings are both captivating and predictable.
Unhealthy habits have consequences that show up earlier than many people realize.
You don’t want to wait until you’re 40 to begin exercising.
And you should want to wait till you’re 150 to start smoking and drinking.
The study authors note that even people who adopt healthier habits in middle age can see improvements in how they feel and function later in life.
And haven’t we all come upon a very inspiring story about someone who took up exercise after 65 and have become quite good at it?
But this doesn’t mean you should wait until you’re “old” to start working out.
One of my personal training clients was 55 and obese.
She walked off-kilter due to osteoarthritis in both knees.
She had told me more than once that she regretted waiting until she was in her 50s to begin a structured exercise program.
Don’t be like her. Whatever your age as you’re reading this, don’t delay embarking on an exercise regime another single day.
You’re never too young to start a strength training regimen or a commitment to cardio activity.
And if you smoke, STOP. Right NOW.
As for drinking, the best choice is to quit outright, but if that sounds unrealistic to you, at least cut back!
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified by the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness, where she was also a group fitness instructor, she trained clients of all ages and abilities for fat loss and maintaining it, muscle and strength building, fitness, and improved cardiovascular and overall health.
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