Note: While research on alcohol is evolving, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says drinking less or not at all is better for your health.
“Your habits of today decide your tomorrow,” says Ankur S. Patel, MD, a board-certified geriatrician based in Moorestown, New Jersey, and the president of Inspira Living Independently for Elders, a program that ensures older adults can live independently at home for as long as possible.
To keep your chronological and biological age in sync, avoid the following habits.
1. Smoking
You’re unlikely to develop diseases such as emphysema or lung cancer due to smoking as early as your thirties, but smoking in younger adulthood lays the groundwork for future issues. “Just because you’re not having symptoms doesn’t give us the reassurance that there isn’t something happening at a cellular level,” says Pamila Brar, MD, the medical director of the longevity program and a senior associate consultant in the department of internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.
2. Too Much Alcohol
Alcohol is also dehydrating, which can dry out and damage your skin over time, making you look older than you are, says Rehan Karim, DO, a board-certified dermatologist with U.S. Dermatology Partners in Dallas.
3. Lack of Exercise
Physical inactivity has a number of potential risks for your overall health and how well you age. Too little exercise sets you up for muscle and bone weakness, which increases your risk of developing osteoporosis later in life, Dr. Kaeberlein says.
A sedentary lifestyle can also contribute to older-looking skin in your mid-thirties because it reduces the amount of nutrient-rich blood that might otherwise be delivered to your skin during exercise, Dr. Karim says.