It’s easy to think that, by midlife, our habits are pretty much stuck. Maybe you’ve always struggled to exercise regularly, you reach for something sweet when you’re stressed, or you stay up later than you mean to.
But a long-standing habit isn’t the same as a permanent one. There’s real evidence to suggest that our brains retain the ability to adapt and change throughout adulthood — which means we can build new habits, in midlife and beyond.
And the good news is that we don’t need to overhaul our entire life overnight. The habits most likely to stick are often the ones that feel small enough to repeat, even when life gets busy.
Is it really possible to change our habits as we get older?
Short answer: absolutely. “One of the most unhelpful beliefs about midlife is that we’ve somehow become ‘set in our ways’,” says Ailsa Hichens, Registered Nutritional Therapist and Certified Health Coach specialising in menopause and midlife nutrition.
“Our brains retain the capacity to learn new behaviours throughout life,” she explains. “What often changes in midlife isn’t our ability to create new habits, but the amount of mental bandwidth we have available to do it.”
With work, family responsibilities, changing hormones and disrupted sleep all competing for our attention, finding the energy to build new habits can definitely feel harder. But that’s different from being unable to change.
Divya Chandegra, holistic practitioner and yoga instructor, describes long-standing habits as “defaults” rather than permanent traits. “A current default isn’t the same thing as something permanent and fixed,” she says. “It’s familiar.”
The proof is in the pudding: studies show that people can form new habits across adulthood, and research into neuroplasticity suggests that the brain retains its ability to adapt as we age.
The secret to making a new habit stick? Start smaller than you think…
This isn’t to say that changing a habit you’ve had for years will be easy.
As health and wellness coach Caroline Tyrwhitt puts it: “Observing where a small change will fit most naturally into your life is key to making it easier to repeat and sustain.”
That might mean starting with 10 minutes of strength training rather than committing to an hour at the gym, or adding one nourishing food to a meal you already enjoy. The goal isn’t to make the biggest possible change; it’s to find something you can realistically repeat.
“The key is starting small enough that the habit can survive a busy Tuesday, rather than designing a perfect routine that only works when life is behaving itself,” Ailsa says.
Five healthy habits to start in midlife
1. Build breakfast around protein and fibre
Make protein and fibre the anchors of your breakfast, whether that’s Greek yoghurt with berries, seeds and nuts, or eggs with grilled vegetables. It’s generally recommended to aim for around 30g of protein at breakfast, although the exact amount you need will depend on your individual needs.
2. Decide what lunch is before you’re hungry
You don’t need to spend your Sunday filling seven matching Tupperware boxes to make better lunches. Simply deciding what you’ll eat ahead of time can remove the decision-making when you’re busy or tired.
“Dinner is often the meal that gets the most attention, but there’s a danger that lurks behind ‘I’ll just grab something for lunch’, Ailsa says. “Decide what you’ll have before you’re hungry instead.”
That might mean putting leftovers aside, taking something out of the freezer or planning a simple meal.
3. Attach movement to something you already do
Rather than trying to find an extra hour for exercise, look for small pockets of movement already built into your day.
“Finished lunch? Take a 10-minute walk around the block,” Divya suggests. “Waiting for your morning tea or coffee? Use those few minutes to stretch or move your body. Finished a long period sitting at your desk? Move before beginning the next task.”
The key is to attach movement to an existing cue so that you can remove the friction of creating a completely new routine.
4. Give strength training just 15 minutes
Starting strength training doesn’t mean you need to become a gym regular. Light weights, resistance bands and bodyweight exercises can all provide a useful strength stimulus at home.
“I’d rather someone repeatedly do 15–20 minutes than plan for an hour, plus travel time, and never quite manage to get to the gym,” Divya says. “If the behaviour doesn’t exist yet, there’s nothing to build on.”
Start with what feels achievable, then build up from there.
5. Create a wind-down routine
A wind-down routine can work wonders for our sleep health. Ailsa recommends setting a ‘bedtime’ alarm, not to signify that it’s time to go to bed, but that it’s time to stop working, scrolling or whatever you’re doing that leaves you feeling unrelaxed. “It’s about creating a boundary around a small pocket of self-care,” she says.
Whether you choose to read, meditate, stretch, or watch your favourite TV show, the exact ritual doesn’t matter as long as it helps you switch off. It’s about sticking to a consistent routine that signals to your brain that it’s time to slow down.
