Aging doesn’t happen in a straight line. One moment, you feel strong and energetic; the next, fatigue, stress, or hormonal shifts seem to age you overnight. But what if aging follows predictable milestones—and you could adjust your habits at each stage to stay younger, sharper, and more resilient?
Dr. Tsung-Han Chou, an attending physician at Taiwan’s Mingtang Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic, says that wellness is never a one-size-fits-all solution. In an episode of “Health 1+1” on NTD, a sister outlet of The Epoch Times, he explains that each decade of life brings unique biological and emotional challenges—and requires its own strategy for preserving vitality.
Chou identifies two major turning points in the aging process: “The first comes after having children, and the second is menopause.”
For both men and women, the years following parenthood demand extra support to maintain energy and hormonal balance. Later, menopause—driven by dramatic hormonal shifts—ushers in the next major stage of aging.
Anti-Aging Secrets for Every Stage of Life
Beginning around age 30, your body’s needs change in distinct ways. Chou outlines what to focus on at every major milestone.
Age 30: The Time to Strive
Wellness Focus: Strengthen the spleen and stomach
In traditional Chinese medicine, the spleen and stomach represent the body’s digestive and metabolic strength—the ability to convert food into energy. A strong digestive system buffers against stress, supports immunity, and helps maintain stable energy throughout demanding work years.
Practical steps:
- Eat at consistent times
- Favor whole foods over heavy, late-night meals
- Avoid skipping breakfast or relying on sugar for energy
When digestion is steady, the body stays resilient under the pressure of early-career responsibilities.
Age 40: Navigating Family and Responsibility
Wellness Focus: Nourish the liver
By age 40, most people juggle multiple roles—career advancement, raising children, and caring for aging parents. Chou explains that the liver plays a central role in regulating energy flow, stress response, and hormonal balance. When overloaded, it can contribute to irritability, fatigue, sleep issues, or menstrual changes.
To care for the liver:
- Avoid staying up late
- Limit alcohol
- Build stress-relieving routines (exercise, stretching, journaling, nature time)
Keeping the liver balanced helps stabilize mood and maintain hormonal harmony through the busiest years of adulthood.
Age 50: During and After Menopause
Wellness Focus: Support the kidneys
In TCM, the kidneys store “essence,” a vital substance associated with growth, metabolism, and longevity. Entering the 50s—especially during and after menopause—this reserve naturally declines.
Support kidney health by:
- Drinking enough water
- Cutting back on excess sugar and salt
- Incorporating naturally dark foods (black sesame, black beans, mulberries)
These foods are traditionally believed to nourish the kidneys and support energy, bone strength, and overall vitality.
Study: Critical Aging Periods
A 2024 study found that distinct aging occurs around the ages of 44 and 60, marked by “substantial dysregulation” in molecular markers of aging. These shifts are driven not only by biological factors but also by lifestyle and stress unique to each age group.
Chou says this research validates why people often feel “older overnight”—and why decade-specific wellness strategies matter.
Three Wellness Essentials for Aging Well
As a member of the “sandwich generation”—adults typically in their 30s to 50s who find themselves caring for both aging parents and their own children—Chou, now in his 40s, highlights the importance of protecting both physical and mental well-being while balancing the demands of work and family life.
1. Daily Exercise
Daily exercise is a cornerstone of Chou’s anti-aging routine. He jogs in the morning and hits the gym in the evening. As a physician who frequently interacts with patients, staying healthy is critical to avoid falling ill, which could affect his care for others.
2. Minimize Refined Sugar
Research has found that sugar reacts with proteins in the body through the Maillard reaction, forming advanced glycation end products, similar to how a honey-glazed steak caramelizes in an oven. While this process is slower in the body, it still accelerates aging.
3. Massage for a Youthful Glow
To maintain a vibrant complexion, Chou uses jade gua sha boards—smooth, jade-stone tools shaped to glide over the face or body, promoting blood flow, relaxing muscles, reducing puffiness, and aiding healing—paired with anti-aging skincare products. He recommends gentle pressure during gua sha and massage to avoid fine lines, and to use upward strokes, not downward, to firm muscles and lift the face. Incorporating circular motions during massage amplifies the benefits.
3 Effective Anti-Aging Practices
Chou also recommends focusing on three key practices to delay aging effectively:
1. Ensure Sufficient Sleep
Chou said that the timing of sleep—early or late—is less critical than getting enough of it. A March review found that sleeping less than 7 hours per night increases mortality risk by 14 percent.
2. Minimize Processed Foods
“When it comes to diet, people often ask what to eat, but the real question is what to avoid.” Cut back on sugar and processed foods that may accumulate harmful substances in the body, Chou said.
3. Boost Circulation
To enhance metabolism and blood flow, Chou suggests soaking in a bath or foot bath, which can also relieve back and waist pain. Adding coarse salt to a foot bath is beneficial, as TCM views salt as nourishing to the kidneys, supportive of kidney energy, and even reduces foot odor. Washing feet with saltwater also helps warm the body up.
