Creative: Anjul D| Media for 40 more years: This week, an Indian longevity playbook

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BOOKED!

My grandfather taught me one of my earliest longevity lessons.

The same lesson is also at the heart of a new book on longevity written by Indian doctor Dr Navin Gnanasekaran, which I just finished reading.

So, I was about 9 when my grandpa or ‘Ice cream Thatha’ as I called him had a stroke that left him paralysed on the right side.

The man – who nurtured my love for books, Abba records and ice creams and was my first pen pal – was tied down to a bed. But he fought back with a combination of physical therapy, daily recitations of Bhagavad Gita and Shakespeare and sheer grit.

And one day, I came home from school to see a pale blue inland letter addressed to me. The writing was unfamiliar, the voice was not. It was my grandfather who had written to me after he taught himself to write with his left hand.

Then, with all the self-centredness of the very young, I had told people he did all of that just so he could write to me. Now, I realise it was something more – it was about gaining back the control he had lost over his life. The control he needed to eat, dress, move about independently.

That control over one’s independence is also the leitmotif of ‘The 100 Year Blueprint’ by Dr. Navin Gnanasekaran.

As Dr. Navin writes in the very first chapter –

“The goal is not to live forever. The goal is ….To be, as one of my patients beautifully said, ‘the captain of your ship till the last day.’

That was also the reason why my Thatha trained his left side to do what his right could not – so that he didn’t have to hand over the wheel to someone else. Of course, he got there after the worst-case scenario had already played out.

But, over 300-odd pages, Dr. Navin shows us how not to get there.

And he should know. Given that he is a doctor himself, the co-founder of a longevity and wellness start-up and is an advisor to seven other start-ups in the same sector.

He does this by adopting a very practical and rooted-in-Indian-reality approach, which not surprisingly, opens with a wedding. The scene is one you have seen played out at every shaadi you have ever attended – a bunch of ageing uncles and aunties, sitting around and dispensing wisdom. Most can barely move. One or two are active, everywhere – de-facto masters of ceremonies.

This slice of life sets the stage for the conflict that defines the whole book.

The big question: Lifespan or Healthspan?

The book opens on a paradox we are painfully aware of – we are living longer than our parents but we are not leading better lives. As the good doctor puts it, “We are not dying dramatically. We are degenerating quietly”.

His prescription is what we already know – Build muscle and metabolic health. Prevent disease. Do it in your 40’s and 50’s so you build your reserve before you need it.

And the doctor acknowledges that most people are aware and are trying to do something about it. But as it turns out the ‘something’ we do is not enough.

To use his own analogy, we are trying to drive the Ambassador like a Ferrari.

Key insight: the West-East divide

The Western longevity playbook we liberally borrow from was written for other bodies – different fat, different hearts, different plates of food. The rules of ageing stay the same, but have to be recalibrated for Indian bodies.

And the book lays out the reasons – the thin-fat phenotype that is as Indian as the pot-bellied uncle, the ‘burnout’ Olympics we all sign up for right from school, the genetic risks we inherit and our neglect of movement and sleep.

The prescription: Build the basics, first

The book gives you the spiel you expect – fix your diet, movement, sleep and stress. It talks you through the science behind it. But it does not leave you hanging.

You get 21 rules to play the game, a 30-day blueprint to follow and a troubleshooting guide for the days or weeks when things fall apart.

What I liked about it – the culture-smart solutions. Like this one – don’t refuse sweets from family.

‘Eat three bites to taste it, praise it loudly and leave the rest.’

And of course, you can’t write a book about longevity and not discuss supplements.

But the doctor’s prescription comes with a rider: ‘you cannot pill your way out of a bad lifestyle’.

In other words, build the basics first, then buy shiny, new toys.

And you get a guide. A list of supplements ranked ‘useful for all’, ‘work for few’, and ‘useless or potentially harmful’. And because the author is a doctor, not a health guru, we also get a list of health conditions where the supplements will do more harm than good.

Biohacks show up as well which the longevity physician in Dr Navin calls ‘the frontier’. However, there is no sugarcoating. You get the research for what is safe and effective and what is not.

The supplements chapter is book-ended by the chapter on alternative medicine – read ayurveda, homeopathy, siddha, naturopathy etc. Smartly, the book doesn’t pick a side. What it does - it acknowledges the strengths of each and gives you a middle path to pursue.

But the chapter that will possibly hit the whatsapp circuit is the one on home food.

What I read first: the mutiny in our kitchens

Read it and you will understand why this is where our ‘healthy’ intentions meet their Waterloo. One can also sense the good doctor is aware that this chapter is as inflammatory as the ‘medicinal’ ghee we dole out for ourselves. But he doesn’t water it down.

Instead, he plays no favourites – North, South, East or West – every cuisine gets the same brutal ‘SWOT’ rating. The kitchen utensils and pantry get a detox and food myths are busted (if you have non-stick pans, aluminum foil, digestive biscuits or mayonnaise, this one is for you).

Where it gets interesting and what I deeply appreciated – no avocado, broccoli, salmon prescriptions. Instead, we get a ‘nutrition fix’ that is as Indian and practical as possible (the chapter on cognitive decline also has an Indian version of the MIND diet).

Chapter I annotated: Movement, muscle, metabolism

I am short and for a long period in my childhood, my feet wouldn’t touch the floor when I sat on a chair. So I did what any kid would do – swung my legs. And got scolded for it.

Long story short – that habit never went away. I still shake my feet under the table. And boy, am I glad I do that. The doctor actually says it is a good thing – because it all adds up to your NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) score for the day which burns energy.

In fact, the chapter is dotted with everyday hacks like these that make movement and strength training intuitive and accessible. And of course, if you don’t know it yet, you will close the book understanding why muscle is the best longevity pill we have.

All of which makes this a no-nonsense, evidence-backed guide to getting and staying healthy from a longevity physician. And crucially – it is written for Indians, unlike most of the books one sees on longevity.

One caveat: If you already live on Longevity Twitter, you might find this a bit like a beginner’s guide. For the rest of us who don’t, this is exactly what the doctor ordered.

My takeaway

“You need to be able to run to chase rainbows.”

This line ends the chapter on supplements. It is also what stayed with me after I finished reading the book.

My Thatha didn’t stand a chance to run behind rainbows. He had already lost that war. The inland letter written with his left hand was just that – a battle to regain some control, some independence.

But we can do better. And that’s the premise of the book.

Know someone else who is fighting to take back the wheel? Share this.

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Before You Go

If The 100 Year Blueprint sounds familiar, it is. As I read the book, I realised how close it is to the thought that drives Never Too Late:

The goal was never more years. It’s staying the captain of your own ship till the last of them.

Dr Navin gets there through hard science and anecdotes. We get there every week over coffee and columns where we make the same quiet promise to ourselves: it’s never too late to take back the wheel.

Which is what Booked! is for

A place where I spotlight books, podcasts, documentaries – any media that I believe will add value to our shared project to prepare better for 40 more years.

Think of it as something we might discuss over coffee if we were to meet up. Let me know what you think of this new chapter to Never Too Late.

And if you have recommendations, send them in.

A note - I will be on a 2-week break

I am off to do what I write about. I have been working on a little purpose-led project of my own not connected with my day job - NTL. That project is heading close to the finish line and needs some TLC. (Will give you all the deets later). So yes, I am off on a micro-sabbatical.

You will hear from me next on Monday, 14 September.

Stay safe.

Kavita Krishnan.

The science and strategy you need to stay at the helm as long as you can.

Never Too Late, every Monday, at noon.

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Creative by Anjul D.| 5 stories. 1 longevity lesson: the mind matters

Longevity is being sold to us like the iPhone.

It is new. It is what the cool kids are chattering about. It looks good on social media. It has its own metaverse - like the iPhone.

So, we buy into the whole spiel – the 5am start, the smartwatch and the ring, the diet, the exercise routine, the supplement/ serum/pill, the sauna/ cryochamber routine, even longevity-themed holidays.

It need not be that way. You need not ‘sell a kidney’ to age healthy or live longer.

Because longevity – more importantly healthy ageing – is also about building the right mindset.

And since you already own the hardware – your mind, the software – the longevity mindset – comes free.

More importantly, we already know a thing or two about building a longevity mindset, courtesy books like Atomic Habits and 7 Habits and pop culture icons like Hermione and Piku (in part 1 of this Mindset Builders series).

This week, we are taking longevity lessons from a beloved bear you would have met in school, an industrialist-turned-superhero and a middle-class mom.

Let’s dive in.

Note: Missed part 1 of the Mindset builders series? Read it here.

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5 ways to build a Longevity Mindset

Mindset builder #3: Be present like Winnie-the-Pooh

“What day is it?” asked Pooh.
“It’s today,” squeaked Piglet.
“My favorite day,” said Pooh.”

The quote, though not written by A.A. Milne, perfectly captures the adorable little bear’s philosophy of life. Unfortunately, unlike Winnie-the-Pooh, most of us grow up and lose out on our ‘todays’ in the pursuit of a ‘better tomorrow’.

I realised how much I was losing out one morning last month.

I was all ready to go for a walk when I saw my phone was out of juice. I plugged it in and decided to plug out, myself. Best decision ever. Now, the street I walk on is lined with trees that form a canopy overhead. When I reached the street that morning, it was pouring down.

For about 15 minutes, it was just me, wet earth, pouring rain and birdsong. I have started leaving my phone at home often now. And feel much better for it.

Why does this work?

So in a 2013 study, researchers studied if mind-wandering – the inclination to have thoughts about things other than the present – had any impact on how we age.

They collected self-reported data from 239 highly-educated women aged 50-65 on mind-wandering, psychological distress and wellbeing. They did this twice with a one-year gap to ensure they were studying a consistent pattern. Then they mapped it to the length of these women’s telomeres.

Those women who reported a greater tendency to mind-wander had shorter telomeres. The difference could be seen across 200 base pairs of telomeres which is roughly equivalent to 4-5 additional years of ageing at the cellular level.

Now, of course, the study was observational and does not prove cause-effect. But it does suggest that being present in the moment and feeling positive about it – what we call mindfulness- could be one pathway to build a healthy ageing mindset.

Translated:

This should not be news for us Indians growing up in a culture that prioritises mindfulness through meditation and Yoga. But we have lost sight of it as we choose to live in constant mental noise.

Think about it, when was the last time you waited for the elevator and did not pull out the phone for a random scroll?

How do you action it?

By not scrolling while waiting for the elevator! Seriously. Try doing that.

Of course, meditation, breathwork, journaling – all help build mindfulness. But you could also try working it into your daily routine.

Try single tasking one activity every day like walking without listening to a podcast or music.

Or build no-input mini routines like a swim or a walk or listen to music without doing something alongside or read a book. Or better still, a cup of tea with someone. Set the phone aside when you do these.

What works for me (which I learnt from my son with the mini-attention-span) – announce to all what you are doing for the next hour. Keep the phone in another room. Only do the task at hand.

The bonus

Being present makes it easier to practise longevity mindset builders #1 - ‘say no’ and #2 - ‘be conscientious’.

And it goes without saying – more focus means you are more productive at work too.

And you make better use of your energy and time which sets us up for the next mindset builder from a superhero.

Mindset builder #4: Be useful like Tony Stark (Iron Man)

“I shouldn’t be alive... unless it was for a reason.”

With this line, Tony Stark begins his journey from filthy-rich-weapons-maker to ‘superhero-with-a-heart’ Iron Man. From building to destroy, he redirects his energies and resources to building for good – protecting people and preventing harm.

Of course, not all of us need to go out and save the world in midlife like Stark did. But we can build a life beyond our business card.

There is a purpose to this too – it helps you stay healthier, for longer as you age.

Why does this work?

A 2026 meta-analysis of published research involving over half a million participants who were followed for up to 32 years offers up some clues.

Its key conclusion: having purpose in life aka, a reason to be useful, was associated with an approximately 30% lower risk of mortality.

And the study lists a number of evidence-backed reasons. These include:

• Individuals with a sense of purpose typically have healthier behavioural profiles.

• They have more social support and experience less loneliness.

• They have lesser inflammation which is associated with slower ageing.

• Individuals higher in purpose tend to report less stress and recover faster from unexpected stressors.

• They are less likely to experience depression.

• A heightened sense of purpose or usefulness is also associated with the delayed onset of Alzheimer’s disease and lower risk of disability from age-related decline.

In short, having a reason to get out of bed every day as you grow older helps you have a better quality of life.

Translated

Be like Tony Stark.

In midlife, don’t just rest on your laurels. Explore how you can use your experience, skill and resources to help others. It need not be something grand.

A bank I interned with had a retired employee who would come to the bank at 9am and stay for 2-3 hours every day. He spent the time filling up forms and pay orders for the first-timers, the old and illiterate. That’s it – usefulness, purpose, checked.

How do you action it?

Notice why people approach you. What advice or practical help do they ask of you? Offer that skill or expertise without being asked for, consistently. That could be a good place to start.

Use your professional strengths. Teacher, doctor, lawyer – offer your services pro-bono. There are many people out there who can’t afford professionals.

Choose one recurring contribution. It could be mentoring younger employees, or coaching underprivileged children. The government of India runs a Vidyanjali scheme where citizens can sign up to volunteer with local government schools in their area. Do what interests you. Just commit to a regular slot, not a one-off.

The bonus

Figuring out how you can ‘be useful’ in midlife also sets you up with something that you can pursue when you retire from active professional life. Some of these could end up becoming your second career.

Mindset builder #5: Challenge yourself like Sridevi in English Vinglish

For those who haven’t seen the movie, Sridevi played Shashi Godbole, a middle-class mother who also runs a small business making sweets. She is constantly humiliated first, by her family in India and New York for not knowing English.

In NYC to help organize her niece’s wedding, Shashi signs up for English lessons, which she learns as she navigates a new city, makes new friends and ends up carving a new identity for herself.

Riveting watch apart, the movie is a masterclass in challenging oneself which is particularly important in midlife to keep the brain and body adaptable and alert.

Why does this work?

Take what Shashi did, for instance – learning a new language in midlife. A 2025 study in Nature Aging studied data from 86,000 adults in 27 European countries and looked at the languages they spoke, their biological age and chronological age.

What they found: More the languages used, lower the risk of accelerated ageing.

Monolinguals – those who spoke one language only - were about twice as likely to have an older-than-expected biological and functional profile. This finding held even after adjusting for education, health and social factors, a release issued by Trinity College Dublin on the study, said.

People who regularly used more than one language were about half as likely to show accelerated biological ageing compared with monolinguals.

The association was dose-dependent: risk reduced with more languages spoken.

Translated

This is not proof that learning a new language will keep you younger, longer. The study was observational.

But it supports a well-known and proven concept – lifelong learning and sustained cognitive challenge helps manage and build the cognitive reserve (which otherwise diminishes as we age).

And this is true of learning any other complex skill that challenges your brain.

How do you action it?

India speaks in 121 languages of which 22 are scheduled languages. We have two forms of classical music and nine different forms of classical dance and hundreds of different musical instruments. Apart from this, there are various folk languages, music and dance forms found across the country.

You really don’t have to go too far to learn something new.

The bonus:

Make it social. For all you know, your next-door neighbour speaks a different language. Or join a class. Whatever you do, do it offline. That way, you meet new people and like you did in school once – you might make new friends too.

Which brings us right back to where we started last week – using the playbook we already know well and directing it at a new goal – the next 40 years.

Below is a recap you can save and share.

And here’s the best thing – unlike the iPhone,

the hardware is already your own

the software is free** (except maybe #5).

The question then: what is stopping you from getting started with a better operating system?

Leave no one behind. Share the secret of the free Longevity OS with your gang.

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**Speaking of free routines, here’s an article from the NTL archives where I explore the science behind expensive longevity routines and their budget, time-smart alternatives. And compare which is more effective.

What I learnt: 5am wake-ups, cold plunges, red light therapy, exotic superfoods — are optional, not essential – like the BMW.

If you are in your 40s or 50s even, a budget and time-smart alternative gets you to the same place. Like the Nano does.

That’s it from me this week. I will see you next Monday.

Kavita Krishnan.

If all you have is a minute

The Crux: Can the way you think affect how long you live? Research suggests your mindset also influences longevity. And building it is free because you already own the hardware: your mind.

The Insight: The systems you learnt from Atomic Habits, 7 Habits work for health too.

Layer those with two evidence-backed mindset builders:
#1 Say no — chronic stress from overcommitting ages you. Most-stressed women had telomeres about 10 years older than the least-stressed (Epel & Blackburn, PNAS 2004; 58 women).
#2 Be conscientious — Conscientiousness was the single best personality predictor of longevity (The Longevity Project / Terman study; 1,500 people, 8 decades).

What you get: 2 of 5 free ways to build a longevity mindset — from Piku (say no) and Hermione (be conscientious).

Bonus read: Part 2 — three more mindset builders, from Winnie-the-Pooh, Iron Man and Sridevi.

Published by Never Too Late · never2late.substack.com · Kavita Krishnan · August 2026

Creative by Anjul D.| The most powerful longevity tool? Your mind.

You built ‘systems’ to get ‘1 percent better every day’. At work.

You learnt to ‘schedule your priorities’ to be effective. At work.

You never thought to direct those mindset-building tools on the ultimate goal – living healthier, longer.

As you read this, one longevity conference just wrapped in Bengaluru; another opens in Mumbai this week. Feeds are buzzing with tools and techniques that show promise in the quest for longevity. Watch that space — some of it will matter.

But while we wait for it to get affordable and reach us, we forget the most powerful tool is something we already have: our mind.

And the generation that read Atomic Habits to hit its targets and 7 Habits to run its teams knows exactly how to harness it. Build the mindset first, follow through with behaviour, results compound.

Now, use the same playbook you know for a new goal —the next 40 years.

This week and the next*:

2 books, 5 popular icons help us break down 5 evidence-backed methods to build a longevity mindset.

Because the mind matters.

* Part 1 of the series. Read part 2 here.

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5 ways to build a Longevity Mindset

Mindset builder #1: Say No, often like Piku

You followed this golden rule from Stephen Covey when you ‘scheduled your priorities’ at work.

You did that so you were not derailed by the million ‘urgent’ or ‘ASAP’ messages pinging in your inbox while you did the ‘important’ work that needed doing to get to your goal.

Do it again. Say No. But this time prioritise yourself.

Why does this work?

You already know this– in work, or in life, saying yes to every request adds expectations and responsibilities. More expectations and responsibilities equals more stress. And when stress gets chronic, you leave the door open to diseases like hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and dementia. But that’s not all.

Chronic stress could also speed up ageing at a cellular level, per this study published in 2004. The study was conducted by Elissa Epel and Nobel laureate Elizabeth Blackburn – the same lady who co-discovered how telomerase protects telomeres.

Here, researchers compared stress levels and cellular data in a group of 58 healthy, premenopausal women who were biological mothers of either a healthy child or a chronically ill child. Expectedly, the caregiver-mothers had higher stress levels from caring for a sick child.

What they found:

Chronic stress was significantly associated with shorter telomeres, lower telomerase activity and higher oxidative stress.

Women who reported most stress had telomeres that, on average, were seen in women at least 10 years older.

In short, the findings suggest that chronic stress may contribute to faster biological ageing.

Reducing avoidable stress is therefore a sensible place to start your longevity pursuit. And saying no to random requests for your time is a great way to begin.

Translated

Be like Piku – who says a blunt and unapologetic no to social expectations (marriage) while she guards what matters to her (caring for her father and career). More importantly, learn to accept help when you need it. Piku refuses to marry but is open to accepting Rana’s help and company on her road trip with her father to Kolkata.

How do you action it?

Stop auto-responding. You are not an email bot.

Identify your priorities**. Then filter every request/demand on your time against them. What it will cost you if you were to say yes. Accept only if there are significant benefits.

The bonus

‘Saying No’ could also help you nip impulsive behaviour. Like refusing another hour of mindless TV and choosing to sleep earlier. Or dissing the bag of chips for the fruit.

Finally, saying No also helps us lay the groundwork for the next big mindset builder.

Know someone caring for everyone but themselves — your sister, brother, friend? This is their permission slip to say no. Forward it.

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Mindset builder #2: Be conscientious like Hermione

Tough word? That simply means having a tendency to be responsible, organised, hard-working, goal-directed, and to adhere to norms and rules. Conscientious people are typically good at self-regulation and impulse control.

Why does this work?

Conscientiousness is in fact a key predictor of longevity, as researchers in the eight-decade-long Longevity Project found.

The project tracked 1,500 Californians from childhood in the 1920s through their entire lives to discover the personality traits, relationships, and lifestyle habits that led to a long life.

Conscientious people, researchers found, actively work to protect their health. They do this by engaging in fewer risky activities like smoking, drinking to excess, abusing drugs, or driving too fast. Instead, they are the kind who wear seatbelts and schedule annual health checks.

Interestingly, the study authors suggest (in an article for Parade), conscientiousness could be partly biological — tied to brain chemistry like serotonin, which also shapes impulse control, sleep and appetite.

But personality is not destiny.

Conscientiousness can be built. Everyday systems like plans, reminders, routines and reducing friction—can help us behave more conscientiously.

And here’s an even better reason than longevity to cultivate this - conscientious people typically have healthier relationships be it marriages, friendships, or work situations. That was also what the research I cited above found when they tracked the same bunch of schoolkids for 80 years.

Translated

Whether it is to have more meaningful friendships or a happier marriage or perform better at work, channel your inner Hermione.

How do you action it?

If you have ever made a to-do list at work or a Gantt chart, you have already practised being conscientious. Covey and Clear gave you the tools in their books. Remember – ‘be proactive’ and ‘begin with the end in mind’. Or ‘make it easy?’ You used it at work. Now, use it to build health.

Say your ‘end goal’ is to lose weight. You start with a smaller goal (Gantt chart-style) like a 45 minute walk every day for a week. You ‘make it easy’ by keeping your walking shoes beside your bed. And by turning in early at night, you are ‘being proactive’.

Get the drift?

The bonus

Like learning to say no could help you progress to being more conscientious; acing this step will help you progress to mindset builders 3,4,& 5.

There you will meet a bear, a jet-setting-industrialist-turned-superhero and a middle-class mom who will show us how those steps work.

Any guesses on who they could be? Write in and let me know. I will see you next week.

Kavita Krishnan.

**If preparing for 40 more years is your goal, start here. And get an evidence-backed breakdown every Monday, at noon.

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Creative by Anjul D.| 30-42 inches is a brain and heart problem.

Beware the pot belly

It is no longer a sign of prosperity.

But it could symbolise future adversity.

And I am not merely referring to how it increases diabetes and heart disease risk. New research has found associations between deep belly fat and how your brain ages as well.

Never Too Late helps you read the silent signals your body sends. Every Monday, at noon.

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Where fat deposits in the body affects ageing of the Brain

The obesity-dementia link is well established by research, and in practice. This new paper, from Nature Mental Health, takes the association a step further.

It found that where you carry the fat is strongly associated with the speed at which your brain appears to age.

The body typically stores fat in the arms, legs, trunk, and belly. Fat stored in each of these zones, the research found, was linked to distinct changes across separate brain systems. These included areas of the brain that controlled how you move, feel and experience emotions, your memory and specific regions like the brainstem.

The most concerning impact on the brain however came from visceral fat. Now this, of course, is the fat packed around your organs, which you carry around in your belly.

Do not confuse it with subcutaneous fat which is the fat stored right under your skin. Visceral fat sits much deeper. And now, it seems its impact is also even more deep-seated.

How visceral fat ages the brain

You know what happens when an electric cable catches fire, don’t you. It causes a power cut. To restore electric supply, you need to replace that cable. Visceral fat is doing something similar to the brain’s white matter. It is frying connections.

Now, white matter makes up half of the brain tissue. It is composed of axons or nerve fibres that build the networks connecting the neurons across the brain. So, any damage to white matter could potentially damage the wiring that carries the signal between the neurons.

Damage here is also linked to vascular cognitive impairment - changes in thinking, memory, and reasoning due to reduced blood flow - and small vessel disease in the brain. Both these conditions could result in dementia.

What is the connection between visceral fat and the brain?

Now you might wonder how fat in the belly could have such a far-reaching impact. The answer is two words: Chronic inflammation!

As the paper’s authors explain:

“…Visceral adipose tissue secretes pro-inflammatory factors (for example, TNF-α), triggering systemic inflammation that contributes to neuroinflammation and white-matter damage.”

In comparison, they note, fat stored in the arms, legs and trunk exhibit lower levels of inflammation.

How did the researchers find the visceral fat-brain ageing link?

Researchers measured fat in the arms, trunk, legs and visceral region using DXA body scans. They got MRI scans of the brain to study structure, functional connections and white-matter integrity in all the subjects. Both the data sets were then mapped to the individuals’ scores on cognitive tests for reasoning, executive function, processing speed and memory. To ensure that the results only accounted for fat and not overall obesity, they statistically removed the influence of BMI. The study looked at data from over 18,000 participants of the UK Biobank cohort.

The research is not without its limitations though. It did look at a large group, but as the authors acknowledge themselves, it is still an observational study and hasn’t directly established a cause-effect relation between visceral fat and white matter damage.

However, it is in line with an earlier study published in May 2026 which had also linked visceral fat with faster brain ageing. That study from Israel’s Ben-Gurion University also suggested that glucose and insulin were the likely mechanisms involved here.

Across follow up periods ranging from 5 to 15 years, researchers in the Israeli study found that low visceral fat was associated with better cognitive test scores, higher brain and gray matter volume and lesser brain atrophy. More visceral fat was also linked to a faster expansion of brain ventricles, a marker of brain ageing.

But it is not just the brain that is at risk from the fat that lurks within.

Visceral fat affects the heart and kidneys too

In 2025, the ICMR-INDIAB survey found 43.3% of the surveyed population across India was metabolically obese.

Not just obese. Metabolically obese.

Researchers termed this the MONO phenotype which they described as being ‘characterised by increased subcutaneous and visceral fat and insulin-resistant glucose metabolism’.

Simply put, just under half the population surveyed were carrying high levels of fat under their muscle and around their organs. This increases the risk for developing insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes. It is also associated with high risk of coronary artery disease and kidney disorders.

And it is not just a ‘midlife thickening of the waist’ issue anymore. The survey found that one-third of surveyed Indians in the 20-29 yr age group fit into the MONO categorisation.

The survey analysed data from 1,13,043 Indians aged 20 and over, from 31 states and union territories. It was a nationally representative survey which meant that the population that was studied mirrored India’s entire population. The findings, therefore, can be extrapolated to all of India.

Yup, the expanding waistline is now a national issue (and a very important one, if you ask me).

Too shy, didn’t ask?

What is visceral fat?

It is literally fat located deep inside the body. It consists of adipocytes, or fat cells which are sensitive to hormones that affect the way your body uses (metabolises) and stores fat.

Visceral fat actually has an important function in the body. It wraps itself around our internal organs and cushions them from external shocks. So, all of us need some amount of visceral fat.

The problems start when visceral fat makes up more than 10% of body fat.

How do you measure visceral fat?

For that we first need to understand how much body fat we carry. Something the BMI does not tell you, accurately. Yes, BMI was used to measure obesity, but it did not account for lean mass or body fat distribution. And as you will see, especially for Indians, it is not a reliable measure.

Indians especially exhibit what is called ‘Thin outside, fat inside’ or TOFI phenotype. When visible, it forms the Indian pot belly – fat around the abdomen on an otherwise thin frame. When not visible externally, the person looks fit on the outside, but is actually carrying a higher visceral fat load which can lead to chronic diseases.

Which is why in India, doctors now advise using the waist-height ratio and waist circumference alongside the BMI to measure obesity. If we carry a higher amount of body fat than recommended, visceral fat would be higher too.

Visceral fat is located deep within the body so pinching your waist is not a reliable method of calculating it. Ideally, this is done in a clinical setting using equipment like MRI, CT and DEXA scans and BIA or bioelectrical impedance analysis.

Your waist circumference should give you a fair idea if you are at risk. If your waist measures ≥ 90 cm/ 35.4 inches (for men) and ≥80 cm/ 31.4 inches (for women), then you possibly have high levels of visceral fat.

But, measuring the waist may not apply to people who fall under the TOFI category.

So if you have a thinner frame and do not have a belly, look out for symptoms like having an apple-shaped body, feeling fatigued or sluggish after a meal and have an increased craving for sugary or sweet foods. This along with difficulty in losing weight despite exercising, elevated blood sugar, blood pressure or cholesterol readings, all point to risk of high visceral fat.

What causes visceral fat?

It involves the usual suspects like poor diet choices, sedentary lifestyle, alcohol consumption and hormonal changes.

But there are other causes of visceral fat you may not have considered like inadequate or irregular sleep and high stress levels. And of course, perimenopause and menopause.

In women, as estrogen levels drop around mid-40s, the body starts storing fat in the belly, instead of the hip and thighs. More importantly, it redirects fat into visceral fat storage. Increasing insulin resistance, stress and sleep disturbance in this stage also add to the increasing visceral fat levels. You might see these changes happen even with no change in your body weight.

How do you reduce visceral fat?

Essentially the same way you fight obesity. Try and maintain a calorie deficit. Eat a diet high in fibre and protein, unsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids. Avoid or limit added sugars, transfats and alcohol. Manage stress better. Engage in both moderate intensity aerobic or cardio workout and resistance training. And refuse to compromise on your sleep.

Easier said than done, I know. But then the benefits outweigh the effort and that should be reason enough to try, right?

That friend who eats what they like because it doesn’t show? Send this their way — TOFI doesn’t show up in the mirror.

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Before You Go

You can’t have missed the buzz around a new blood test that can predict Alzheimer’s risk up to 10 years before the symptoms manifest. The test measures levels of a protein marker p-tau217.

Cognitively healthy older adults with very high levels of it — more than twice the average — have a 78% risk of progressing to cognitive impairment over 10 years, and about a 1-in-3 chance within five years, per this Alzheimer’s Association release.

I would not run out to get the test though (and I don’t think it is available in India yet). The researchers say so themselves — p-tau217 alone “cannot fully predict” your risk. Age, genetics, kidney function and obesity all move the number.

And then there’s the harder question: if you test positive, what next? Drugs currently in the market only treat someone with the symptoms.

Your best bet – do what you can now to conserve brain health. Just like you do for your heart.

PS: Notice the * in the title of todays newsletter.

Here’s why I felt compelled to add that. I am a vocal advocate for being proud of the body you have and strongly believe what you see in the mirror should not define your self worth.

‘Mirror image’ here is used to illustrate the silent signal of ill-health our body is sending us. And even as I write this, I know that some of the healthiest people I have the privilege of knowing will not fit society’s stereotype of a fit body. And they do not care.

In my own journey from XS to XL, there is one lesson I have taken to heart – size does not matter. The only thing that matters is making the boring, but healthy choice and to do it every day.

Because every choice adds up.

Have a great week. I will see you, Monday.

Kavita Krishnan.

Never Too Late breaks down hidden risks of Indian midlife and highlights the choices you can actually make. It comes every Monday at noon.
Found this helpful? Then join us.

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Creative by Anjul D.| The centurion’s secret to longevity: Keep batting.

31,258.

That’s how many balls Rahul Dravid faced in the test matches he played in his career.

To put that in perspective, that is even more than Sachin Tendulkar – who played 36 matches more than him. Dravid holds the record for facing the most balls and spending the most time - 44,153 minutes – at the crease.

More than anyone ever, in the history of cricket. Till date.

Because Dravid did not win matches for India by hitting the most sixes.

He did it by starting early at the crease.

He did it by chasing down every boring single.

He did it by not getting out.

All that added up to match-winning scores and made him one of the most bankable players in the world.

Interestingly, Dravid’s match-winning strategy is exactly what you can copy to live healthier, longer too. India’s most respected cardiologist and a team that researched longevity secrets of Swedish centenarians would agree.

Bit of a bouncer, there? Let’s break it down.

Midlife in the longevity era is a Test match played at T20 pace. Never Too Late helps you face the googlies.

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Take guard now to age healthy

How you can beat the odds: Start early

There’s a reason why Dravid made those big scores. He started early and hung around to face more balls.

That’s what cardiologist Dr Devi Shetty and the Cardiological Society of India (CSI) are advising Indians to do.

The next time you book a heart panel, they want you to book two.

And take your teenager along for the test.

The reason is simple – Indians, as the CSI notes in this paper are getting heart attacks in their 40’s or earlier. And the two main causes of this are Dyslipidaemia and tobacco. The former is a condition where a person has unhealthy levels of one or more lipids (fats) in the blood. This includes ‘good’ cholesterol or HDL, ‘bad’ cholesterol or LDL and triglycerides which are stored in fat cells.

Identifying Dyslipidaemia early, as Dr Shetty pointed out, will allow people to make necessary changes to their diet and lifestyle and possibly prevent heart disease.

“Every Indian, at the age of 17 must get the blood test done. This is the guideline now issued by the Cardiology Society of India because if the cholesterol level is high, they can manipulate the diet,” Dr Shetty told news agency ANI.

He also outlined some other measures to prevent or delay heart disease. These include:

• CT scans of the heart for men over 35 (alongside blood tests)

• Testing from age 30 for those with a family history of heart disease

• Testing before age 30 for Diabetics

Dr Shetty also advised youth to get a cardiac check done before signing up for extreme sports.

“It is important that everyone should know their numbers. They should know what their blood pressure is, cholesterol number is, their heart numbers are.... The best way to know what the cardiac problems are to (get) the test done.”

And here’s why we must follow the doctor’s advice.

Hospital admissions due to heart disease have tripled in the seven years between 2018-2025 across India, according to the government data.

In 2025, the NSO’s health survey showed a sharp rise in cases in the 30-44 age group - they made up almost 15% of hospital admissions.

That number doubles - 30% of hospital admissions – for people our age i.e. 45-59 years.

In short, heart disease is catching Indians young, which is why doctors want us to start testing young-er.

And given that the primary risk factors for heart disease – diabetes, dyslipidaemia and hypertension – are also conditions that predispose us to developing other chronic diseases, starting early does make sense.

It also ties in, as you will find, with the findings of a Swedish study which explored why some people live to a 100 and most don’t.

Which, by the way is also the crux of Dravid’s batting strategy.

How you can beat the odds: Don’t get out

To Disease, that is.

Swedish research compared centenarians with those who did not celebrate their 100^th birthday. Over two separate studies, the researchers arrived at the same conclusion: centenarians had an almost superhuman ability to avoid disease.

The team at Karolinska Institutet conducted two separate studies. The first followed 170,787 people born between 1912 and 1922, for 40 years — from age 60 until death or age 100. This study tracked risk of stroke, heart attack, hip fracture and various cancers in the cohort.

They found that those who lived to a 100 had lower disease rates across their entire lives.

At age 85, only 4% of future centenarians had had a stroke — versus about 10% of those who lived to 90–99.

By age 100, just 12.5% of centenarians had had a heart attack — versus just over 24% of people who lived only into their 80s.

But this study only looked at major diseases. So in a second study, the team analysed data from another cohort - 274,108 people born 1920–1922 in Sweden for ~30 years — from age 70 until death or 100. For this group, researchers widened the disease matrix to include 40 mild to severe health conditions. This included common chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes.

They came back to the same conclusion:

Centenarians developed fewer diseases. They also accumulated them more slowly. They were far more likely to have a disease confined to a single organ system, which made it easier to treat and manage.

More importantly, centenarians had low rates of cardiovascular disease which was likely central to their survival.

At age 80, ~8% of centenarians had a cardiovascular diagnosis — versus more than 15% of those who died at 85.

Centenarians also showed more resilience to depression and dementia.

However, it was not like centenarians were disease-proof. They did develop multiple morbidities, but much later, around 89 years.

In short, like ‘The Wall’, they just refused to get out.

Now, I know what you are thinking – that these guys just had better genes. Well, they did.

But here’s what should be our takeaway from this study – ageing need not mean a life spent managing disease. It means preventing them, proactively.

That person who is the Sachin to your Rahul? Send this their way.

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Dive Deeper

Preventing disease might sound like a tall order. It need not be. In fact, in the interview I mentioned above, Dr Prem Narasimhan lists some very simple – and practical - steps we all can take to get started. These include;

A list of key tests we are missing (not blood tests).

Vaccines we should consider taking - yeah, adults need them too!

Lifestyle changes we must make right now.

Dr. Prem also shares an easy one-step method to getting healthier that you can start this evening- no expensive equipment needed.

And he should know, because as a geriatrician, Dr Prem sees people at the fag-end of their lives: those who have aged well and those who are living with disease.

So, if I were you, I would start my health journey by hitting the link below:

Before You Go

We will all die. Science may have found the limit of human lifespan

150-190 years.

That is the maximum a human could possible live to, scientists at Russia’s Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology have calculated. That is even if someone somewhere finds/ develops the ultimate anti-ageing medicine.

Immortal life, the study suggests, may be scientifically impossible.

If not disease, we would die of random DNA mutations that would continue accumulating in our cells until the body could no longer function.

Simulations conducted by the team suggests this mutation process could impose a fundamental limit on human lifespan.

Interestingly, the study also found that some cells are more hardy than others. Which impacts resilience of the organs they make up.

The skin and the liver, which constantly replace old cells with new ones, are more resilient. That’s because, in theory, they can be replenished for a very long time.

The least resilient organs are the most important ones. The heart and the brain contain cells that are largely irreplaceable. They accumulate mutations as we age. And as the team found, the ‘long-lived’ cells in these organs are the ones that limit our lifespan.

Which brings us right back to where we started – whatever be your goal, age healthy or live longer – the route is the same. Do not get bowled out by disease.

As far as this study is concerned, I would look at the bright side of : The upper limit of mortality is still roughly double humans’ current average lifespan of about 79 years.

Meaning, if we successfully dodge accidents, injury or disease, we would be batting in a test match, not a T-20.

So how do you plan to play the long game?

Will you bat till you are the ‘last man, standing’, or will you be ‘retired, hurt’?

That’s it from me this week. I will see you, Monday.

Kavita Krishnan.

Never Too Late is where India plans its second innings, every Monday, at noon. Found this helpful? Then join us.

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If all you have is a minute

The Crux: Professionals over 40 can no longer pin their security to one job. Layoffs are now hitting mid-career professionals, burnout is also peaking in the 40s, and careers now stretch longer - another 15 years at least to fund longer lives. This article makes the case for a second act — and gives you five steps to get started building it.

The Insight: The study-work-retire’ trajectory is not applicable anymore. Midlifers are caught in a tough spot: job insecurity is the highest at the very age they have to juggle dependents and build a corpus for 40 more years of life. That makes a career backup plan essential, not optional.

What you get: Five moves to start this week — a real reflection break, a low-risk side project, going deep on one skill, talking to your peers, and a six-month emergency fund.

Bonus Read: Why “Retire at 40” is a lie, and how to plan for a 60-year career.

Published by Never Too Late · never2late.substack.com · Kavita Krishnan · July 2026

Creative by Anjul D.| Fired at Forty: The F-words every midlifer dreads

They did not fire me.

But I was privy to every conversation between the people doing the firing and the ones being fired.

I was seated in the adjoining cubicle as the script played out, trying very hard to file my story by deadline. I was trying very hard to block out worried conversations of children’s fees, home loan EMIs, parent care – the ties that bind and gag a midlifer. More urgently, I was trying to ignore the gnawing feeling that I could be next on the list.

It didn’t stop there. One year later, the same show came to town. Again, I wasn’t on the firing list. But that did not mean I was safe.

In fact, I never felt safe in my job, any job, ever again. No matter how many times I moved.

I felt cheated. Like the secure ladder I had been climbing up had disappeared. That, I was in fact, hugging a snake. That my plans and dreams were at the mercy of a fickle pay cheque.

Last week’s headlines on Microsoft’s layoffs are just the latest reminder: we cannot pin our hopes, plans, identity, and existence to our pay cheque. Especially those of us in our 40s.

And even if you have never been laid off, there are two other reasons you cannot rely on your current role to underwrite the next 30–40 years of your life.

The lessons I learnt (and you could have your own) will show you why the headline of this article is not clickbait. It is our reality.

The new midlife is here — and it's a lot. Evidence-backed, expert-approved strategies to navigate it, free, every Monday at noon. That's Never Too Late. You know what to do.

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Lesson #1: Layoffs are the new normal

You don’t need me to tell you this. An online search will throw up these numbers - India ranks second worldwide for global, AI-led tech job cuts. 7% of the global job cuts affected professionals working in India, per an NDTV report (note-does not include persons of Indian origin working abroad).

Globally over 1.28 lakh people have been laid off this year by tech and start-up companies– that’s more than the total layoffs of 1.25 lakh in 2025.

In India, people have been laid off in the education, finance, food, transport and consumer-related sectors. The report sourced its numbers from tech and startup layoff tracker – layoffs.fyi.

As I said, not news. What is new, however, is that the nature of the beast is changing. Till recently, companies – especially listed ones – publicly announced layoffs. Not anymore.

A recent TOI report describes how companies are now asking people to leave, linking it to ‘relevance’ or ‘performance’. The report dubs this the ‘silent layoff’.

Hiring firms that the paper spoke with estimated that in the first six months of 2026 alone, 10-15,000 people have been quietly shown the door. They expect around 35,000 people could lose their jobs in this fashion by the end of the year. Meaning, there’s more to come.

But not everyone gets laid off. After decades on the hamster wheel, some of us just burn out.

Lesson #2: Burnout is a common 40-something affliction

Yes, I did survive two rounds of retrenchment. But like I mentioned earlier, it left me feeling insecure and cheated.

Two job-changes and a pandemic later, I realised that there was more to why I felt cheated.

It was not just the loss of a secure career path. It was also an overwhelming feeling of tiredness and ‘what am I even doing this for?’

Or what HR calls ‘burnout’.

Turns out, I have plenty of company.

Lynda Gratton, author of The 100-year-life and a professor at London Business School studies the future of work. In her advisory meetings with company leaders, she kept hearing this: burnout is rising.

But not where you would think to look. Not among the twenty-somethings. Not among the people winding down to retirement.

Leaders reported burnout in people in their 40’s, in middle management.

These were “among the organization’s most experienced and capable leaders—the very people the company was expecting to move into its most senior roles,” Gratton wrote in an article for the Harvard Business Review.

So, Gratton and her team worked with 20 mid- and senior-level professionals, across three global companies in France, Sweden and the UK over 10 weeks.

What they found: The exhaustion was real. Executives described peak responsibilities at work and at home and no room to think. But underlying it was something heavier.

In their 40s, these people were not concerned with ‘how to perform better?’ As Gratton describes it, mid-career managers were looking for meaning in what they did. They were seeking balance over extreme effort and choice over constant expectations. They were questioning if they were in the right place at all. Or as Gratton wrote:

“ What has made me who I am, and what do I want to become for the next 30 years?”

Exactly my ‘what am I even doing this for’. And if you are in the same boat, cut yourself some slack. It does not mean you have gone soft or cannot handle demands of the workplace.

It just means that like Ross and Rachel, you need to ‘take a break’.

Why you need to do that sooner rather than later is in the next lesson.

Lesson #3: The plans changed. You didn’t get that memo

Do the math.

Longer lifespans = more years = more expenses.

The career that ends at 60 will not fund it. So no, we are not at the beginning of the end of our careers.

We are caught in the middle.

Most of us are quite likely to continue working in some form well into our 70’s. That’s thirty more years no one told us about when we were told ‘padhoge, likhoge, banoge Nawab’.

And guess what, your company did not read that memo either (although they could have got it). Which is why you should worry.

Why should you care

You should, because you are in the ‘wrong age at the wrong time’.

CMIE data shows that between 2016–17 and 2022–23, the share of India’s workforce aged 45+ has jumped from about 37% to 49% – almost half of all workers.

Meanwhile, layoffs are climbing up the ladder. It is no longer ‘last in, first out’. This Economic Times article lists multiple examples of companies cutting down on mid-level managers. Titled, ‘Too expensive to keep, too valuable to lose’, the article described how companies were cutting down on the middle management to save expense and keep teams lean. In fact, a rash of media reports - NDTV, India Today - in the second half of 2025 and early ’26 also highlighted the broken career ladder and the mid-career pink slips.

The underlying narrative: it’s not you, it’s the balance sheet, honey! Except, it messes up our balance sheet too.

Because mid-career layoffs hit us when it hurts the most.

Right when we need the certainty of cash flow to pay EMIs, school/ college fees and doctor’s bills.

Right when we are struggling with self-doubt and are trying to figure out our present and the future.

Right when we realise we need to build a more substantial corpus for forty more years.

Scary — but you're not alone. Gratton found talking to a peer helps. Send this to your office bestie.

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What I plan to do

Speak to experts. Make a plan

Speak to those who have successfully pivoted, or came back from a layoff, or found an altogether new vocation. I will get you their stories.

That’s the kind of series* this is turning into.

Consider this Part One.

Before You Go

A Request: Take one for the community

A pivot plan works like an insurance policy for our careers – one we can bank on if we are asked to walk. We could also use it if and when we choose to pivot into a second career or build a ‘portfolio life’.

It is also the only certain thing you can hold onto in an increasingly uncertain world of work.

So, if you are among those who has successfully pivoted, or came back from a layoff, or found an altogether new vocation, share your story with us. If you know someone who’s been there, done that; connect them with us.

You can restack and reply to the newsletter itself. Mail me. Or message me on Substack chat.

Let’s make our pivot plan together.

That’s all from me for this week. I will see you Monday.

Kavita Krishnan.

P.S. The pivot series is coming. Subscribe, and Never Too Late will bring it to you.

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*A note on the series: I won’t rush it. A pivot plan to shape 40 more years can’t be written on deadline — so it’ll take a few weeks, not days. But it’s coming, and I’ll tell you before it lands.

Creative by Anjul D.| Still leaving your body's messages on ‘read’?

Mothers always knew. Science has proof.

The day after my son was born, my mother strapped my wristwatch on my hand. “Wear this all day and night now,” she said.

As the baby grew, she explained, I would have to follow a strict routine to feed, bathe, play and put him to sleep. And so I did – that early discipline helped my boys settle in better. It also saved me many sleepless nights.

But hacking the clock doesn’t just make for happy babies.

New research led by Johns Hopkins shows that having a predictable routine as adults is associated with slower rates of biological ageing.

As does how many hours of sleep we get every night, per another study (which also found the optimum hours of sleep our bodies need).

Put together, both studies are telling us something very simple – the watch on our wrist might just be the most accessible hack we have to slow down ageing and disease.

Research, practical enough to apply to your daily life — equipping you for 40 more years. Every Monday. In your inbox, for free.

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Study #1: Your daily routine impacts ageing

Living by the clock – waking, moving, working, eating and sleeping at the same time every day - is significantly associated with lesser age-linked damage at a cellular level.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins collected rest and activity data from 207 adults who wore wrist monitors for seven days. Blood samples from these participants were then run through two trusted ageing clocks – the GrimAge and PhenoAge. The rest-activity patterns were compared to the reports from the ageing tests.

What the study found

Those people who had stable, predictable rest-activity rhythms scored lower on ageing markers. Their biological age – how fast their body was wearing out with time – was closer to their chronological age – the age as per their birth certificate.

People with irregular activity and sleep schedules had bodies that showed more age-related damage than the standard. They had higher scores. And biologically, they were much, much older compared to those who followed a regimented routine.

Three features of our daily rhythm (routine) played the biggest role in accelerating ageing:

The first was interdaily stability, or the predictability of our daily sleep-activity routine.

Midpoint variability or how much our rest and sleep time varies from day to day was the next factor. The study found this was highly influential in increasing the rate of ageing in people between ages 50-65.

Finally, the gap between our most active and least active hours or rhythm amplitude also impacts the rate at which our bodies age. This feature had a larger impact on women in the cohort.

Simply put, those people who went to bed and woke up at the same time every day, and had a predictable activity schedule had cells that showed lesser age-related damage.

In short, irregular, unpredictable routines not only stress you out, it stresses out the cells in the body too.

Know what else stresses cells? Too much or too little sleep – both impact ageing and risk of disease and early death.

Study #2: Too much, too little sleep harms your body

Sleep 7-8 hours per day, we are often told (I have written it more times than I can count). Some experts will tell you 6+ hours is good. Frankly, the data on how many hours of sleep you must get in a day can seem as confusing as how much water we should be drinking.

But a new study might have found the sweet spot – the optimum hours we must sleep (yes, I did briefly write of this earlier this month, but this has more detail).

So the researchers in this Multi-Consortium study created ageing clocks based on data they collected from medical images, proteins, and molecules found in blood from each organ. They used these clocks to calculate the biological age of over 5 lakh people (aged 37-84 years) from the UK Biobank cohort. And mapped it to the subjects’ reported sleep duration.

What they got was a U-shaped curve that showed how sleep duration was linked to biological age. Both short sleep (<6 hours) and long sleep (>8 hours) were linked to higher biological age across many organs and carried a higher risk of disease and death.

People who slept between 6 hours 24 minutes to 7 hours 48 minutes had the lowest biological age.

People who got between 4-6 hours of sleep had a 50% higher risk of early death. It was also linked to risk of diseases of the heart, lungs, digestive system, diabetes and mental health conditions.

Death risk was 40% higher in those who slept longer- 8–10 hours every night. Such people were at higher risk of neurological conditions including depression and schizophrenia.

Note here that both studies only show association. There is no cause-effect relationship. Moreover, the second study is based on self-reported data. Additionally, both the studies were conducted on US or European populations.

The exact outcome could differ for Indians. But, the takeaway is universal.

Both studies combined show us that biological ageing – ageing within the body – is influenced by the regularity of our daily routine and how much sleep we get at night.

Both are behaviours that we can modify. No expensive supplements needed. No gadgets required.

Just, live by the clock.

Speaking of clocks, there is another, more powerful one we should live by – this one is actually free because we are born with it. And syncing your day to that internal body clock is probably the best thing you can do. Benefits include better performance at the workplace.

Know someone who is the first one at work and the last one to leave, every day? Share this with them.

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Budget Biohack

Use your body's calendar app

Image Source: Wikipedia

"Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!" said the White Rabbit as he darted past Alice who followed the quaint figure into the rabbit hole.

Now, if you live like the White Rabbit – always on the run to the next item on your schedule - this easy biohack that could make your life easier.

All it calls for is syncing your day with your circadian rhythm which is set by your body clock.

What is the circadian rhythm?

It is a pattern of activities that your body follows through the day and night. This is what instructs your body to wake up, sleep, regulate temperature, start digestion and secrete hormones which activate other body processes. All of these actions are co-ordinated by a master clock and numerous other organ-specific clocks.

The master clock is located within a tiny cluster of cells known as the suprachiasmatic nucleus. This is found in the hypothalamus in the brain. This little clock functions like the ATC (air traffic controller) of the body. Signals from this clock controls activities of other clocks and organs in our body.

Why sync our day to the circadian rhythm?

It makes our body function efficiently. It helps us function efficiently. And it enables us to bring our best to what we do.

Used right, it could be a handy hack to enhance performance.

The Takeaway

Our body sends us notifications all through the day.

Notifications that we ignore….

Because they are not as urgent as skipping your lunch to finish that presentation.

Because they are not as relevant as the all-hands meeting your boss suddenly called for at 7pm.

Because they are not as entertaining as staying awake to watch the game live at 3am.

We tuned out the free notifications. But consented to a boatload of data from expensive trackers.

Now I have nothing against strapping on a tracker or wearing a ring - that does help us set, track and improve health metrics. But that’s when we remember to charge it and wear it.

And that’s also why our body’s notifications should be our holy grail for good health.

That and maybe the analog wristwatch my mom strapped on my wrist.

That’s it from me this week. I will see you next Monday.

Kavita Krishnan.

No BS. No ivory tower trends. Practical, evidence-backed strategies to prepare better for 40 more years. That’s the NTL agenda. If you want to stay tuned in, hit the button below. I will see you in your inbox on Monday, at noon.

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Apologies.

There will be no issue of Never Too Late today. I have been down with the ‘flu.

But the next issue is already in the works. Let me just say it has something to do with hacking clocks.

That will hit your inboxes as usual next Monday.

Apologies again. And take care.

Kavita Krishnan.

If all you have is a minute

The Crux

Our generation is ageing faster than our parents — biologically. That is raising our risk for early cancer and multiple chronic diseases simultaneously. For Indians in their 40s and 50s, this is also a financial emergency.

The Insight

The fix isn’t a drug. A 21-year JAMA study of 1,173 pre-diabetics found lifestyle modification cut multiple disease risk by 20%. Metformin didn’t. Harvard’s prescription for cutting early death risk by 45%: 90–120 minutes of strength training weekly plus moderate cardio.

What You Get

The exact protocol. The optimum dose. Broken down into what it asks of you each week.

Bonus Read

The WEF found 3 low-cost interventions generating $5 trillion in healthcare savings. One is already in this article.

Published by Never Too Late · never2late.substack.com · Kavita Krishnan · June 2026

Creative by Anjul D.| When longevity ‘trends’ don’t match the science

‘18 till I die’ was the anthem of the 90’s.

That 30-year-old song is still young. Unlike the Gen-X’ers and millennials who grew up singing it.

Babies of the 70’s and 90’s are ageing faster than their parents – biologically that is. Our bodies are showing more age-related damage. Meaning your dad or mom probably had lesser age-related damage at age 45 than you have.

And that could also be one of the reasons behind the spike in early onset lung and colorectal cancers, according to new research published in Nature.

Ironic for a generation that is chasing longevity.

This is the kind of research NTL reads so you don't have to. Subscribe free — every Monday.

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The Problem: All is not well, with Gen X and Millennials

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine set out to explain the spike in early-onset cancer cases by looking at how people age.

To do this they analysed blood biomarker data across generations – those born in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1990s – and across two population groups – in the UK and the US.

For every person, researchers measured biological age – how the body was ageing – and organ age – how specific organs were ageing. They compared this across generations to calculate an ‘age gap score’. What they uncovered was unexpected.

There literally was a ‘generation gap’ in how people were ageing.

People born between 1965–1974 carried 23% more age-related damage than those born between 1950–1954, at the same age.

90’s babies from the US cohort showed 92% more age-related damage than those born between 1965–1969 for the same age.

Early cancer risk also increased in those biologically older at a younger age.

The increased systemic ageing in the younger group was associated with an 8% increased risk of early-onset solid cancers, especially lung, gastrointestinal and uterine cancers.

Faster ageing was also associated with a 57% increased risk of early-onset lung cancers – this was the strongest association that the study mapped.

Researchers also found early lung cancer was strongly linked to ageing of the immune system. Similarly, ageing of the fat tissue was linked to earlier colorectal cancer.

The biological age and cancer association persisted even after accounting for other causes of cancer like heredity, smoking, obesity and telomere length.

Now don’t go dismissing this as ‘Western’ research because firstly, India is part of Team PROSPECT under which this research was conducted.

And secondly, India too, is seeing a spike in cancer among younger adults.

ICMR data shows that India reports about 15 lakh new cancer cases every year.

Half (estimated) of these cases are in the 40-64 year age group. Comparatively, worldwide, it is the 65+ age group that accounts for half the cancer burden.

One in nine Indians could develop cancer in their lifetime, the report estimated. While Lung cancers were most common among men, breast cancers were found to be the highest among women.

However, even with an ‘older’ biological age, we are not doomed to spending a longer life in poor health.

Because another long-term research study holds out hope of reversal.

The Solution: Not a Pill, but your Lifestyle!

Yep. Unlike prescription medication, this solution is something that is affordable and accessible to everyone.

New research published in JAMA says that lifestyle modification can do what drugs like metformin cannot – reduce the risk of multimorbidity in persons diagnosed with prediabetes.

This study followed 1,173 participants in the Diabetes Prevention Program and its Outcomes Study (DPPOS) over 21 years. All the participants were pre-diabetic - a condition where blood glucose levels are higher than they should be but are not yet at the level where a person is diagnosed as diabetic.

The participants were divided into three groups: one was given a placebo and the other was prescribed metformin.

The third group was put on a strict diet and exercise regimen to reduce dietary fat, log 150 minutes of physical activity per week, and lose at least 7% of body weight.

The risk of developing multimorbidities or multiple chronic health conditions reduced 20% in the lifestyle modification group in comparison to the placebo group. The group that got Metformin saw no significant gains in health.

What is Multimorbidity?

It is a condition where a person suffers from two or more chronic conditions, simultaneously. These could include physical, non-communicable diseases, mental health conditions, or infectious diseases of long duration.

45.14% of Indians aged 50 and above already have multimorbidities, according to this paper that analysed data from the WHO-SAGE longitudinal study. Hypertension (22%) with arthritis (19%) is the most common disease combination or dyad.

Other common combinations include hypertension with diabetes, hypertension with obesity, hypertension with anaemia, obesity with anaemia and heart disease.

Of course, more disease equals more healthcare expenses. But it gets worse with multimorbidities, because it means more money spent on medication. And it also increases risk of hospitalisation.

This 2022 paper from the Public Health Foundation of India used NSSO data to track healthcare spend. Researchers found that just one chronic disease like diabetes or hypertension is enough to push half - 46.7% - of Indian families into catastrophic health spending where they spend more than 10% of total income on healthcare.

Add one or two more conditions – in the case of multimorbidities – and 63% of Indian families are burning money they don’t have on health expenses.

Another systematic review the PHFI paper cites shows how the healthcare expenses jump with multimorbidity.

This found that when the number of NCDs increases from 0 to 1, 2, and ≥ 3, the annual OOP (out of pocket) expenses on medicines increased by an average of 2.7 times, 5.2 times and 10.1 times, respectively.

If you have a family member managing diabetes or hypertension, this one's worth forwarding.

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But, as I started by telling you, there is hope.

In the JAMA study quoted above researchers also found that those persons who modified their lifestyle also had lower rates of costly disease combinations - conditions involving stroke, chronic kidney disease, heart failure, and COPD - as they grew older.

In short, there is no magic pill yet to ensure you can age disease-free. But a boring and surprisingly, effective method exists. That involves eating right, moving more, sleeping well and doing it consistently.

And even a little bit done every day can go a long way, as you will see next.

Act now: Start with this

90-120 minutes a week of strength training

That’s all it takes to move the needle to good health – to get you to

• 19% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease

• 27% lower risk of death from neurological disease

• and 13% lower risk of premature death.

In fact, cancer-related benefits kick in at even lower amounts of training. Risk of death from cancer was 21% lower in participants who lifted 1-29 minutes per week.

Harvard researchers have zeroed in on this ‘sweet spot’ after they tracked physical activity data from nearly 1.5 lakh people for up to 30 years.

What’s more, you do not need to deadlift 80 kilos in a gym. Get started with a 1 litre bottle of water. The benefits will add up. I am proof. That’s how I started.

Another thing you should know - more is not necessarily better. Researchers found that beyond the 120-minute mark, gains from strength training plateaued.

But there is a way you can still turbocharge your gains, if you want to.

Mix it up with 30-44 MET hours of cardio

That’s about 5-7 hours of brisk walking, 4-5 hours of moderate cycling or 3-4 hours of running.

Put together, this will bring down your risk of early death by 45%. That’s almost half. Not bad odds at all.

Need a stronger nudge than cancer risk? Put a price tag on it. This NTL piece will do that for you.

And if you need still more proof, this week’s Before You Go should do the job. In fact, probably share that with your company HR.

Before You Go

One person’s medicine is a booster shot for the economy!

A new report from the World Economic Forum calls on governments to invest in three low-cost measures to ‘unlock massive savings by 2040’.

These include access to hearing aids, simple home safety improvements and community-based physical activity programmes.

The choices might seem strange. But look at the numbers and you will understand the larger picture here.

As the report elaborates:

-Access to hearing aids could prevent 2.4 million dementia cases and generate over $325 billion in healthcare savings

-Simple home safety improvements to prevent falls like rug tape, stair lighting and grab bars could prevent nearly 400 million falls at home. It could result in over $5 trillion in cumulative healthcare savings globally.

-Community physical activity programmes could prevent 8.5 million new diabetes cases, generate $125 billion in productivity gains and save $85 billion in healthcare expenses.

In essence, this report makes a business case for ‘linking health and wealth’ and calls upon governments and companies to ‘begin addressing physical and financial health together’.

Like I said, good report to discuss at the next all-hands meeting. Not only will it give extra-heft to your request for a company-wide cricket or pickleball match, it could make you look erudite too!

That’s it from me this week. I will see you Monday.

Kavita Krishnan.

No BS. No ivory tower trends. Practical, evidence-backed strategies to prepare better for 40 more years. That’s the NTL agenda. If it resonates with you, hit the button below. I will see you in your inbox on Monday, at noon.

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If all you have is a minute

The Crux

A ‘Normal’ on a blood report may not mean all-clear. It just means there is no disease, right now — 99% of heart attack patients had at least one normal but non-optimal reading before their illness. For Indians in their 40s and 50s, the risk is compounded: our ‘Normal’ was never built for our bodies.

The Insight

Indians have lower LDL-C but higher plaque risk, a high prevalence of Lipo-A, and elevated rates of diabetes and NAFLD — and we fall sicker earlier than Western populations. This is why IISc’s BHARAT study is building India-specific blood baselines. But that does not mean your blood reports are wrong. Just change how you read them.

What You Get

Start with your last blood report. This article tells you how to read it the right way — and what separates a normal reading from a non-optimal one.

Bonus Read

AIIMS research on how yoga slows biological ageing at a cellular level — and why it may be the highest-ROI longevity tool you already own.

Published by Never Too Late · never2late.substack.com · Kavita Krishnan · June 2026

Creative by Anjul D.| With blood reports, don’t skim. Read between the numbers.

35% does not cut it.

Not when you are building your career, as any student will tell you.

That dictum applies to Health too.

So, quit gloating over that little green ‘Normal’ label on your blood report. It is actually doing you a disservice.

Getting ‘Normal’ on your bloodwork could be like getting 35% on an exam. You have just scraped through. It could have gone either way.

And instinctively you know that – that’s partly why you are relieved, isn’t it?

Well, your instinct was right.

Because the ‘Normal’ label only tells you there is no disease, right now. It does not tell you if the risks are quietly building up within your body.

That story is in the column beside the Normal label – the one with the ‘numbers’.

And knowing how to read ‘between the numbers’ is essential if you want to extend your healthspan. And save on medical bills.

From decoding blood reports to NAV charts, this is the newsletter that helps you prepare for 40 more years.

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Why a ‘Normal’ blood report is not enough

#1. Because Normal could mean SOS, not an All-clear

So, I did this too – skimmed through the ‘normal’ labs and only took note when the label turned from green to red.

Till I read this paper which concluded that heart attacks and strokes are rarely ‘sudden’. The body, it would seem, gives very clear warning signals, in advance. Unfortunately, we do not know how to read them.

The authors of the paper looked at bloodwork data from two population groups – in the US and Korea. In those individuals who had experienced a heart attack or stroke, authors found:

• 99% of the subjects had at least one key risk factor at ‘nonoptimal levels’ before their illness.

• More than 93% had two or more risk factors at ‘nonoptimal levels’ before their illness.

• 93 to 96% of the participants had recorded slightly elevated blood pressure readings

• Between 77-84% of the Korean and American cohorts had an elevated cholesterol reading

• Blood sugar levels had spiked in 60-77% of the participants before the cardiac event

What is important here is the word ‘non-optimal’.

A non-optimal reading could be labelled ‘normal’ in reports. But it is not ideal.

Confusing? Well let me put it like this. You might have heard the words ‘pre-diabetic’ or pre-hypertensive’ lately. In such cases, the individuals have a normal reading, but their numbers are on the higher side of the normal range. These are ‘non-optimal’ numbers.

What this means is unless addressed with a treatment plan, such a person could go on to develop diabetes or hypertension. And that could result in a heart attack.

However, all that is ‘normal’ is not bad.

If your numbers are well-within the range – what your doctor would call optimal – well that is where you want to be.

But, if you fall within the normal, but non-optimal range, consider it a call to arms.

#2. Because Indian bodies are built differently

Did you know Indian feet are different from that of people in Europe, the US, or UK. Our feet are wider. That’s why the CSIR is developing an Indian standard size for shoes call ‘Bha’.

Now think about it – if our shoe sizes differ, shouldn’t our biomarkers too? In fact, I had put that question to Dr Deepak Kumar Saini, Convener of the IISC’s Longevity India Initiative.

He told me that developing an ‘Indian baseline’ is one of the key objectives of the BHARAT study that is underway. Because our current idea of ‘normal’ is derived from data collected from western population groups.

As Dr. Saini told us in an earlier interview, “We assume sugar of 120 to 160 is applicable to everybody around the world. And across all age groups. What if it’s not?”

In fact, our doctors already follow a made-for-India protocol to manage cholesterol or lipid levels. That is because Indians have lower levels of bad cholesterol (LDL-C) as compared to the West, but a higher risk of plaque building up in the arteries (atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease).

Plus, almost 25% Indians have high levels of Lipo-A – a protein particle that causes the plaque build-up.

Add a high prevalence of Diabetes and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver disease (NAFLD) – and it is obvious why Indians also develop heart disease earlier than their western peers.

This is why Indian guidelines call for intensive measures to lower LDL-C with screening starting as early as age 20 in the general population. In persons with a family history of high cholesterol or premature coronary heart disease, guidelines recommend tracking lipid levels from the age of two years!

Also why the next time you do a lipid panel, you should skip the ‘normal’ label and look at your numbers.

#3. Because the Indian reality is different

The HbA1C test is the gold standard for tracking blood sugar levels, globally. However, in India, diabetes specialists say just getting a ‘normal’ on the HbA1C is not enough.

In this Lancet paper, India’s top endocrinologists explain why the HbA1C may not give us Indians the complete picture.

The HbA1C measures the number of haemoglobin molecules in the blood that have reacted with glucose. Now, that works well if your haemoglobin or red blood cells are not compromised.

The reality – Anaemia, G6PD deficiency and other conditions that affect red blood cells are widespread among Indian men and women in urban and rural India. Which is why relying only on the HbA1C numbers does not cut it.

Doctors advise non-diabetics get an oral glucose tolerance test – or ‘fasting-PP’ tests done alongside the HbA1C test.

Diabetic? Check blood glucose levels 2-3 times a week using blood glucometers or CGMs (continuous glucose monitors). And do the HbA1C test.

In fact, in 2025, Indian doctors had also revised guidelines we use to measure Obesity.

We now follow a BMI measure adapted to our reality – the Indian Thin-Fat Phenotype – where a person looks thin outside but internally carries a large percentage of body fat and has low muscle mass.

According to these guidelines, Indians must also measure Waist Circumference (WC), Waist-to-Height Ratio (W-HtR) and abdominal adiposity to determine obesity. The BMI threshold has also been lowered – anything over 23 kg/m2 means a person has more fat than needed.

What does this mean for us?

We had been looking at the data from another ‘POV’.

Now, increasingly, we are looking at the numbers from a more India-centric lens. As medicine is evolving, our baseline for what is normal is also moving to reflect a standard drawn from Indian data sets.

Your blood tests are not wrong. Nor are your reports.

Especially if they come from accredited laboratories. Because whenever new guidelines are issued, they are also communicated to physicians. Diagnostic testing companies also recalibrate their tests/ results accordingly.

Your approach to reading the data must change

So, we can still get the same blood test. But, avoid the urge to merely read the labels.

Because when you are investing in your body to live healthier for longer, just passing is not enough.

You need to get a distinction.

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ICYMI

(In case you missed it, literally)

This Longevity protocol is both test and training, and it is ‘Made-in-India’

Of course, I am speaking of Yoga

With Sunday being International Day of Yoga and all.

But seriously, think of it.

Your VO2Max score, Muscle strength and Balance are the building blocks of healthy ageing. Every longevity expert swears by it.

Yoga helps you build all of it.

D-I-Y tests like standing unaided on one leg with our eyes closed, or rising up without support from a seated position on the floor, or wall squats – all are used as markers to check if we are ageing healthy. These give physicians an idea of our muscle strength and balance.

The practice of Yoga incorporates all of these balance tests in varied asanas. Regular practice helps improve it.

Other asanas use your body weight to build muscle strength.

Breathwork, an integral part of Yoga can improve cardio respiratory fitness. And there is research that shows it helps improve your VO2Max scores.

More recently, a paper applied the WHO’s four-pillar framework for healthy ageing to Yoga and found it effective across all four pillars. This new research published in the Journal of Ageing and Longevity cites evidence to support all the benefits we already discussed above.

It also highlights Yoga’s efficacy in other areas associated with ageing like reducing pain and managing chronic diseases.

Additionally, the paper notes how regular practice of Yoga can benefit our lives now – especially at work – by reducing stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, and improving attention, memory, and executive function.

In fact, the authors describe Yoga as a practical, affordable and accessible option that supports healthy ageing.

But that’s not all.

Yoga can delay ageing as well, that too, at a cellular level. There is credible evidence from India in this regard.

In an earlier interview with NTL, Metabolic diseases expert Dr. Rima Dada at AIIMS, Delhi who has been spearheading research into Yoga’s impact on organ systems, explained how:

“Yoga switches on gene programs which up-regulate the DNA repair mechanisms. It switches on genes which are decreasing inflammation, which are causing immune homeostasis, which are delaying ageing, which are up-regulating our antioxidant mechanisms. So, Yoga is actually switching on the internal pharmacy and it’s like a Poly pill….

Yoga can delay ageing and our studies have shown clearly that if you practise Yoga, your biological age can be much, much younger than your chronological age.”

Read or watch the full interview here:

To conclude, there is enough evidence to show that there is more to Yoga than mere stretching and mindfulness. Better still, you don’t need to spend a million dollars to do it.

All you need is motivation and a mat. Is it part of your longevity protocol yet?

That’s it from me this week. I will see you next Monday.

Kavita Krishnan.

Indian bodies deserve their own longevity protocol and a plan to prepare for 40 more years. This newsletter helps build it, every Monday, at noon. For free.

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Creative by Anjul D.| Because our families shouldn’t have to guess…

Nazar lag jaayegi (you will attract the evil eye)

India does not like to discuss birth or death.

Our baby showers celebrate the pregnancy, not birth. We buy the baby’s first clothes and the crib only after it is born.

And Death – we sidestep it, treat it as taboo. Families fear discussing death will make it real. So, we avoid writing a Will. And end-of-life scenarios are never discussed.

But morbid as it sounds, death should be a dinner table or chai-time conversation you should have as early as this week.

Some of us might have begun discussing what happens when we are no longer around – we are giving instructions on where our money is invested, sharing our passwords etc. A physical will covers that.

And it is actually the easier conversation to have.

The tough conversation is the one we neglect: discussing what comes before death.

If you haven’t subscribed yet, this is a good week to start. One conversation your family will thank you for. Free, every Monday.

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What should a family do when facing the worst-case scenario?

When they have to decide if they pull the plug or wait and watch as a person in a vegetative state is hooked up to machines that keep them alive.

Does the family give the person a fighting chance or allow nature to take its course? How do they decide?

A Living Will is the answer.

Not only does it make sure a person has a say in how they want to die, it also clears up a lot of potential issues that could potentially tear a family apart.

As Nikhil Varghese, co-founder of Yellow, a digital estate planning solution told me, “Many times it’s about guilt, right? Assuming what the person would have wanted at this point in time? But when that is already documented, then there’s no guilt to take that call.

If you know the wish of the person, then you’re doing it guiltfree.”

Another key factor – money.

Intensive care fees, especially for patients on life support, add up, pretty fast. Making a Living Will forces you to consider that - how much are you willing or can spend to stay alive? It gives your family the answers without them having to figure it out in an emotionally-charged state.

A Living Will, thus, could mean the difference between a family moving on or facing financial ruin.

So, make time for that conversation. Do it so your family knows how far you are willing to go to stay alive. Do it for your own peace of mind.

But before you sit down to chat, let’s get some basics straight?

What is a Living Will?

Very simply it is a legal document that lets a person choose how they want to die – even when they are unable to make that decision for themselves.

The Living Will, of course, is executed if a person develops a terminal illness or ends up in a condition where there is no hope of recovery. Science calls it an ‘Advanced Medical Directive’. Pop culture – TV medical dramas – call it a DNR, short for Do Not Resuscitate.

DNR, though, is just one part of what you can fit in. In a living will, a person can give a blanket mandate like they do not want CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) or specify minute details like they want to be given adequate pain medication, or that they do not want to be put on a feeding tube or ventilator support. Alternatively, a person can also specify they want all extraordinary measures to be taken to help them live as long as possible.

That selected course of action is communicated through a living will. You also need to appoint one or more individuals who will be empowered to make that decision for you.

Does India allow Living Wills?

Yes.

Since 2018, in fact when the Supreme Court of India allowed people to make living wills and choose passive euthanasia – a process where medical treatment is withdrawn under certain guidelines to allow a person to die. (Active euthanasia is still illegal in India).

However, the 2018 directive mandated approval from the District Collector and the Jurisdictional Magistrate of the First Class for a Living Will – and predictably, there were hardly any takers for it.

Later, in 2023, in response to an appeal challenging this, a 5-judge bench decided that the living will only needs notarisation or attestation by a gazetted officer. If executed, the hospital has to inform the Magistrate concerned.

Both the judgements mandated that states create a digital registry to store Living Wills. As of now, the state of Maharashtra in western India is the only one that has a registry for Living Wills. It rolled out this service in April 2026. If you live in the state, you can access it here.

But, if you are considering making one and live elsewhere in India, don’t let that stop you.

How is a Living Will executed in India?

Essentially, a Living Will is only executed in case of a terminally ill patient or in case of those who have lost the capacity to make decisions. In such a scenario, the guardian is required to inform the hospital and treating doctors about it.

This paper in the Indian Journal of Critical Care Medicine breaks down what happens next into a 12-step pathway. It borrows from the Supreme Court judgement.

If the treating team of doctors are satisfied there is nothing more they can do, the case is referred to a Primary Medical Board comprising the treating doctor and two other subject experts with five or more years of experience. This board has to decide and inform the patient’s relatives within 48 hours.

Their decision is again reviewed by a Secondary Medical Board. This has a doctor appointed by the district and two subject experts who are not part of the earlier board. Their decision is also due within 48 hours.

If the secondary board does not agree to terminate care, the family can approach the High Court.

If both boards agree, then the hospital shall add it to the medical records and inform the Judicial Magistrate.

The team of doctors then withdraw treatment.

The paper also recommends that we review a living will every 1–3 years or sooner. This ensures it is updated with significant life events like changes in health, relationships, or living arrangements (e.g., a move, diagnosis of a serious illness, or divorce). It also accounts for any changes in the individual’s preferences.

Of course, you will then have to follow the same process to register the updated will.

Too Shy, Didn’t Ask?

Slightly different version for this week, since I was anyway speaking with an expert - Nikhil Varghese, co-founder of Yellow, an Indian digital-will making solution that makes legacy planning accessible and affordable.

I asked him all the questions I could think of. Here’s an edited excerpt of that conversation:

NTL: Who should make a Living Will?

Nikhil: Anybody over 18 and of sound mind can write a living will. Should you do it at 18 or should someone who is 50 or 60 or 70 write a living will? That’s very subjective. For a physical will, you can probably say, I don’t have enough assets for me to do it - there also my argument is even if you have a simple bank account you should write a will.

But here you’re talking about a situation where you are not in a position to take a call on what needs to be done right this can happen at any point in time. Life is unpredictable, right? Somebody who’s mature enough you should start looking at it. I would say anybody from age 30-30 plus onwards you should be looking at it.

Also remember, if you write something today, it’s not cast in stone. You can always keep changing it. There’s going to be some process to be followed but at least you’re capturing your wishes for an uncertain scenario.

NTL: Who should you appoint as a Medical Power of Attorney? Should they be external to the family or a member?

Nikhil: See usually I would say at least for this, it has to be within the family right because you know the pulse of the person who would need to take a call. But, also ensure the person is capable of taking that call. For instance, the spouse is the guardian and the spouse doesn’t want to take that call then you actually appointed a wrong person.

But, if you’re going out of the family, then the person has to be locally available and someone closer to the family also, right? The family needs to know to inform the person and that person should actually be there for any such scenario.

I would also not recommend appointing more than one guardian. That’s because it’s good to have one person take calls rather than jointly. You’ll never come to consensus. Because if one person says no, then you’re not able to take a unanimous decision. So, therefore good to have one person all the way. But if you want to, you can appoint joint guardians.

NTL: Does the Living Will cover organ donation as well?

Nikhil: No. While you can mention you are an organ donor, you still have to register separately with NOTTO. In case of demise, your family can always say the person wished to donate organs. That’s the ideal scenario. But, if you’re looking at organ donation you might as well do it with the registry and have it documented.

(Note: Interested in organ donation, register here: NOTTO - National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organisation)

NTL: Do you need to approach a lawyer to draft a Living Will?

Nikhil: Not necessary at all. See, it’s not that this needs to go through a litigation process or anything and so on and so forth. Right? Obviously, it could have persons saying that you know this is forgery etc. and that’s why you need two witnesses unlike a normal will. In case it is contested, something like this will get proved much faster than your typical cases. This will go into a expedited mode right, the calls will be taken on a quick basis.

Before You Go

This week’s theme might seem a little off-track for those of you who are regular readers. You might wonder what does a Living Will have to do with the 100-year-life.

A lot, actually. Our extended lifespans are courtesy advances in medical science. And we are now in a scenario where in many cases, even if we don’t want to, medicine can keep us alive.

Plus, catastrophic medical expenditure can push people into poverty. According to this paper in Nature, poverty headcount among the elderly in India was around 4.3%. But, after accounting for out-of-pocket-health-expenses, that number jumped to 14.2%. (Note: These numbers use the Tendulkar formula to calculate poverty line).

So, it follows, just like we attempt to longevity-proof our bodies and our money, we also need to prepare for uncertain health or life outcomes.

I will leave you with that thought. See you Monday.

Kavita Krishnan.

If this is a conversation your family hasn’t had yet, forward this to the one person who needs to read it with you.

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Creative by Anjul D.| Always unwell or tired? That could be your body crying for help

Is your body strong enough to recover from disease or injury?

Around 30% Indian adults over the age of 45 will not make the cut.

That is according to a study that analysed data of 50,000+ individuals across all states (except Sikkim) who are part of the ongoing LASI or Longitudinal Ageing Study in India.

These adults suffer from a clinical condition that limits their ability to recover from injuries or disease like the flu or a broken bone.

Persons with this condition also had a two times higher risk of being hospitalised than other adults.

The condition affects their cognitive skills as well. Middle aged adults - those aged 45-59 also have a 33% higher risk of poor cognition as compared to their peers. The odds of poor cognition increase to 39% in older adults over 60 years.

In all, 16.2% of middle-aged adults and 43.2% of older adults suffered from this condition.

Women had about twice the odds of suffering from this condition, the study found.

So, what is this condition that seemingly affects all body systems? Doctors and scientists call it ‘Frailty’.

This is what Never Too Late does every Monday — break down research that matters for the years ahead. Subscribe free.

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What is Frailty?

It’s easier to understand if you think of your health like a savings bank account.

Everything that you do – from breathing to climbing mountains or swimming oceans – draws from this bank account or ‘physiological reserve’. When the body fights disease or is recovering from an injury, the withdrawals are higher.

The balance in this account decreases as we age. You see that externally as a decline across different body systems – eg. people walking slower and having less balance control with age. Internally, it leads to a decline in the in-built reserves of different body systems.

At a certain level, this age-linked decline in the physiological reserve:

-Starts interfering with our activities of daily life, like the ability to walk, take a bath etc.

-Makes us vulnerable to infection and diseases

-Affects mobility and increases our risk of losing balance, falling and hurting ourselves.

-Reduces our ability to completely recover from external stressors – like a disease, injury, change in medication, environment etc.

This happens when the body’s reserves - bank balance - cannot cover its expenses any more.

And then the body needs outside support to keep functioning.

This leads to Frailty.

Why should we worry about Frailty?

Reason #1: Frailty affects your quality of life

Notice how some older persons may quickly get back to their daily routine after a surgery while others end up needing help to even get up from a chair. Frailty is what causes the difference and over the long term, it can impact a person’s ability to go about their daily life without help. That, of course, is the worst-case scenario.

In the short term, people who are frail often complain of exhaustion, have balance and stability issues, and an increased risk of falls and injuries. It also limits their mobility.

Reason #2: Frailty increases healthcare expenses

Frailty impacts recovery from a disease or injury. It also makes a person vulnerable to new infections (and injuries, as we saw above). It is logical then that frail persons will spend more on healthcare.

In fact, frailty in middle-aged persons was associated with a 74% increase in the number of hospitalisations in a year. For older persons, being frail was associated with a 122% increase in hospital stays. That is according to the same study that used LASI data to map frailty in India.

Reason #3: Frailty could impact cognitive ability

The researchers using LASI data also noted that frailty was associated with lower cognition scores in both the middle-aged and older cohorts.

Another Chinese study that pooled data from three ageing studies (including European ones), also found a significant association between being frail and a decline in overall cognitive function. This included deficits in memory, orientation and executive function.

But, there is hope. Because not everyone who grows old becomes frail. And also because scientists and clinicians are learning that frailty can be improved or potentially reversed.

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What can we do?

The answer is obvious, isn’t it? If it is a reserve that we are drawing from, logically we should be able to build that reserve. Just like we build a longevity corpus for our money.

But before we get there, let’s get some basics out of the way.

What causes Frailty?

First, frailty exists on a spectrum, ranging from robustness to pre-frailty, mild frailty, moderate frailty and severe frailty. And people could either improve or deteriorate within this spectrum.

Typical causes include advancing age; severe illness like cancers, sepsis; severe injuries like hip fractures, treatment for severe diseases like chemotherapy, transplant surgery etc.; and congenital conditions like heart disease. The absence of a social support network also puts one at risk of becoming frail.

What this means is that even children and people in their 40’s like you and me can become frail.

Next – there are multiple approaches to determine frailty.

One looks at it from a physical health lens where a combination of weak hand grip strength, low energy or endurance, frequently feeling exhausted or tired, slow movements or speed when walking and low activity levels is considered a red flag for frailty.

Losing weight - up to 4.5 kgs in a year - without trying is also one of the symptoms doctors look at when assessing if a person is frail.

Another approach looks at frailty as the accumulation of health problems over time. Here, chronic illnesses, mobility problems, memory difficulties, hearing or vision loss, poor nutrition and social isolation all add up to frailty.

How can I reduce my risk of Frailty?

The good news is frailty can be delayed or improved. How that is done depends on what is causing frailty and the kind of support a person can access.

But, more importantly, for those of us in our 40’s –we can work towards building a bulwark against frailty.

We can do that by:

• Actively working to prevent chronic diseases. These include metabolic conditions like Obesity, and Diabetes; Heart disease; Liver or Kidney diseases; Respiratory diseases like Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); diseases of the bone like Osteopenia or Osteoporosis; and brain disorders like Dementia and Alzheimers.

• Moving more. Making time for strength training.

• Eating right and maintaining a healthy weight

• Practising preventive care like handwashing, getting health check-ups and screenings

• Putting safety first by wearing seat belts, helmets and preventing fall-related injuries around the home.

• Building a social support system within and outside your immediate family.

Sounds like something you are already doing? Well, it should.

Because our best bet against frailty is investing in our health.

Note: Apart from the research linked above, the article also draws from information on the BMJ, Cleveland Clinic websites and this Science Alert article.

Too shy, didn’t ask?

Is physical weakness and frailty the same thing?

No. Physical weakness is one of the markers of frailty. Your endurance, mental health and brain health are also important in determining frailty.

Is there a test for frailty?

You don’t have a blood test that tells you Frail or Not Frail. As we have already seen, frailty exists on a spectrum. You need a full clinical assessment by a trained doctor to assess for frailty.

Do all old people become frail?

No. The prevalence data is proof. More importantly, you do not need to be old to be frail. Malnourished youth, children with congenital disorders can also be frail.

Frailty, essentially, is a red flag from the body that it cannot handle the strain – of disease or injury.

It is not inevitable. It is potentially reversible. And, it is something we can work towards preventing by actively investing in our health.

And as we have seen in previous NTL issues, the choices we make now in our 40’s, is what will compound in our favour as we grow older.

Reality Check

India is seeing a sharp rise in obesity and diabetes

The latest data release from the NFHS-6 (National Family Health Survey) only underlines the severity of the metabolic disease crisis in India.

Consider it a wake-up call to take action, if you haven’t already.

Before You Go

Kerala has set up a new Department for Senior Citizens

This was among the first few decisions taken by the new UDF-led government in the state.

Why does this matter? Kerala is rapidly ageing – official projections say the 60-plus now make up 22.8% of the state’s population. A separate department means a dedicated budget and team to work on initiatives for senior citizens.

What will they do now? Kerala, for now, is borrowing from Japan’s eldercare model. According to media reports, the state is looking beyond mere pensions and institutional care. It is focusing on healthy and active ageing, neighbourhood-based support systems, mechanisms for financial support of elders, healthcare and care access, caregiver training and decentralised home healthcare.

Why should you care? Simple. Kerala’s present is the future for the rest of India. Worth tracking how it shapes up, eh?

That’s it from me this week. Continue investing in yourself. I will see you Monday.

Kavita Krishnan.

If you’re not subscribed yet — Never Too Late is where midlife gets a plan.

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If all you have is a minute

The Crux: Working on your health and longevity can feel like a second job — one that needs discipline, deprivation and hard work.

But, it could be fun too. The research says some of the most effective things you can do for your longevity are things you actually want to do.

The Insight: Being a dog parent was associated with a 24% lower risk of death from any cause, per a 2019 systematic review. In people who already had heart disease, dog ownership was associated with a 65% lower risk of all-cause mortality.

Board game players had a 15% lower risk of developing dementia, with gains lasting one to two decades after the data was collected according to a 2013 French population study. It tracked players and non-players over 20 years.

Across dogs, games, arts, boredom, and holidays, the evidence points in the same direction: switching off and playing is a legitimate strategy to age healthy for Indians in midlife.

What You Get: Five research-backed, enjoyable investments in your longevity — dogs, games, arts, boredom, and holidays — each with the study behind it and the caveat honestly stated. Start with whichever one you like the most.

Bonus Read: How much should you be sleeping? A consortium study that tracked over five lakh individuals from the UK Biobank cohort and mapped their sleep habits to 23 ageing clocks and 17 organ systems, may have the answer. Sleeping under 6 hours and over 8 were both, associated with faster biological ageing across the entire body.

The sweet spot to sleeping right: 6.4 to 7.8 hours per day. Fix that before you optimise anything else for longevity.

Published by Never Too Late · never2late.substack.com · Kavita Krishnan · June 2026

Creative by Anjul D.| Playing with Tommy also builds longevity

When was the last time you had fun?

When last did you let go of your carefully crafted ‘personality’, laugh out loud, lose track of time, forget your worries and your phone?

When was the last time you reveled in being alive?

Something come to mind? Well do that more often. You will see why, as you read on.

Now last week’s issue was all about the work you must put in if you want to age healthy. But while I was prepping for this week’s issue, I was also packing for a short family holiday. And predictably, my ‘pre-vacation’ mode mind went looking for fun ways to age healthy.

Turns out, there are quite a few.

If you haven’t subscribed yet, this is a good week to start. Five research-backed reasons to have more fun. Free, every Monday.

Subscribe now

Fun ways to get healthy

#1. Get a Dog

A couple I am friends with recently celebrated their 25^th anniversary and the lady gifted her husband a dog. Now, while the lady likes dogs, she has always been against getting one because of the added responsibilities it would bring. Her reason for the change of heart: getting a dog would force her husband (now retired) to step out for a walk, regularly, and that might keep him healthy.

Research backs her up. Owning dogs was associated with a 24% lower risk of death from any cause when compared with not owning a dog.

That is according to a 2019 systematic review and meta-analysis that combined data from 10 observational studies. It covered a total of 38,37,005 participants and studied 5,30,515 deaths over an average follow‑up of ~10 years.

4 of these 10 studies specifically looked at risk of death from heart diseases. Being dog parents was associated with a 31% lower risk of cardiovascular death as compared with non‑owners.

In people who already had heart disease, dog ownership was associated with a 65% lower risk of all‑cause mortality.

What is the connection?

Like my friend had concluded (anecdotally), researchers point to evidence of all the walking dog parents have to do, on a daily basis.

The study cites a meta-analysis that found that dog owners walk more and are more likely to reach recommended physical activity levels than non‑owners. The review also cites other studies that have observed healthier biomarkers like lower blood pressure and better lipid profiles (e.g., lower triglycerides) in dog owners which help keep hearts healthy.

Dogs, as you might have experienced, are also excellent stressbusters. In fact, the same research cites two short‑term interventional studies that back this up. One in which people with high blood pressure who acquired a pet had a reduced cardiovascular response to mental stress after six months, and another where petting a dog lowered blood pressure when compared with other activities.

So, will getting a dog save you from heart disease?

No. That is too broad a conclusion to draw from this review. Its strength is that it studies large groups of people from multiple countries over an extended period of time. But, as the authors caution this is not a randomised clinical trial, it is an observational study. The results point to an association, not a cause-and-effect relationship.

What you can take away

Owning a dog is associated with a lower mortality risk and can keep your heart healthy provided you (not the dog walker) puts in the effort for that.

But, if you do get a dog, get one because you love him or her. The health benefits are a bonus.

And if you are a dog lover, consider getting home a canine friend. For you, it will definitely be a fun way to stay healthy.

(By the way, the friend I mentioned above is now smitten by her dog.)

#2. Play a game

What can we 40-somethings learn from Millennials role-playing Dungeons and Dragons and old uncles who sit hunched around a carrom board every evening?

They are doing something that you should be doing too – play.

Playing board games offers you multiple cognitive and social benefits. A 2013 French study found that board game players have a 15% lower risk of developing dementia than non-players. It was also associated with a reduced risk of cognitive decline and depression.

The population study had observed players and non-players who did not have dementia for 20 years. Researchers also learnt that the gains from playing board games was long-term - lasting one or even two decades after the data was collected. The association held even after researchers accounted for other variables like age, sex, diabetes onset etc.

Board games build the brain. A 2025 review of neuroimaging studies found that expert chess players show greater activity and connectivity in areas of the brain that are linked to visual processing, spatial reasoning, memory, and decision-making.

Other studies, especially in senior homes, found that board games help diagnose cognitive issues early. It can also support individuals showing mild cognitive decline.

Games boost social connections and wellbeing too – something we already know from our screen-free childhood. The runaway success of role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) and Dixit has psychologists now studying how it can be used as a tool to support mental health interventions.

And while Science keeps looking for hard evidence, you just need to look around you – at the ladies who play Rummy and Mahjong, the uncles who play carrom, the local train groups that get in a round of Bridge on the way to work. Notice the median age. You will get your ‘evidence’.

So, the next time your millennial co-worker invites you to a role-playing game night at their place, say yes! Better still, plan a game night with your friends or partner. I am already packing games for my vacation.

#3. Plan an ‘Art’ Weekend

Here’s a weekend idea that will keep you out of a mall but still help you beat the heat and stay cool. Bonus – it will boost your body and brain health.

Visit a museum. Attend a music or dance concert.

A British study found that people who made the time to experience the arts even once or twice a year had a 14% lower risk of dying as compared with those who never did so. Why? Engaging with the arts stimulates complex and multiple areas of the brain and sparks new neural connections. That slows down age-related cognitive decline and degeneration.

Art works as an outlet, reduces stress and increases positive emotions. This keeps your blood pressure and cortisol at healthy levels and increases dopamine in the brain. Like games, experiencing the arts also helps build social capital and reduces feelings of loneliness.

Know what’s even better? Try your hand at painting, playing an instrument, singing or dancing yourself. All are great for the brain. More importantly, it helps you build purpose and community – essential for life after you leave your 9-5 grind.

Speaking of 9-5, the next fun hack to get healthy is something you should do, often.

#4. Indulge in boredom

Yeah. You read that right. Your brain needs downtime from screens buzzing with notifications, from work, from the to-do list that dominates every moment of your waking day.

So, ever so often, give yourself permission to get bored. It could spark creativity.

And if you think this sounds like a bunch of wellness woo-woo, here’s the hard evidence.

In this often-cited British study, subjects in an experimental group were given two mind-numbingly-boring tasks to do (one reading and one written). These tasks were followed by a creative challenge. Individuals in the control group skipped the boring tasks and were only given the creative assignment.

Boring activities resulted in increased creativity. Boring reading activities led to more creativity in some circumstances than boring written activities.

Still doubt it? Think of what happens when you step into the shower. You tune out the world and tune into white noise. Boredom works on the same principle.

So, the next time you are stuck with a tricky problem at work, switch off. Step away. Revel in boredom. It will help you perform better at work.

Speaking of the 9-5 grind, the next hack is my favourite fun hack for health.

#5. Go on vacation

Most vacations reduce stress. We have all experienced that.

But here’s what you need to know – taking regular vacations could reduce your risk of metabolic syndrome. It could also reduce risk of death from heart disease and other cardiovascular problems.

That’s not all. It could also improve your productivity at work and get you in line for that raise.

(Not kidding! Check out the article from the NTL archive linked in Dive Deeper below.)

Know someone who needs to hear this? Forward this issue to them.

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Not because I am going on one. Because taking a vacation could benefit your mind, body and heart, and help you perform at work. And if you can’t take one now, don’t despair. Read the article and see how merely planning for a vacation could help you as well.

Better still, forward it to your boss with your leave application. Thank me later!

Before You Go

How many hours should you sleep? Scientists may have an answer.

Sleeping between 6.4 to 7.8 hours per day could be the sweet spot.

That is linked to a lower risk of early death and disease. It could also slow down ageing at the organ-level.

That’s the key finding of a consortium (multi-university) study that looked at sleep and organ-wise ageing data from over 5 lakh individuals who were part of the UK Biobank study cohort.

Researchers created ageing clocks based on data they collected from medical images, organ-specific proteins, and molecules found in blood from each organ. They then mapped a person’s sleep duration to their biological ages from 23 aging clocks across 17 organ systems.

A ‘coordinated U-shaped pattern emerged’ across the entire body. Both short sleep – less than 6 hours – and too much sleep – over 8 hours – were associated with faster ageing.

What does that mean for us?

No, sleep duration alone does not cause organs to age faster or slower. What the study suggests is that both insufficient and excessive sleep may lead to poorer overall health across the body.

In short, aim for 6-8 hours of zzzz’s every day.

That’s all from me this week. I will see you Monday. In the meantime, have some fun!

Kavita Krishnan.

If this issue made you want to plan a game night, book that holiday, or finally get the dog — you are exactly who Never Too Late is for.

Every Monday, research-backed ways to age healthy. Free, in your inbox.

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If all you have is a minute

The Crux: Expensive longevity routines — 5am wake-ups, cold plunges, red light therapy, exotic superfoods — are optional, not essential. For Indians in their 40s, a budget and time-smart alternative gets you to the same place. The research backs this up completely.

The Insight:A UK Biobank study tracking ~89,000 individuals found morning sunlight alone could cut early death risk by 17-34%. A hot bath at 40.5°C outperformed both traditional and infrared saunas in cardiovascular and immune benefits. Consistent sleep schedule, morning sun, diverse local food, 150+ minutes of varied movement, daily screen-free time — that is the evidence-based budget model for healthy longevity in India.

What you get: Six tech-bro blueprints mapped to six alternative, evidence-based budget biohacks. Start with whichever one fits your life right now.

Bonus Read: Bryan Johnson spends $2 million a year on longevity. His recent viral letter lists 41 lessons from that experience. None of them require expensive technology. This week’s bonus read is that letter — and it endorses most of the budget biohacks in this article.

Published by Never Too Late · never2late.substack.com · Kavita Krishnan · May 2026

Creative by Anjul D.| Can't afford the mask? The morning sun is free

I do not have a 5am routine.

Sounds blasphemous, I know. Especially when it comes from someone writing a weekly newsletter on longevity and preparing for the 100-year-life.

I don’t subscribe to the 5am club because for me, personally, it is not sustainable.

Let’s be honest here – for most of us, it is not practical. We cannot spend the hours from 5-9am every day, navel-gazing. Our schedules cannot be built around dinner at 11am or cold plunges and sauna sessions. Nor do we have money to burn on supplement stacks, full body scans and blood tests.

Plus, I refuse to believe that the ticket price for a healthy life is this steep.

Which is why I looked at the evidence on most-cited tech bro longevity routines.

What I found: if healthy living is your goal, you can safely hit snooze on what I call the ‘tech-bro model of longevity’.

And make your own realistic, time-smart, ‘budget’ model instead.

How to work towards Healthy Longevity on a budget

Time-poor? This evidence-backed routine I have put together should help solve for that too.

1. Bro blueprint: 5am routine

Disclaimer: There is proof that waking up early is good for your health. But, you don’t need membership to the 5am club.

Not when your mornings are a blur of school lunches, stand-and-eat breakfasts, bus-stop runs, schedule-matching with your partner and fielding last-minute curveballs from your kid before heading out the door to work.

In fact, if you are a ‘night owl’ or work late shifts, going against your body clock in the long term could be unhealthy.

This meta-analysis of 27 papers found a clear association between this condition called ‘Social Jet Lag’ and an increase in waist circumference. Two cross-sectional studies it included found that adding up sleep debt could increase your risk of developing metabolic syndrome – a cluster of diseases including Diabetes and Hypertension.

Budget biohack: Sleep early. Build a regular sleep schedule

Going to sleep after midnight impacts how the body manages blood sugar levels according to Chinese researchers who studied the association between sleep (quality and quantity) with blood glucose levels in the general, non-diabetic population. They also found that people who slept between 4 to 7 hours had larger blood sugar spikes and more variability in blood sugar as compared to those who got at least 8 hours of sleep.

In short, sleep and rise like a soldier – at the same time every day, even on weekends. And even if you sleep late, hit the hay before midnight.

2. Bro blueprint: Red and near infrared-light therapy

I get the attraction. Those Stormtrooper-like masks are as sci-fi as you can get. But it is not all woo-woo. Red-light therapy or what scientists call ‘Photobiomodulation’ has been used in treating ailments of the skin long before the longevity crowd discovered it.

In mice, there is evidence it can spur hair growth. In humans, there is some evidence that it helps improve outcomes in wound healing, peripheral neuropathy, retinal degeneration and certain neurological disorders. Research is now shifting focus to how it impacts mitochondria – the cell’s powerhouse.

But the evidence as on date does not match the hype, as scientists point out in this article in the Scientific American. What’s more, the benefits from red light masks, wands, mats etc. that you can buy are still dubious.

Budget Biohack: Get some morning sun, daily

It’s free. All you need to do is step out in the morning and bask in the sun.

That could cut the risk of early death by 17-34%, as per this study that analysed ~13 million hours of data from light sensors worn by ~89,000 individuals in the UK Biobank study. Conversely, the study found, getting too much light at night could increase risk of early death by 21-34%.

Need more reason to soak up the sun? Vitamin D deficiency is rampant among Indians as this Karnataka study found. And that impacts attention and fluency of the brain as we age and our cholesterol levels as well. Sunlight exposure is the only way the body can get this vitamin.

And while the data on red light masks and sleep is inconsistent, there is enough evidence like this cross-sectional study that shows that morning sunlight exposure will help you sleep better.

3. Bro blueprint: Cryochambers, cold plunges and sauna sessions

Cold therapy through cold water immersions, cold plunges and cryotherapy is beneficial – it helps the body reduce inflammation, protects cells from damage due to oxidation, improves metabolic regulation and heart health.

So is heat therapy. According to this study of Finnish men, those who took 4-5 sauna sessions in a week saw risk of fatal cardiovascular disease reduce 50% as compared to those who went once a week.

But building both cryochambers and saunas in our homes is not only impractical, it is also expensive.

Fortunately, there are other ways to get similar benefits.

Budget Biohack: Take a cold shower. Or a hot bath.

There is evidence these are equally beneficial.

This meta-analysis of randomised trials found cold plunges, ice baths or cold showers in temperatures ranging from 7-15°C improved inflammation, stress, immunity, sleep quality, and quality of life.

And for those who like it hot, this study that compared hot water immersion – in a tub – with traditional and infrared saunas, should be interesting reading. Hot water immersion in a bathtub at 40.5°C for 45 minutes gave maximum thermoregulatory, cardiovascular, and immune system benefits, researchers found. More than saunas. In fact, infrared saunas were the least impactful of the three.

You know what else gives you benefits similar to an hour in the sauna room? A run, a jog or a brisk walk.

4. Bro blueprint: Performance or endurance sports

Enjoy doing it? Good for you.

But if you can’t run a marathon or participate in an Ironman or a HYROX challenge or scale mountains, don’t despair. What your body actually needs is for you to move and engage in a variety of physical activity, every day.

Budget Biohack: Bank on volume and variety of movement

The ICMR recommends 150 minutes of physical activity every week – that is exercising 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week. That’s the basic minimum goal which is not difficult to hit.

It gets better.

Because new research from Harvard also shows that it is not just how much you do, mixing up a variety of physical activity is equally important.

Those who mixed it up, saw risk of premature death reduce 19%. They also benefited from a 13% to 41% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease, and other causes. (The range is large because it differs for different forms of physical activity).

So, what does variety mean? The research included what you do in a gym – lift weights, run on the treadmill, etc., and other activities like playing tennis, rowing, calisthenics, walking, jogging or yoga. It also studied activities people do on an everyday basis like gardening, mowing the lawn, doing yard work and climbing stairs.

In short, make movement a part of your life. Make the 150 minutes structured and non-negotiable. Then all through your day, add to that by walking down to the shops, playing with your child or pet and taking the stairs. Every bit adds up.

5. Bro blueprint: Exotic superfoods. Expensive supplement stacks

Green juice. Kale. Quinoa. Acai berries. Avocado. Salmon. – Good to have. Not must have.

Alphabet soup of multi-coloured supplements – again not a must have.

What counts instead is food diversity – something the United Nations also has adopted as a sustainable development goal or SDG to ensure child and maternal health. Which should be proof enough that it builds health.

And here’s what’s important - eating a truly diverse plate of food does not need you to rob a bank.

Budget Biohack: Eat a diverse diet

What is a diverse diet?

It is one where you aim to eat multiple food groups so that you get all the macronutrients, micronutrients, antioxidants, and bioactive compounds your body needs on a daily basis. The more food groups you eat in one day, the better it is for you.

And of course, there are food groups you must limit or avoid too – like sugar, salt, alcohol and ultraprocessed food.

And the benefits are many. According to this systematic review, eating a diverse diet lowers risk of physical frailty and mental disorders, improves cognitive function, physical performance and sleep quality as you age. Little wonder, that it increases quality of life and helps keep you out of hospital, longer.

It also slows down ageing, as this study that mapped dietary habits to the biological age of 22,600 participants from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), found.

The winner, for me – it takes the guesswork out of eating healthy. It also means that you should be able to meet most nutrient targets naturally. And then, if you are still deficient and need supplements, get tested and consult a doctor. Way better than shelling out a fortune for pills and hoping they are not placebos.

(Need more details? Dive deeper takes you to an article from the NTL archive that shows you how to plan a diverse diet.)

6. Bro blueprint: Mindfulness breaks. Digital detox.

Know what? That sounds idyllic (and I use the word consciously). But in the real world, not all of us can afford a week-long digital detox in an exotic hillside or beach retreat.

Not when you are part of 5 work groups, 2 parent groups and one family group on Whatsapp. Not when your Slack or Teams app is pinging at every hour of the day with messages marked ‘Super super URGENT’.

But we can still practise mindfulness.

Budget Biohack: Breathwork. Journaling. Long walks. Nap breaks. Restorative showers.

Pick any one or two. Carve out a time for yourself, every day. Even 15 minutes helps. What is important is you spend time with yourself, without any screens, without any distractions.

The pricey resort is an extra you do not need.

What I am doing for myself

I am building a 5pm routine.

Like I mentioned at the beginning, I do not have a 5am routine. Because it will not work for me. But an evening routine will work…has worked, in fact. As I write this, I realised I followed one earlier. I just didn’t know enough then to give it a name.

Pre-pandemic, when I stepped out of work and got into a train or car, I would dump my phone in the bag and pick up a book. The 1.5 hour long commute helped me decompress. My chatty little boy rushing into my arms when I got home, took away the weariness of the day. Hot dinner with the family followed by an hour of TV, bath and bed completed the disconnect loop.

Working from home, I have realized, has blurred the lines between work and life. And that’s why I am now consciously building a 5pm routine. The broad contours are finish work at the same time every day, chat with a friend, have an early family dinner, followed by a walk, some TV (I know it’s bad so I limit the time), bath, book and bed.

This is still work in progress. Some days I follow it. Some days I don’t. But, on the days I do, I end up feeling better for it.

How do you say goodbye to your day?

Know what else is free? Hugging your mom. Physically meeting your friends. Both help you stay healthier, longer. Make a plan to hang out — and send this their way.

Share

Counting calories is confusing. But, like I promised above, Eating right can also be simple. I learnt a lot while researching this article on diverse diets from the NTL archive. It might help you too.

Before You Go

Bryan Johnson’s viral letter packs a surprise!

Or as AI puts it – here’s what I did not see coming

He is the man who follows a $2 million a year protocol to ‘not die’. However, a letter he wrote (and released) recently on X, lists none of the expensive tech he uses to pursue longevity.

Instead, the letter addressed to his ‘Immortal nieces and nephews’ lists 41 low-cost, practical and accessible alternatives.

See the full list here

Spoiler: It includes most of the budget biohacks listed above.

That’s it for this week. I will see you on Monday.

Kavita Krishnan.

New here? Head on to never2late.substack.com/p/start-here

Subscribe free while you're at it.

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Creative by Anjul D.| New to the Never Too Late community? Here’s a handy guide.

Lifespans have changed.

Life plans have not.

And if you, like me, are in your 40’s, we are navigating this new normal, blind.

I’m Kavita Krishnan, a journalist.

I spent the last two years reading longevity and ageing research and speaking to experts to understand how to prepare for longer lifespans.

What I learnt:

It keeps coming back to 5 choices or how we invest in our Body, Brain, Money, Purpose and People.

Every choice we make, compounds in our favour or against us.

Midlife is when these choices matter. What we choose now will shape how we live for 40 more years.

Listed below is one article for each choice — the pieces that shaped how I am thinking about each one.

You made a plan once for your career. It’s time to do it again for your life. This is a great place to start.

The 5 choices that will shape your next 40 years

The Body Choice

Enjoy life or pay a ‘tax’: What you choose in your 40s defines your future – explores the financial cost of ignoring your health in midlife. It has the specific number that made me take this seriously.

The Brain Choice

Fix 17 Factors. Prevent 3 Diseases – Is probably the single most useful piece of research I have come across in two years. One decision. Three diseases. If I were new, I would start here.

The Money Choice

Money stress hurts your health: Why you must build a longevity corpus – Researching this convinced me that financial planning is not separate from health planning. They are the same plan.

The People Choice

Loneliness can kill you – Among the most-read articles on Never Too Late. And probably the one most people forwarded to someone else.

The Purpose Choice

Retire@40 is a Lie. Get set for the 60-year career reframed retirement for me and got a lot of you talking as well. Read to see what work actually looks like after 60, who is hiring, and why the portfolio life is not a consolation prize.

Every Monday I go deeper on one of ‘The 5 Choices’. Free. Arrives at noon.

Subscribe now

You can also take Never Too Late ‘to go’

That’s via the podcast: Longevity Shot.

These conversations are great to get you started on preparing for 40 more years.

The Body Choice

When it comes to Health, Neglect compounds. So does Prevention. → A geriatrician explains how small choices in our 40’s determine how we age.

The Brain Choice

Ignoring Brain Health in your 40s is an ‘expensive’ mistake → What the cost of inaction actually looks like — and what to do instead.

The Money Choice

100-year-life? You could run out of money → An Indian financial expert on why your retirement corpus was built for the wrong lifespan.

The People Choice

What Everyone Misses in Longevity Planning → The lady who built India’s largest senior community explains why you need to invest in your own circle.

The Purpose Choice

Forget Retirement. Plan a Second Career After 60, Now → The man who is building India’s biggest second career platform tells us why the portfolio life is no longer a choice, but a necessity. Also, how to prepare in your 40’s to stay professionally relevant as you age.

Read. Watch. Listen or share.

But, don’t forget to join the community. We are a good bunch.

Subscribe now

If all you have is a minute

The Crux: You probably have more social media apps on your phone than friends you can call at 2am. You are not alone — a 2023-24 Washington University study across eight countries, including India, found nearly 4 in 10 adults feel lonely.

The Insight: A Cornell University study scoring over 2,000 adults on lifetime social connection found that richer relationships meant lower readings on every inflammation marker tested — including IL-6, the protein linked to heart disease and accelerated ageing. The same group was also ageing more slowly at a cellular level, measured on GrimAge and DunedinPACE, two of the most reliable biological ageing clocks available.

Another 27-year longitudinal study found that people who actively invested in their relationships were 13% less likely to die during the study period — and stayed physically mobile for longer. No money required. Only time.

What you get: The article gives you a 5-question test to know exactly where you stand, a micro-connections guide for the week ahead, and an SIP-style plan for anyone who wants to go further.

Bonus Read: Warren Buffett’s last letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders named the best asset he ever invested in — and it was not a stock. For readers in their 40’s, that letter is necessary reading.

Published by Never Too Late · never2late.substack.com · Kavita Krishnan · May 2026

Creative by Anjul D.| The tribe was always the medicine

How wealthy are you?

Count the ‘social’ media apps you have on your phone.

Now, count the number of friends who you can:

-Call at 2am in an emergency

-Meet for coffee without scheduling it

-And the ones who know you like pasta with the pink sauce.

Let me bet. Social media apps won! Ironically enough, you are not ‘alone’ in this.

Loneliness is a ‘popular’ problem, especially in cities

Nearly 4 in 10 adults reported feeling lonely according to a study that collected data across eight countries – including India, between 2023-24.

Nearly 1 in 2 (46.8%) young adults aged 18-24 reported loneliness.

The older adult population - about 30% of adults 55 or older- was the least lonely group.

Women, individuals with lower income or education, unmarried people and urban residents were most vulnerable to being lonely, according to this 8-nation study led by the Washington University.

Another sobering finding - across the eight countries, lonely adults were nearly three times more likely to be depressed and four times more likely to have anxiety. In short, feeling lonely is a mental health risk — consistent across countries and age groups.

Now, loneliness, of course, is what happens when your ‘social portfolio’ is running on empty. But, what do you think happens when you build and nurture it instead - like your investment portfolio?

The returns show up: in your mind and your body.

Why you should nurture your social portfolio

Reason #1: The returns keep you healthy and mobile for longer

The older residents in my housing society can be divided into two distinct groups – one group that steps out for a doctor-mandated morning or evening walk. Most members of this group walk alone, sometimes in twos or threes. Most of them show physical signs of age-related decline.

The other is a group I have nicknamed the ‘Three Musketeers’. They are three men of about the same age as the walkers. But they seem to be best buddies and can be spotted together everywhere. They are active in society matters. They are organising events, collection drives and know almost all residents – young and old - on a first-name basis. This group, I have observed, is seemingly thriving.

This, of course, is my personal observation. It is not backed by any data. But reading this study helped me understand why there is such a stark difference in how the two groups seem to be ageing.

The study published in 2023 used longitudinal data from US midlifers to analyse three aspects of social relationships: social integration (how connected you feel), social support (how many 2am friends you have) and positive relations (how much you invest). The study lasted about 27 years and here’s what it found:

People who had social support showed significantly less physical decline over a 17 to 19 year follow-up period. These are people who have less difficulty climbing stairs, carrying groceries, or walking long distances as they age.

People who were socially integrated had a lower mortality risk.

Those who actively invested in their relationships were the only group that enjoyed both benefits. They stayed physically capable for longer and were 13% less likely to die during the study period.

That, I guess, could partly explain why the ‘Three Musketeers’ from my society seem in better shape than the rest of their peers.

Reason #2: Your social net worth could lower inflammation

In another study, Cornell University researchers scored over 2,000 American adults on their ‘cumulative social advantage’ or CSA—a multidimensional score that was based on 16 different measures of a person’s social connection and resources across their lifetime. Essentially, researchers were looking at the strength and consistency of people’s social connections – things like family relationships, involvement in community or religious groups, emotional support and how active they were in their communities.

They found that people with a higher CSA score – those who had richer, more sustained relationships over time– had lower inflammation.

Such people showed lower readings on all eight inflammation markers. More importantly, they showed low readings for IL-6, a key inflammatory protein strongly linked to heart disease, metabolic disorders and accelerated ageing.

Reason #3: It slows down biological ageing

Participants in the same Cornell study were also separately scored on GrimAge and DunedinPACE, two of the most reliable ageing clocks. The ones who were ageing more slowly at a cellular level were those who had a higher CSA score. Meaning, people with richer social lives were, in biological terms, ageing at a measurably slower pace.

This in fact ties in with a study NTL had reported earlier on SuperAgers. That study found that in people who live longer, the brains had more ‘social’ cells. Called ‘von economo neurons’ (VENs), these are specialised brain cells linked to social behaviour found only in large-brained mammals like humans, apes, elephants and whales. Interestingly, VENs are also the first cells to get destroyed in the early stages of Dementia. Researchers found that SuperAgers have more VENs than some people in their 20s and 30s.

But back to the study at hand, as lead author Andrew Ong said in an article on the Cornell University website:

“What’s striking is the cumulative effect - these social resources build on each other over time. It’s not just about having friends today; it’s about how your social connections have grown and deepened throughout your life. That accumulation shapes your health trajectory in measurable ways.”

And the good news is that you can still grow your social portfolio. It does not need money, fancy tech or you hearting photos on the latest social media app.

All it needs is time.

How to grow your social portfolio?

Or how to combat loneliness

First, know where you stand. You can do that by taking this social audit I had made for myself. I had shared it with you all a few months back (link in the dive deeper section).

Second, invest in ‘micro-connections’ through the day. At home, don’t just nod good morning to your neighbour aunty in the lift. Ask her about her son who lives in the US. At work, eat lunch with your colleagues, not with your laptop.

Third, use your commute. Have a friend or colleague who leaves when you do? Travel together – that’s what passengers in Mumbai local trains have been doing for years. There are women’s groups, singing groups, card-playing groups. As a 20-something trying to find a place to sit, I found them irritating. Now, I realise they served an important function.

The best way to grow your social portfolio is to find groups of people who share a common passion - like the NTL community. This comes with a free weekly newsletter that reads the longevity research so you don't have to, and translates what actually matters for the Indian midlife body and life.

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And of course, if you are really charged up about fixing your social life, then head down to the Deep Dive section. That article has an SIP-style guide to making and keeping friends.

Too Shy, Didn’t ask

How do I know if I am lonely?

Take the 5 Question test

1. Do you have a ‘2 AM buddy’ you can call in distress?

2. Do you have people besides your family, your boss and your office spouse on speed dial?

3. Do you have friends you can meet without an agenda (birthday party, wedding anniversary etc) just to hang out or gossip?

4. Do you call at least one family member or friend outside of work every day, just like that?

5. Do you feel isolated, even when you are surrounded by a crowd or living with family?

There is no scoring here. Answer these honestly, and you will know where you stand.

Note: Questions based on my reading. It helped me. It might help you too. It is not a substitute for a clinical diagnosis. You could take the UCLA Loneliness Scale online or better still, consult an expert.

Since we are talking portfolios and returns on investment, makes sense that you pick a leaf out of the OG ‘Oracle of Omaha’ Warren Buffet’s book. In his last letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders last year, Buffet listed the best assets he had ever invested in. And no, it was not a stock. (Hint: It is very closely linked to the theme this week)

So, go on, hit the link below and see what is in Buffet’s longevity playbook.

Before You Go

Sir David Attenborough, often regarded as our planet’s most vocal advocate, turned 100 on Friday, 8 May.

I will spare you the list of his ‘longevity secrets’ – an online search will give you a long list of articles you can read.

I will however leave you with something he wrote in his book – a plea to do what we can to save our planet. He writes:

“All we require is the will. The next few decades represent a final opportunity to build a stable home for ourselves and restore the rich, healthy and wonderful world that we inherited from our distant ancestors. Our future on the planet, the only place as far as we know where life of any kind exists, is at stake.”

― Sir David Attenborough, A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future

After all, what use is longevity if our planet is running out of time? That’s it from me this week. I will see you next Monday.

Kavita Krishnan.

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If all you have is a minute

The Crux

Starting in our 40’s, we lose muscle mass by about 8% every decade. The American College of Sports Medicine’s 2026 position paper which reviewed 137 systematic reviews and over 30,000 participants — says Resistance Training is the solution to arrest muscle loss.

The best bit: Not everyone needs a gym or heavy equipment.

The Insight

Muscle loss after 40 raises stroke risk, worsens blood sugar, and determines how independently you live at 70.

The minimum effective dose to reverse that: Resistance training twice a week, with two sets per exercise. Start in your 40’s or at whatever age you are. The injury risk is no higher than that from walking or running.

Bonus Read

A Stanford study Never Too Late reported earlier found ageing accelerates in two bursts — at 44 and again at 66. If you are between those two numbers right now, this is the article that tells you what to do about it.

Published by Never Too Late · never2late.substack.com · Kavita Krishnan · May 2026

Creative by Anjul D.| Lift now, so you can lounge later; on your own terms

Pick your excuse (if you are not lifting yet)

(a) It is expensive – needs costly equipment, or a gym membership.

(b) It is complicated.

(c) It is dangerous and can injure me.

(d) It is time-consuming. I don’t have the time to train every day.

(e) It will make me appear bulky.

(f) I am too old for it. It’s too late to start.

Done? Well, guess what – whatever excuse you picked, it don’t hold water no more.

The world’s top exercise medicine body – the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) – recently released a position paper that cancels out every one of the excuses we parrot for not doing resistance training. This 2026 paper drew on data from 137 systematic reviews with over 30,000 participants and replaces the ACSM’s earlier advice from its 2009 guidelines.

Let’s see what the paper said for each one of these excuses, shall we?

A – Resistance training is expensive

Fact – it need not be!

You don’t need to sign up for a fancy gym or buy expensive equipment in order to begin resistance training. The paper is very clear on this – even home-based resistance training ‘improved strength, muscular endurance, and balance.’

Training with an elastic band also ‘improved strength, muscle size, and physical function’.

This is in contrast to old advice that advocated using different types of equipment and mixing up routines to get maximum benefit. The paper instead, observes that for most healthy adults, equipment type or exercise complexity does not significantly impact results.

B- It is complicated

Fact: Consistency matters, not complexity.

Full disclosure: When I started lifting, I trained with a 1 litre plastic water bottle in each hand. I couldn’t lift anything heavier.

And as the paper says, it’s not the weight, it is the consistency that matters. The simplest of resistance training routines will help you if you are consistent. In fact, the paper clarifies that basics are for every one and the effectiveness of an exercise has little to do with experience.

A key point here – typically, progression or increasing the weight that you lift over a period of time is considered essential to get maximum benefits. The paper disagrees. Progression, it points out, matters for those advanced in training and seeking specific results. But for beginners, learning to lift correctly is more important. Whether or not you choose to lift heavier with time, is your call.

And interestingly, the paper also junks the idea that pushing yourself to the point of failure is a sure-fire way to build muscle strength.

Here’s what the authors write – “one set is superior to zero sets, and two sets are superior to one set but the exact number of sets required to optimize adaptations cannot be ascertained.” What researchers did note, however, is that additional gains start diminishing beyond two sets.

In sum, you don’t need to lift heavy. You don’t need to push to failure. Start lifting. Ensure you do more than one set. And lift consistently.

(C) It is dangerous and can injure me.

Fact – Resistance training is safe and effective for healthy adults

The position paper also looked at a number of studies that analysed injury data in those who engaged in aerobic exercises like walking, running and in those who did resistance training.

Here’s what they found:

Injury rate or risk from resistance training equalled what was seen in those who did aerobic exercises.

Studies that focused on people at risk from heart disease found more nonfatal cardiovascular complications occurred during aerobic training (63 vs zero for resistance training).

Musculoskeletal complications were higher in the resistance training cohort (20) but those were reported in people who already had conditions like arthritis. These ‘were resolved by changing RT intensity or body position’, the paper noted.

In fact, fear of injury was my excuse for avoiding resistance training as well. But, as I have found (as you will read later), resistance training actually helped relieve the chronic pain I suffer from. It has helped me continue writing.

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(D) It is time-consuming

Fact: 2 sets per exercise, 2 times a week is what you need

You don’t need to become a gym rat. You don’t have to spend an hour a day every day at the gym (though you can if you wish).

To build strength, to ‘use’ your muscles, the basic minimum that you must do is this: lift a weight that challenges you, but ensure it is one you can lift for 6-8 repetitions. Do 2 sets. Do it twice a week.

Everything beyond that is refinement, not requirement.

(E) It will make me appear bulky

Fact: You got to go a long way, baby to look bulky

‘Hypertrophy’ is the scientific term for growth in muscle size – what we call ‘looking bulky’. And to achieve that, per the paper, you need to lift more - at least at least 10 sets per muscle group per week. You also need to lift excessively heavier – ‘eccentric overload’ is the word the paper uses.

The paper also notes that it studied people new to resistance training and the outcomes they saw were improvements in strength, function, balance, and physical performance, not dramatic changes in muscle size.

And to all the women in their 40’s who don’t lift because they don’t want to get bulky – you don’t have the testosterone needed to get there! Getting bulky needs long-term training, a high-calorie diet and supplements. In fact, another unrelated study found that 90% of women who lift report being satisfied with how their body looks.

So, no, resistance training will not make you look like Salman Khan!

(F) I am too old to start.

Fact: The paper’s recommendations apply across all ages

You know what I am tempted to say here, don’t you? But, that’s a fact. The paper reviewed studies that looked at participants younger and older than 55 years. There was no cut-off age.

It also found that young or old, the benefits that people gained from starting to lift were largely similar.

And hey, look around you, social media is filled with grannies who lift and look damn good doing it – so what’s stopping you?

And now that we have run out of all excuses to avoid resistance training, let’s look at why the paper is advocating that people of all ages should be doing it.

Why should you start resistance training in midlife?

Ever missed a day at work because of ‘lower back pain’ in your 20’s? What about the last few months then - especially if you are 40-and-over?

Noticed more aches and pains. Feel more weary? Threw out your back trying to get luggage off the airport carousel?

Those are all signs that your body is ageing and your muscles are slowly deteriorating. In fact, a Stanford paper NTL had reported on earlier, said that ageing occurs in two bursts – at 44 and 66. In people in their 40s, significant changes were seen in the number of molecules related to alcohol, caffeine and lipid metabolism; cardiovascular disease; and skin and muscle.

This is the time sarcopenia sets in – or the gradual loss of muscle mass and strength with age. We lose as much as 8% of our muscle mass each decade.

Resistance training slows down sarcopenia. It helps you build muscle mass and strength. But that’s just the most visible of its benefits.

Resistance training enables you to stay independent as you grow older. It keeps your muscles strong enough so you can get up from a chair without help or support as you age, you can walk fast and you can maintain your balance.

Lifting weights also reduces risk of chronic disease* like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression and some cancers. It also helps you sleep.

That’s not all.

If your goal is to lose fat and build muscle simultaneously, then you need to start resistance training. There is also significant evidence that resistance training can help in reducing inflammation (which speeds up ageing) , in increasing bone density and reducing risk of falls and injuries – all critical to ensure we stay healthy and independent as we age. Most important, it increases endurance and helps you train for those daily movements you will need to do through your life like climbing stairs, bending over to pick up a bag or get up from a seated position.

Reason enough to pick up a dumbbell?

Too shy, didn’t ask

1. What is resistance training?

Spoiler: It is not just about lifting weights.

Any movement that makes your body resist an external force and helps build muscle strength or endurance is resistance training.

The key word here is ‘external force’ and that is why there is more to resistance training than just dumbbells, barbells and those big machines in the gym.

Here’s a list of what counts as resistance training:

• Anything that uses your body weight as a counter force. Think Yoga, push-ups, squats, glutes, planks, wall sits, squats, or calf raises.

• Workout routines including Pilates, HIIT and plyometrics that use equipment like barbells, dumbbells, medicine balls, kettlebells or resistance bands.

• All the machines in the gym – including the cable machines in the Pilates section can be used for resistance training.

• Like walking? Hiking uphill or walking with a weighted vest or ankle weights turns your everyday walk into a resistance training workout.

That’s not all. There are many actions in our daily life can count as ‘resistance training’ because in doing them we are working against an external force.

These include climbing up the stairs where you are working against gravity to move your body weight. Bonus points if you are carrying a baby or a pet or grocery bags up the stairs. If gardening is your jam, then digging, shovelling, mowing the lawn and squatting to smell the flowers are all actions that build muscle strength. Even something as banal as sitting on the floor and getting up unaided powers your muscles.

But, of course, just doing these actions are not enough. Remember, resistance training works best when you repeat the exercise. So, think of taking the stairs instead of the lift as an ‘exercise snack’ that adds to your overall movement quota. You still need to train.

2. Are strength training and resistance training different?

Strength training is a subset of resistance training which works to make your muscles stronger. Other resistance training routines could have different goals like building endurance or increasing power.

3. Do you need a trainer?

Honestly, that’s your choice. My two forays into the gym were nightmarish and I returned more injured than I went in. That’s the reason I work with a trainer who ensures my form is correct and takes the guesswork out of planning my routine. More importantly, he understands which muscles to support when I am in pain and how to strengthen them when I am fine.

Having said that, most gyms have trained staff who can put you through the paces. There are many options available online as well that start from the basics.

Whatever you chose to do, learn from someone who has the necessary certifications. And as always, speak to your doctor before you start a new routine.

The Takeaway

I would like to think of midlife resistance training as a choice we make for our bodies – an insurance policy to fortify the investments we have already made in our health.

So, in our 20’s, we may have lifted to ‘look ripped or toned’. But, in midlife, we lift so that we can show up for work now, without pain. We lift so that when we slow down later, we can still travel the world, play with our grandchildren, run after the dog or open a pickle jar by ourselves.

Know someone who is still on the couch? Forward this.

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Before You Go

Why I started resistance training

I was a hot mess in 2020. (Note: nothing to do with COVID.)

I couldn’t lift a cup of tea to my lips without flinching in pain. Writing – typing into a laptop – was torture. The aftermath was worse – pain radiated down my hand from neck to index finger.

I only had myself to blame. I knew the diagnosis, one that I had got months ago – an inflamed tennis elbow and the beginning of spondylitis. I had in the previous year, undergone two rounds of prescription painkillers with physiotherapy. But, the pain always came back.

That’s when my little sister suggested I start strength training and put me on to her physical trainer. I vaguely recalled the doctor recommend it too*.

Thinking I had nothing to lose, I started training.

Like I mentioned earlier, all I could lift then was a 1 litre plastic bottle of water. Today, I am lifting 10 kilos – I know it’s not much. But that’s not my biggest achievement, anyway.

My biggest achievement is I can sit on the floor, cross-legged for an hour without flinching in pain. I can play with my son without worrying that I will twist or pull a muscle. More importantly, I can work on my laptop, for hours on end, without having to double down in pain by the end of the day.

That’s a win I will take.

That’s it from me this week. See you next Monday.

Kavita Krishnan.

If you want to keep lifting — in every sense — subscribe to Never Too Late.

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Note:

*The position paper did not study association with disease risk. However, it mentions this because there is significant evidence already available. All research linked above.

**There is evidence to show that resistance training helps with pain management. In fact, a lot of the physiotherapy I was prescribed also involved the use of resistance bands.

If all you have is a minute

The Crux: India recorded 600 heatwaves in the last decade. In the previous decade: 413. If you’re over 45 in an Indian city, your body is absorbing the difference.

The Insight: This newsletter breaks down what rising temperatures are doing to Indian midlifers — how extreme heat spikes blood glucose, raises stroke risk in those over 45, and worsens outcomes for the 10 crore Indians already living with diabetes.

What you get: 3 risk factors to know + a personal heat action plan — built for Indian cities.

Bonus Read: New government data shows out-of-pocket hospitalisation costs have nearly doubled in under a decade. One number that will make you review your health insurance this weekend.

Creative by Anjul D.| The cruel, cruel summer can also be injurious to health

‘April is the cruellest month’

Most of India right now would agree with the opening lines to TS Eliot’s ‘Wasteland’. In fact, by 11am these days, most of our cities are increasingly resembling a wasteland too.

22 of the 25 hottest cities worldwide are in India, per private air quality watchdog AQI.in. The severe situation has spurred policy action.

Delhi schools have been mandated to ring water bells – to remind children to take a break and hydrate. Outdoor workers in Maharashtra have been given a mandatory break from 12-4pm. Offices across India are starting work earlier. Summer shelters are being set up for the homeless. Those who can, stay indoors, avoiding the sizzling summer heat.

As they should. Because rising temperatures can brutally impact health – the heat stroke is but one of the more visible fallouts.

In fact, Dr. Jitendra Singh, India’s Union Minister of State for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences last week linked rising temperatures to increasing risks from both communicable and non-communicable diseases. He noted that India today is dealing with both tropical diseases and lifestyle-related non-communicable diseases at the same time and stressed the need for India-specific research and solutions to address it.

The minister’s concerns are valid, as you will see. Heat stress can increase blood glucose levels, aggravate hypertension, increase the risk of heart attacks and stroke and also, in extreme cases, cause death.

But before we address the health impact, let’s understand why this is becoming a concern lately – India has always had hot summers, right?

Well, the one-line answer is that the heat map is changing, and it is happening faster than we think.

How India’s Summers have changed

We have already seen that 22 of the world’s 25 hottest cities are in India. Here’s data to back what you have been ‘feeling’ all these years:

We are experiencing more frequent heatwaves

Between 2011–2020, India reeled under the impact of 600 heatwaves. Compare that to 413 heatwaves that occurred between 1981–1990.

76 per cent of India’s total population now lives in districts that are categorised as having high to very high heat risk. Most of these districts are in Delhi, Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.

That is per data from Indian think tank CEEW which had mapped heat risk in India in a 2025 report.

Our summers are also feeling hotter because of rising humidity levels

The CEEW report points out how even in the North of India which has traditionally experienced dry summers, humidity levels have been rising. Increase in humidity adds to the heat stress, making the heat index - a combination of the two - increase. This makes summers feel hotter and stresses the body even more.

Our cities are not cooling down enough at night.

The daytime heat gets reflected off glass and chrome buildings, is trapped in concrete structures and then released through the night. This is why in the last decade, nearly 70 per cent of India’s districts experienced an additional five very warm nights per summer.

This is also why Mumbai (15 nights), Bengaluru (11), Bhopal and Jaipur (7 each), Delhi (6), and Chennai feel hotter than ever.

And here’s a scary stat: even districts in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have experienced at least 15 additional warm nights!

So what are these sustained, more intense, longer heat spells doing to the body?

A March 2026 Chinese study studied the link between extreme weather - heat, cold and rain - and the risk of cardiovascular disease among middle-aged and older adults in 157 Chinese cities. It found that each additional day of extreme heat - above 38ºC was associated with 1,128 more CVD cases per 100,000 people.

Closer home, in India, research into the link between extreme weather/ extreme heat and health impact is at a nascent stage. But, the little I found is enough to be worried about.

Extreme heat causes premature deaths

An estimated 1,116 people die prematurely because of extreme heat every year in just 10 Indian cities which include Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Varanasi. This is according to a time-series study that analysed data from 2008-2019 on summer temperatures, heat waves, city mortality rates and death rates during an extreme heat event.

Per the study, even a single day of extreme heat (heatwave) was associated with an increase in mortality rates. Heatwaves that lasted two days were associated with a 14.7% increase in daily mortality. City-level impacts ranged from 3.4% in Mumbai to 24.9% in Ahmedabad.

And that was between 2008-2019. You don’t need me to tell you that since then, our summers have gotten even more hotter.

Extreme heat increases Stroke risk

45 and over? This should concern you.

Long-term exposure to extreme heat has been associated with an 18% increase in the risk of stroke in India in people over 45 years.

Stroke risk increases by 40% for those who already have diabetes or hypertension.

Women, urban residents and non-educated individuals (possibly because they have a higher probability of working outdoors in the heat) are most at risk.

Now, this is India data, which this March 2026 study sourced from the LASI (Longitudinal Ageing Study in India) and mapped it to 12 years of climate data. It does have its limitations in that the stroke data was self-reported. Still, as the authors pointed out, the results align with what was found in international studies.

And, that’s not all.

Extreme heat has a larger impact on people with Diabetes

Beyond stroke, extreme heat can also impact your blood sugar levels. That is clinically proven. And this January 2026 ADB analysis of data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) provides evidence at a population level that heat extremes increases prevalence of high blood glucose and obesity in individuals over 45.

And finally, severe heat has also been associated (in very nascent research) with more depressive events, especially among older people.

Why should we worry?

Now, you don’t need to be a genius to figure this out: some people are more vulnerable than others to extreme heat. The most affected are children, the elderly, and the poor. Women, especially those over 45, are a high-risk group because the loss of the estrogen cover in this phase leaves them vulnerable to stroke and heart disease.

But here are 3 reasons why rising temperatures are getting policymakers ‘hot under the collar’ (and why you should worry too):

1. The city factor: The stroke-heat link is highest in cities, as we have seen in the study that used LASI data. This is in line with what research has found globally. The reasons are simple: Urban heat islands, dwindling green cover and high population density make our cities warmer at night and risks the health of urban residents. As larger parts of India get urbanised, this problem will only intensify.

2. The metabolic health crisis: 43% of Indians are metabolically obese. An estimated 10 crore Indians are diabetic, 13 crore are pre-diabetic, according to data from a government-funded, nationwide study by ICMR-INDIAB. As we have already seen, conditions like diabetes and hypertension aggravate the stress from extreme heat and can result in deadly consequences.

3. India is growing older. The 60+ population in India could number over 34 crore by 2050. This is a group – which we all will be part of very soon - that is particularly vulnerable to extreme heat. Living in densely populated cities with co-morbidities like diabetes only adds to the risk.

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What you can do to survive extreme heat conditions

The government has a heat action plan that is being implemented across 23 states. But that won't cool your bedroom at night. That part is on us.

Know your risk profile. Get yourself and your family members tested for hypertension and diabetes. Heat in such cases is more than just discomfort; it is a health issue. Test and review medications with your doctor.

Don’t ignore alerts. The IMD follows a colour-coded alert system. Here’s what they stand for:

• Green – No warning, normal conditions;

• Yellow – Be aware;

• Orange – Be prepared

• Red – Take action.

If you are stepping out in the sun, it’s probably a good idea to check the day’s alert.

Track your sleep. One or two nights of disturbed sleep is fine. But if sleep is disrupted through the summer, take it as a warning sign. Do what you can to cool down your bedroom. Take a bath before bed. If sleep is still a battle, its probably time to get help.

Help the ones at risk, especially your household help, driver etc. Ensure they stay hydrated. If possible, change their work schedules. Work with your housing society to give them a space to ‘chill’.

And of course, hydrate. Set reminders if required and pay special attention to older adults and children’s needs.

There’s a lot more you can do. In fact, this time last year, we had devoted an entire NTL issue to understanding what happens to our body in extreme heat and what we should be doing to survive summers. Read that here:

That’s it from me. I will see you Monday.

Kavita Krishnan.

The research on what’s happening to Indian bodies in midlife is sparse, scattered, and rarely translated.

Every Monday, Never Too Late does that work — so you don’t have to.

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You do the same workout every week. It feels like enough. A Harvard study tracking 1 lakh adults over 30 years found it probably isn't — and the fix is simpler than you think.

This newsletter breaks down why variety in physical activity — not volume — is the longevity lever most Indian midlifers are missing. And why small acts like taking the stairs or walking home with your groceries and playing football with your children also counts.

3 things this article will tell you: the activity that cuts mortality risk by 19%, the plateau point where more exercise stops helping, and the one table that will make you redefine ‘exercise’.

Never Too Late. Every Monday. For Indians preparing for a 100-year life.

Creative by Anjul D.| The fix to get your workouts do the heavy lifting could lie outside the gym.

Doing the same workout every day is boring.

Yeah, I know because I get bored too. Boredom is also one of the key reasons the New Year rush at the gym peters out by April. And why there are reams of research on it. So yes, you and I, we have a lot of company.

But, how we tackle this boredom could also be our saviour!

New research from Harvard suggests adding variety to the exercise routine, could offer health benefits and lower mortality risk.

What’s even more interesting is the range of what constitutes this ‘variety’. But more on that later. First, let’s take a look at what researchers actually found.

Add Variety. Let your workouts do the heavy lifting

The research followed over 1 lakh individuals, collected data on their physical activity over 30 years and mapped it against deaths within the study cohort in that duration.

Meaning, the study tracked how much and what kinds of physical activity people engaged in and for how long they did this. Here are the key findings:

1. As variety in physical activity increased, mortality risk decreased.

Both variables showed a dose-response relationship.

Individuals who engaged in the highest variety of physical activity earned the biggest benefits. Their risk of premature death was 19% lower than those who varied their exercise the least (even after researchers adjusted for total amount of exercise done).

Those who varied their physical activity the most also benefited from a 13% to 41% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease, and other causes.

2. However, benefits from adding variety to physical activity plateaued after a certain point.

This typically happened after individuals hit 20 MET (metabolic equivalent task) hours per week of total physical activity. Adding more activity did not move the needle in either direction when it came to mortality risk.

This ‘ceiling’ impacts individual activities as well. For instance, researchers found that adding more than 7.5 MET** hours per week of walking or weight training, or 5 MET hours per week of racquet sports, does not add benefits.

However, activities like running, tennis, stair climbing, and weight training did show a more linear association for specific outcomes like cardiovascular and respiratory disease mortality. Here the risks of death reduced as dose, i.e. time and intensity clocked per activity increased.

3. The ones who gained the most were those who maximised both, total physical activity and variety

This group had a 21% lower overall mortality risk as compared to those with zero activity levels.

Here’s what else you need to know

The researchers collected data frequently (once every alternate year) from participants over 30 years. This means that the results are from tracking long-term behaviour patterns, and are not limited to a point in time.

The results held even after researchers accounted for variables like diet, and lifestyle habits. But there were certain limitations to the study. Researchers acknowledge that the data was self-reported, not measured; and that the demographic studies were predominantly white health professionals.

Here’s why this study is significant

Health guidelines (including the one issued by the ICMR in India) universally agree on the volume of physical activity – that an individual should aim for minimum 150 minutes of physical activity in a week. They don’t tell you which exercise to do.

However, as anybody who has picked up a dumbbell or walked a mile will tell you, not all exercises impact the body equally. While aerobic exercises like swimming, walking and running increase oxygen consumption (measured by VO2Max), resistance training improves muscle strength and bone density. Playing racquet sports or dancing adds bilateral movement to the mix. Yoga builds balance and flexibility. In short, there is no one-size-fits-all formula. This research reflects that.

As corresponding author Yang Hu observed, “People naturally choose different activities over time based on their preferences and health conditions. When deciding how to exercise, keep in mind that there may be extra health benefits to engaging in multiple types of physical activity, rather than relying on a single type alone.”

The takeaway

Diversification, as we have seen, is the secret sauce – whether it is in finances or nutrition. The more diverse your assets, the more diverse your plate, the better it is for you. Makes sense then that it can add power to exercise routines too.

Why this research caught my eye - it looked at the benefits from what you do in a gym – lift weights, run on the treadmill, etc. But it also studied other physical activity people choose to engage in like playing tennis, rowing, calisthenics, walking, jogging or yoga. Additionally, it studied activities people typically engage in on an everyday basis like gardening, mowing the lawn, doing yardwork and climbing stairs.

This is kind of how I like to approach physical activity as well – something that is part of the daily routine, rather than something we have to consciously make time for. Because as we all know from experience, when we have to make time for a walk, chances are we will come up with an excuse. But if we had to walk to the stores to buy groceries or veggies, we will do it.

Plus, this research also permits me to add activities I love doing to the list of ‘activities that are good for my health’.

And that’s motivation to move that you can’t beat!

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Good to know

The activity-benefit matrix

How to use this table

(Data sourced from the study linked above)

First, do not consider this as a ranking of most efficient physical activities. Your final benefits will be a combination of intensity and volume — how long you do it and how hard you push yourself whether you are walking or cycling or running.

Second, don’t let the numbers for bicycling and swimming dissuade you if you already cycle or swim. The researchers themselves acknowledged that it was difficult to accurately map energy expenditure for these two activities since intensity varies.

Take the table instead as a list of what new activities you can add to vary your existing routine.

Researchers studied other activities as well which they found beneficial. However, because there wasn’t enough data for comparison across both study groups, researchers did not calculate mortality risk.

These include:

Low intensity exercise like yoga, stretching, toning which was linked to lower risk of premature death and death from cancer.

Other vigorous activities like lawn mowing, also associated with lower risk of early death.

Heavy outdoor work like digging, chopping showed an inverse association with respiratory disease mortality.

If this table just changed how you think about your daily movement, it might help your fitness buddy too. Share it with them.

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In an early issue of NTL, Longevity physician Dr Marcus Ranney had listed longevity lessons we could learn from Olympians. In that, he had listed some goals we could aspire to in midlife and a routine that could get us there.

Note that this ‘routine’ too is as varied as it can get (data sourced from expert recommendation in Olympian article):

This research also ties in with what we had discussed earlier on incidental physical activity or IPA. That study of over 24,000 adults found that engaging in just 4.6 minutes a day of Vigorous Incidental Physical Activity (VIPA)—like carrying groceries while walking up the stairs—can lower the risk of cardiovascular events and death by 25% to 38%. Sweeping the floors which is a Moderate IPA activity for 23.8-23.9 minutes per day could add up to 40-50% lower risk of cardiovascular events.

Personally, I take this research as permission to ditch the ‘routine’. And add a little bit of (beneficial) whimsy to fight boredom. That for me looks like adding a weekly dance routine or playing badminton with my son.

What is the ‘whimsy’ you are adding to spice up your boring ‘routine’? Let me know.

Kavita Krishnan.

This conversation from research translated for midlife Indians preparing for the 100-year life is what the Never Too Late community is built on.

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Most Indians in their 40s have planned for money. Maybe health.

But the 100-year life demands five compounding choices — body, brain, money, people, purpose.

Two years of building Never Too Late has taught me they are not separate. They are rooms in the same house. Neglect one and it quietly erodes the others.

This week I am sharing the reinvention list I made for myself. Research-backed, India-specific, honestly personal. Five choices. Five tools. One framework for 40 more years.

You can use midlife to liberate yourself.

We spend the first half of our life measuring up to someone else – parent, teacher, partner, society’s – idea of what is good for us.

We strive to be the ideal son or daughter and good students at school or college. We write exams we don’t want to, study subjects we don’t care about, to build a respectable, high-paying career. And sometimes, though we may not like our job, we still compete to get that promotion and the corner office.

Some of us might even have done the same with our relationships.

Midlife is our chance to break free from all that and reinvent ourselves. I realised this last week as I dug through my files from the two years I have spent building Never Too Late.

The forties or fifties actually give us another opportunity to shape our lives. The difference: this time, we are the adults who are in charge.

Creative by Anjul D.| Re-invent, repurpose your life just like you do everyday items

Essentially, in midlife, we can finally do what we please. Now, I am not asking you to quit your job and run to the hills or abandon your kids – you could, though, if you choose to.

Instead, I look at it like renovating a 40-year-old house.

There are some boring, but essential repairs we must do. And then there are those that are fun. Finally, you have the personal touches that add flair and make the house into a home that is uniquely your own.

So, here’s what I did. After digging through all the research, notes and conversations of the last two years, I listed down all the choices I could make now that would shape the rest of my life.

Here it is then: my list to re-invent myself for 40 more years.

The Boring Essentials

1. Get a structural audit done

(It is the first step when renovating an old house: get a professional to check the beams, electricals and plumbing of the home. It costs a pretty penny but is essential. Just like this first step on my list, essential because I choose to stay healthy.)

An annual health check-up is a non-negotiable. It is like getting a structural audit of your body. However, as I have realised, it only told me if I was sick.

It did not tell me if I am ageing well. Here’s four things I have started adding to answer that question:

First, I am adding tests that will flag health risks early, like checking my Lipo-A and apo-B levels instead of just cholesterol. And those are just two tests. At the end of the article is a link to the complete, doctor-prescribed list of additional tests I am getting done.

Second, I am looking beyond the ‘just-normal’ reading for a blood marker. Ideally, I want to be in the optimal range – especially for markers like blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol. A ‘tad below normal’ reading, I have learnt, is the body’s version of an SOS signal.

I am also getting tests that tell me how my body is changing. Like a hormone panel, which I have learnt, is non-negotiable for me, a peri-menopausal woman navigating midlife and hormone chaos. By the way, men need it too. They too experience their share of hormonal mayhem.

Finally, I have also started doing these DIY tests to check if I am ageing well – like how long I can balance on one foot or hold a wall squat or if I can get up unaided from the floor. List of tests at the end of the article.

Why do this now? As Geriatrician Dr. Prem Narasimhan had explained to me: playing ostrich does not help. Chronic diseases in midlife – diabetes, hypertension, heart disease – are what speed up ageing and decline.

And disease doesn’t happen overnight. It accumulates over time. Which is why testing becomes important to flag and correct risks when there is time.

Plus, there is enough research I have read to show that neglecting health in midlife becomes an expensive proposition as we age. I would rather choose to invest in my health now, than pay the dreaded health tax later.

Or as Dr. Prem put it: “The more discipline you show, the more dedication you show to your diseases, the lesser you meet me, and the lesser you meet drugs.”

2. Take stock

(Compare this to the essential Marie Kondo-ing we would do before a renovation – figure what worth’s keeping in the home and make a place for it in the new design.)

This is probably the most boring and painful item on my list. And I have been putting it off for years. But I have decided 2026 is when I get it over with.

There are three parts to this piece. It begins with taking stock – making a living document that tracks every investment or debt with user names and passwords, so our family can access it when needed. The next step is to follow through with a will and the necessary paperwork (nominations, powers of attorney etc.). The last and most important step is discussing with family, all the morbid details like where we will live as we grow old, making a living will and planning for extended care costs.

Why do this now? For two reasons – one, unclaimed assets is one of the biggest issues families and financial institutions are grappling with today. In India, that amounts to something like ₹50,000 crore worth of unclaimed assets. I have seen in my own extended family how neglecting this can unravel years of planning.

Also, the family structure as we know it, is changing very fast. As Maria Clara Pinheiro, New Longevity Co-Leader at Ashoka, told me, Nuclear families scattered across the world means “all that you would count on as your safety net is no longer there”.

Doing this boring and painful process today will ensure I can plan for an income from my assets when I slow down later. It also ensures my children know how and where to access the nest egg I am building for myself and for them.

More importantly, I look at these ‘Boring essentials’ as something I have to do because it will allow me the freedom to choose what I want to do with the rest of my life.

And that’s when the fun times will begin…

The ‘Fun’tastic Flourishes

(This is the best part of any renovation – where we choose the tiles, colours, furnishings. This is also when you allow yourself to indulge – like splurging on that home theatre set-up you always wanted or that walk-in wardrobe.)

1. Plan a micro-retirement

I actually took a micro-retirement. Quite inadvertently, though.

I quit my last media job without a plan. Two decades in the business, I quit when I was peaking. I was burnt-out, had chronic pain and it felt like my kids were growing up too fast, without me. So, I checked out. This was also when the pandemic hit. That bought me time to figure out what to do next. What I ended up doing is what you are reading today.

Did this remind you of someone? Forward this to them. It might help.

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In fact, this is also where I would take lessons from Gen Z, who are already crushing ‘micro-retirements’. They quit, head out on career gaps ranging from 6 months to a year and return. Some go back to their same work place, while others pick up a new job. And some pivot and do something different altogether.

What’s important is what they do on these breaks. They are travelling, volunteering, learning new skills or honing old talents. And that’s what makes these ‘breaks’ matter.

Why do this now? The way I look at it - we have earned this. We are finally at a time and place where we are in charge. Yes, the EMIs are still there. School and college fees need to get paid. But a short, planned sabbatical need not rock the boat.

Mine was unplanned, but it gave me a fresh perspective of what matters. It should also help me re-inventing myself.

2. Learn something new – like the guitar, in my case

This is my equivalent of the pricey-but-indulgent home theatre. I have always wanted to learn to play the guitar.

I never got around to doing it because I had convinced myself I am not musical enough. But the research I have read on music has now convinced me to give that adolescent dream a test-run.

Research shows that learning an instrument – especially the keyboard – is one of the most effective ways to keep your brain sharp. It boosts brain function, builds cognitive reserve and neuroplasticity, helps preserve and retract memories and relieves stress. Essentially it is a whole brain workout!

Why do this now? While musical instruments come out top, learning anything new –language, skill, or sport - in midlife is a great way to get those neurons firing. Bonus points if it involves some physical activity or social interaction.

Indulging in a sabbatical or investing in new skills will also build the runway for what comes next – building the lives we choose for ourselves.

The Personal Touch

(Often when renovating an old home, we give spaces new purpose. Children’s bedrooms often morph into home offices, book nooks or media rooms. This next step is something like that – finding new purpose after the old, work-led one diminishes.)

When I quit the media, it felt like an amputation of sorts.

Because I also left behind what I always thought was my identity. I had lived it for twenty years.

That break taught me not to let work or my role define me anymore. Not that I have ‘discovered’ who I am – far from it. But, experts like Neeraj Sagar, founder of WisdomCircle have put me on to something we all should consider building now – the portfolio life.

As Neeraj had explained to me, if we are to retire at 58, 60, 65; “the bigger question is, what are you going to do for 30 years, 35 years or 40 years? There is nothing called retirement. Take time off if you need to. Think of this as a journey that you will be on till the day you die.”

The ‘portfolio life’ as Neeraj describes it, allows time for family and friends, to travel, to mentor, to volunteer and to work. It sounds just like the idyllic life I would like when I choose to slow down. I have also realised it is something I will have to start building now, while I am still working.

On my list: exploring avenues to volunteer in areas that matter to me and trying my hand at new skills like learning AI, or the guitar or baking.

But the most important one – schedule play dates - not for my sons - for me. And I mean it seriously. Pre-2020, my social life was a graveyard – just one of the casualties of the relentless hours I kept. My friend circle was limited to the people at work.

As I started building NTL, I learnt how wrong I was. Frequently choosing work over meeting friends is not a badge of honour. It is injurious to our future health.

The health impact from being lonely is equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. In fact, the WHO is so concerned about the increase in loneliness that they have called it a ‘global epidemic’.

The research on loneliness impressed me enough to take a social audit (linked below). And my own results scared me. (Try it out and you will see what I mean).

That’s why the biggest task I am setting for myself is also the nicest one – go out and meet the friends I have and also make some new ones. Because what is the point of renovating your home or reinventing oneself, if you don’t have friends to share it with?

Plus, relationships, as we have seen, is the bedrock on which we can build healthier and longer lives.

If this is your first time here — every Monday I research, report, and translate the science of the 100-year life for the 40-something Indian who is figuring out the same things I am. It is free. It arrives at noon. Subscribe below.

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Before You Go

When I started Never Too Late, I made you a promise — that I would document my journey of preparing for the 100-year life and share it with you. Two years in, this feels like the right time to honour that promise a little differently.

As I discussed above, preparing for the 100-year life comes down to five choices — the ones we make for our body, our brain, our money, the people in our life, and our sense of purpose. Made consciously, these choices compound in our favour. If we ignore them, they compound anyway — maybe not in the direction we want.

So, no research links this week. Instead, I am giving you one article for each choice — the pieces that shaped how I think about each one — and five tools I keep coming back to.

If you have been here from the beginning, think of this as taking stock. If you are newer, this is where you could start.

A personal request

Never Too Late, for me, was always more than a newsletter.

It started out as a personal journey to prepare myself better for what could be the best years of my life. And share it with you, my fellow travellers.

Two years in, I am still figuring this out. Which is why I want to ask you something I should have asked sooner:

What is the one thing you read here that made you actually do something differently?

And what is the one thing you wish I had written about but haven’t yet?

Two questions. Answer one or both. The second one especially could shape what NTL looks like in year three. Mail me or let me know in the comments.

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As always, I will see you again on Monday.

Kavita Krishnan.

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