We spend so much time trying to get back to the bodies we had in our twenties that we sometimes forget those bodies belonged to people living very different lives. As we get older, our health needs change too, and one South African medical practitioner believes it’s time we started measuring wellbeing by more than the number on the scale.
Remember when staying in shape seemed a little easier? When a busy day meant plenty of walking, weekends were more active and a few late nights didn’t necessarily leave you feeling exhausted for days?
Fast-forward a decade or two and things can look quite different.
Between work, family responsibilities, stress and the occasional struggle to get enough sleep, our bodies are navigating a completely different set of circumstances. Yet many of us still measure our health against a photograph of ourselves at 25.
According to Dr Gerhard Vosloo, founder and head consulting practitioner at Dr GL Vosloo Medical Practice, managed by BioWell, that comparison may be doing more harm than good.
The problem isn’t necessarily that we’re getting older. It’s that we’re expecting our bodies to look and function exactly as they did when our lives were completely different.
Your metabolism isn’t necessarily the villain
One of the most common explanations for gaining weight as we age is that our metabolism simply slows down after our twenties.
But Dr Vosloo says the science tells a more complicated story.
Large studies examining daily energy expenditure suggest that, once body size and composition are taken into account, metabolism remains relatively stable from approximately age 20 to 60, before declining later in life.
What often changes much earlier is our muscle mass, body composition and everyday activity levels.
“The body often changes much earlier than your metabolism,” Dr Vosloo explains.
“Muscle can decline while fat accumulates around the abdomen, and everyday movement can fall as adult life becomes more sedentary.”
Think about it. In your twenties, you might have walked around campus, played sport or spent more time on your feet. A decade later, you may be spending eight hours at a desk before heading home to a couch.
Add disrupted sleep, stress, illness, medication, parenthood or injury into the mix, and the picture becomes even more complicated.
Rather than chasing a younger version of ourselves, Dr Vosloo suggests focusing on what our bodies actually need at each stage of life.
What healthy looks like in your twenties, thirties and beyond
In your twenties: Build your foundation
Your twenties are an opportunity to establish habits that will benefit you for decades.
Resistance training, good nutrition, sufficient protein, regular movement and proper recovery all contribute to building strength, cardiovascular fitness and healthy bones.
It’s less about achieving a particular appearance and more about creating reserves your body can draw on later.
In your thirties: Protect the habits that keep you moving
For many people, their thirties are when life becomes noticeably busier.
Work responsibilities increase, exercise becomes harder to schedule and meals are sometimes chosen for convenience rather than nutrition.
Dr Vosloo points out that there isn’t a sudden metabolic collapse when you turn 30.
Instead, small changes in daily activity, combined with eating habits that haven’t adjusted to a more sedentary lifestyle, can gradually change body composition.
In your forties: Look beyond the scale
By your forties, years of changing routines may begin to show.
You might weigh only slightly more than you did a decade earlier, yet have less muscle and more fat around your waist.
For women, perimenopause may also begin to influence fat distribution, sleep and recovery. Men can experience gradual changes in muscle mass and abdominal fat too.
This is where focusing on strength, movement and metabolic health becomes increasingly important.
In your fifties: Work with your body, not against it
Hormonal changes can become more pronounced during this decade.
Menopause, in particular, may affect where fat is stored and make preserving muscle and bone health more challenging.
But Dr Vosloo cautions against responding with aggressive dieting.
Instead, adequate nutrition, resistance training, sufficient protein and attention to bone health become particularly valuable.
In your sixties and beyond: Focus on what your body can do
As we move into our sixties and beyond, preserving physical capacity becomes an increasingly important health goal.
Maintaining strength, mobility and the ability to carry out everyday activities can make a meaningful difference to independence and quality of life.
The focus shifts from trying to recreate a younger body to supporting the one that carries us through our later years.
Maybe it’s time to change the goal
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to feel fitter, stronger or more comfortable in your body.
But perhaps the goal shouldn’t always be to fit into the jeans you wore at 25.
A healthy body at 45 doesn’t have to look like a healthy body at 25. And a healthy body at 65 has different priorities again.
The important question isn’t necessarily whether we can get our younger bodies back.
It’s whether we’re doing enough to look after the bodies we have today — and giving them the best possible chance of carrying us into tomorrow.
SEO for 041Online
Focus keyword: Healthy ageing
SEO title: Healthy Ageing: Why Your Body Changes With Every Decade
Meta description: Still chasing the body you had at 25? Dr Gerhard Vosloo explains how healthy ageing changes through your twenties, thirties, forties and beyond.
Slug: healthy-ageing-body-changes-every-decade
Image suggestion: A natural, editorial-style photograph of three or four adults of different ages walking together outdoors, rather than a before-and-after weight-loss image.
Source: Media release dated 7 October 2026, Dr Gerhard Vosloo, Dr GL Vosloo Medical Practice, managed by BioWell. The original release is also published here.
Leave a Reply