Is it too late to turn my health around?

It’s a question I hear often – and it’s usually asked with a tone of hesitation, as if the person already fears the answer. “Is it too late for me?”, “Have I left it too long to make a difference?” My answer is always a resounding no. It is never too late to support your body and feel better.

While it’s true that our needs change as we age, our bodies remain wonderfully responsive. Whether you’re 25, 52, or 82, your body is still made up of trillions of intelligent cells doing their best to keep you alive and well.

Every choice you make – what you eat and drink, how you move, even the thoughts you think, your perceptions and how you breathe – sends a message to those cells. And over time, those messages can create a powerful shift in how you feel.

Imagine your destiny is like a set of railway tracks, heading off into the distance. The left track represents your life if you continue doing exactly what you’re doing now. The right track symbolises your life with some subtle, sustained changes to how you nourish and care for yourself.

At first, the space between those two tracks is small – barely noticeable. But if you extend them far enough, they end up metres apart, heading toward entirely different destinations. It’s the compounding effect of small incremental changes that creates a whole new outcome.

That’s why the idea that we need to do something drastic or overhauling to improve our health is not only discouraging – it’s also untrue.

It’s the gentle, consistent changes that make the most difference. And the good news is: you don’t need to do everything at once. For some people, the first shift might be choosing nutrient dense whole foods more often – adding in more colourful vegetables, high-quality proteins and nourishing fats to support energy and immune function.

For others, it might be swapping that extra cup of coffee for a calming herbal tea or creating a soothing bedtime ritual to support better sleep. You might also begin to look at how you move your body. Movement doesn’t need to be punishing – in fact, the opposite is often more beneficial.

A gentle walk after dinner, a morning stretch in the sunshine, or even dancing to your favourite song in the kitchen can help circulation, mood and muscle tone. As we age, building and maintaining muscle becomes one of the most important things we can do to support strength, mobility and vitality.

But health isn’t just physical. It’s emotional too. How we think, believe and perceive plays a profound role in how we feel each day. For example, if you hold the belief that your best years are behind you, your body hears that – and it responds accordingly.

On the other hand, if you shift that belief to one of possibility – that your later years can be deeply fulfilling, healthy and joyful – you create a new track for your life to run along.

Stress is another often overlooked aspect of our wellbeing. While some stress is a natural part of life, living in a constant state of urgency or worry can have significant consequences on our nervous system, hormones, digestion and sleep. Even pausing for a few long, slow, intentional breaths throughout the day can help calm the nervous system and create a sense of inner steadiness.

It doesn’t matter when you start. It only matters that you start. And that start can be something as simple as asking yourself, “What’s one small choice I could make today to support how I want to feel tomorrow?”

So, is it too late to turn your health around?

No. It’s never too late to nourish yourself with care and kindness. It’s never too late to choose foods that energise and support you. It’s never too late to walk outside and feel the sun on your skin. It’s never too late to quiet your mind, soften your heart and reimagine what your next season could look like.

The human body is miraculous – and it’s always listening. Every supportive choice you make, no matter how small, is a message of care. One that says: “I matter. My health matters.” And that message, repeated day after day, can change everything.