Midlife, typically defined as ages 40 to 60, is an inflection point. It’s a time when our past behaviours begin to catch up with us. We start to notice our bodies and minds ageing – sometimes in frustrating or disconcerting ways. But it’s also an opportunity: What our older years will look and feel like isn’t set in stone, and there’s still time to make adjustments to improve health and wellbeing.

“Things that you do or things that happen in midlife can have long-term effects on the later life,” says Margie Lachman, a psychology professor at Brandeis University who specialises in middle age. “So it’s a really important period for paying attention to your body.”