It's NEVER TOO LATE to Be HEALTHIER!

Less-than-great habits and patterns feel hard to break, especially if you think doing so won’t make a difference. But the fact is, it absolutely will — and now is the perfect time. Here are seven ways to turn things around.

- HOLLY PEVZNER

Sometimes you really, truly can be too late—like when you cut into an avocado that’s mushy and brown, or when you watch the train you just ran for pull out of the station. But some lifestyle changes can make a big difference in your health and quality of life no matter when you initiate them. Begin with any of the healthy moves below — they have no expiration date.

It's not too late to...
PRIORITIZE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

You may have put your well-being on the back burner for years, but you can front-burner it now. "In midlife, there's often a natural pause in the nonstop race of career, financial security, raising a family and managing relationships," says Carla Marie Manly, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and the author of Aging Joyfully. "That pause can trigger the realization that life is fleeting and profoundly precious, priming the psyche to want - even need-space for reassessment."

HOW TO GET STARTED: Capitalize on this pause by dipping your toes into psychotherapy or other counseling. Older adults often deeply cherish and value the sense of understanding, healing and transformation they gain from psychotherapy, says Manly. A shift in perspective may also kickstart other healthy changes.

It's not too late to...
START EXERCISING