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Human Development · Chapter 11

The Body at Its Peak

Early adulthood — roughly the twenties and thirties — is the body's physical prime: strength, speed, fertility, and reserve all sit near their lifetime high. But "peak" also means the slow decline is about to begin, and the habits set now decide how steep it is. Tap a system to see when it crests and how to protect it.

The body at its peak

Reaches its peak around the twenties
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The physical peaktap a system to explore
Six systems, one prime decadeEach of these systems reaches its lifetime maximum sometime in the twenties or early thirties — then holds, or slowly slips. Tap one to see when it peaks and the single habit that best defends it.
Primary vs. secondary aging. Some decline is primary — biological, gradual, and universal. But much of what ages a body is secondary — driven by lifestyle and disease, and largely under your control. Early adulthood is where those choices start to compound.