Chip Gaines, 51, Reveals How His Life at Home Is Changing the Older He Gets as He Offers Up His Candid Thoughts on Aging

HGTV star Chip Gaines has opened up about his pre-sunrise routine at his sprawling Texas farmhouse, which requires more "coffee" and "grace" as he embraces aging.

The 51-year-old home renovation expert lifted the lid on how his day-to-day life has changed as he's gotten older, laying bare his very candid thoughts on aging in a new essay entitled, "A Note From Chip on Adventure," which is featured in the Summer 2026 issue of Magnolia Journal, the magazine published by the father of five and his wife, Joanna Gaines.

At the beginning of the essay, the home expert shared his opinion on the "fountain of youth."

“But if you ask me, culture's answer to ‘staying young' is just one big marketing stunt. It's selling you this idea to buy into—literally—and says here are all the anti-aging products and regimens you need to protect your vitality,” he said.

He added that he believes that the phrase "anti-aging" is "backwards."

The father of five then bashed the phrase the "golden years," adding, "The golden years. Really? Whoever came up with it must've been in advertising, not arthritis. Sure, it sounds near perfect—a shimmering season of life when we finally get back our freedom-flinging years."

As for how his own life has changed he has grown older, Gaines said he's still very much able to do all of the tasks around the Gaines family farm that he's always been responsible for, but admitted that he requires a little more motivation—and "grace"—to complete them.

“I still rise before the sun to feed animals and toss hay, but nowadays it takes a little more coffee, a little more grace," he confessed.

And while he's not a believer in the anti-aging industry, he did note that there are some advantages to remaining youthful, namely the idea that he would have more "time" to spend with his loved ones.

“I don't mind that one bit, but I will say that what is alluring to me about the whole ‘forever young' idea is less about avoiding stiff joints or gray hair and more about what no amount of anti-aging cream can give you: time," he shared.

Although he refuted some of the claims around getting older, he admitted that there is something that terrifies him about aging.

"The temptation to let the back half of life lull me into dormancy. To be too set in my ways. To wait life out instead of living it out loud. Even if the time comes when I can't fix a flat, ride a tractor, or even walk up the stairs, I pray 80-year-old Chip Gaines is still kickin' in the ways that matter most," he said.

“The fountain of youth is a scam, so don't take the bait. What if that's what you spent your days, these days, chasing? Not some unattainable promise, but something actually worth growing old for," he said at the end of the essay.

His admission comes mere days after his spouse opened up about the chaos their home has been under amid the ongoing renovations they are doing to the property.

Joanna, 48, and Chip are carrying out a major overhaul of the kitchen at their longtime Texas farmhouse, a project that has become decidedly more complicated by their refusal to temporarily leave the dwelling while construction is carried out.

The mother of five opened up about the mayhem that has erupted in their Waco, TX, abode as a result of the kitchen renovation, which is being done at around the same time that their younger kids are due to finish school for the year.

As a result, Joanna said she is being "stubborn" about remaining in the house as work is carried out, insisting that she wants her kids to maintain some stability during this time in their lives.

In a video posted to her Instagram account, Joanna opened up about the mammoth project, revealing a glimpse inside the havoc it has caused, while explaining that she is struggling to figure out how to balance the work with her parenting obligations.

“I'm trying to do this renovation in pieces. I am stubborn in that I refuse to move out. The kids have two weeks left of school," she explained.

“This is going to be a fun two weeks of trying to figure out how to end the school year well, but also work through mother's emotional challenges through renovation."

The reality TV icon and her husband share five kids: son Drew, 21, and daughter Ella, 19, who are away at college, plus sons Drake, 17, and Crew, 7, and daughter Emmie, 16, who are all still in school.

The upcoming end-of-year milestone hasn't stopped the Gaines family from making some significant progress on the renovation, which Joanna proudly showed off in her clip.

In the caption of her post, Gaines revealed that her home was going through its first makeover in over 15 years.

“Living through the farm renovation is building character, but getting a front-row seat to it all coming together is my favorite part. After almost 15 years, my kitchen is getting a whole new look," she penned.

Joanna has previously opened up about her farmhouse updates, revealing that she was also going to be transforming her son's nursery into a walk-in pantry and expansive baking room.

The design expert frequently shows off her farmhouse, which she has previously branded her forever home, on her social media, showcasing the expansive amount of lush greenery.

Set on 40 acres, the dwelling has already undergone extensive updates conceived by the talented home design duo.

Joanna previously opened up about life inside her Waco farmhouse during an appearance on the "Today" show, sharing a glimpse inside some of the tips and tricks that viewers will find on her new show, "Magnolia Table: At the Farm," which she hosts with Chip.

The on-air renovations expert, who hosts the show inside her own dwelling, explained that one of the "weird" ways she tries to make the abode more appealing to visitors is keeping an array of treats on offer in her kitchen at all times—a tradition she said was started by a wedding gift she and Chip received in 2003.