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Mid fifties here. Health is perfect. Aches and pains after long days of foolishness such as dirt bikes, ATV,s and Snowmobiling. Slower getting up after getting thrown on the ground off the dirt bike or whatever. Getting thrown off water skis or kneeboard hurts a little more than it used to. Other than that, nothing different than 30s or 40s.
When one realizes they don't have unlimited possibilities.
This should be the definition of being old, IMO.
I struggled with this when I was in my fifties. And I struggle with it now, at the age of 70.
But, overall, I am doing OK. I have been doing some gym work now for the last 3 years, and though it has been slow going for me, I do see improvement in my fitness levels. My improvement has been slow, but it has happened.
Yesterday I walked up four flights of stairs and barely got out of breath at the top. I was pleased with myself.
Today I got outside and pulled a few weeds, fertilized and trimmed some plants. My back hurt, but I got it done.
That's how if feels to be old to me. You are slower, and tireder, but you can still get it done--mostly.
This question is directed to those who are above the age of 40.
I've always been curious about what goes through the mind of an older person. Do you feel more limited at your age, do you enjoy yourselves less? Do you consistently think about all the opportunities you ruined in your younger years? Is your thought process the same as it was when you were in your 20s or 30s? Do you still feel like there's plenty of time left to accomplish more goals in your life? I just look at some older people (In their 60s and older) and some of them look so frail. I wonder to myself, does this person still enjoy their life, or do they dread waking up everyday?
I just want a heads up, to see what I should be expecting when I hit my 40s and beyond. I'm sorry if this question might sound a bit ignorant. If I offended anyone, I apologize.
I studied clinical epidemiology in graduate school and heard many excellent lectures on aging. I also attended forums. Basically, aging varies widely throughout the population. Some people start going "gray" in hair by their late 20s (be forewarned). Others may not until their 50s.
Aging has physiological dimensions: loss of elastic tissue in the joints, loss of muscle mass, wrinkling, and slowing efficiency of the neurosynaptic links throughout the nervous system. Athletically, people in their 40s generally don't have their "sprint" speed of their 20s. But they can still have strong endurance - slower but can still win a very long distance event (e.g. Leadville 100 miles run).
Psychologically, the divorce rate is 50%. And in the era of social media, the opportunities for infidelity have grown tremendously. So there are lots of unhappily married people in their 40s. Or they are divorced. Factor in a mortgage, children, and job and a many in their 40s are in a mid-life crisis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_IIyeLhmF0
But the physical and psychological impacts of aging can be slowed per individual's aptitudes. Regular exercise, proper diet, and strategy of "realism" on marriage can help prevent a lot of problems that middle-aged people have.
One of the worse examples of a guy who "lost" it in his 40s was shown in this classic clip about Jake LaMotta - the 1940s/50s middleweight boxing champion. This clips shows him fat, bald, and in mid-life crisis in middle age in his 40s after his divorce and tremendous weight gain. The end of the clip shows him when he was young. The aging doesn't have to be that extreme.
As for me, I use year-round high-altitude training to slow down aging. I eat a lot of high fiber fruits, vegetables, nuts, almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc. to slow down aging. I am in my mid 40s and ran a 5k race with HS teens at a charity event. I actually finished in the top 25% and kept up with three guys from the soccer team. I can still run a half marathon under 2 hours and play pick-up basketball with college kids. I am the last 80s teen out there on the courts - literally. I still have dark hair and am not balding at all. So I am lucky in middle age. At marathon events I see a lot of guys in their 40s, 50s, or even older still participating. Aging can be slowed. Many of the rigorous mountain running events in Colorado are won by men in their 40s or even 50s. A woman in her 50s won one of the marathons. A Tarahumarah Indian won the Leadville 100 miles run at age 55 back in the 90s.
I also never rushed into marriage so don't have to worry about divorce and child custody battles. I am still with potential to actually have a reasonable "first" marriage - lol. A lot of guys my age usually wound up having affairs with much younger women (e.g. Ben Affleck and his young nanny). I figured why not let myself get middle-aged and marry a younger woman in the first place.
Last edited by grad_student200; 03-23-2017 at 11:22 PM..
I don't find your question offensive. I do find it funny though because you almost make it sound like being 40 & above is equal to being automatically weak, withered, & having 1 foot in the grave.
Honey, life is what you make it. And truth be told, nowadays, people in their 40s, 50s, 60s, & above are loving life, enjoying it, & even looking much better at those ages than previous generations did at those same ages.
As for me personally, I'm currently 45 and I enjoy life much more than I did in my teens, 20's, & 30s because I have more confidence & I also don't worry as much as I used to.
My life is far from perfect and I do have struggles & problems but I handle stress now way better than when I was younger. So for me, that's another huge plus for getting older.
I'm 45 too and feel confident as well. I just had a 30 year old ask me out for coffee or drinks! I have a lot of regrets though, but if I hadn't made the choices I did then I would not have my beautiful son. He has food allergies and I started a company to help food allergy kids. I am making a difference now and even got a graduate degree. I hie huge mountains, ski and workout. I am not frail.
I laugh because 40 is so not old! I do remember when I was about 19 and at a club (illegally since I was not 21 but had a fake ID) and I saw a group of 25 year olds and said to my friend, "Wow, such losers! When I'm that age I'll be bringing in $250k and have a husband!" Life did not go that way but I thought it was because my parents had money and did not prepare me for the real world.
So OP ...getting older is great. I made mistakes....left my true love because I needed to find myself but never did. Settled for someone I didn't love because he got me pregnant, married him and now have an amazing son and I get along well with m ex-husband. Being a Christian I should add that I brought my ex-husband to the Lord so it was worth it.
Good luck growing old at 40!!! LOL!
Bette Davis had it right when she said something to the effect that "getting old is not for sissies."
I figured out the hard way why Medicare starts at age 65. At that age I had to undergo 4.5 hours of emergency neurosurgery on my neck due to three blockages of my spinal chord which were paralyzing me and literally would have killed me if left unattended to. The symptoms came on suddenly, over night in fact, and without warning. While the surgery saved my life I was left with some significant physical deficits which, although I've compensated for them to the extent possible, have changed my life in less than positive ways. Until then I had always enjoyed robust, good health. The "robust" pretty much evaporated almost instantly.
No matter what your age, don't take good health for granted. It can change in a hot moment without warning through no fault of your own.
How does it feel to be old? I don't recommend it other than it beats the alternative.
i got old when i lost my job 8 months ago .. the hard work days were gone .. the motivation to get out of bed early was gone .. the reason not to drink beer all day was gone .. i went from 60 and feeling 30 to 60 and feeling 80 ... it sucks being old ...
I have reach that time in my life when I realize that I have more days behind me than in front in me. However, when I look back at my life, I realize that right now, I am at my best then I have ever been and I keep getting better & better. Unfortunately, my body is going in the other direction. My back/neck hurts all the time-but I am now in a position where I can actually DO something to help with that-hire a massage therapist. I also have more weight than I did 10 years ago and it is hard trying to get it off.
I TRY to take care of myself. I TRY to eat healthy-but I do love junk. I TRY to limit the amount of chips, chocolate, ice cream, etc. that I eat. I TRY to exercise but confess that I don't exercise as much as I should. There is a balance between doing what you SHOULD do and doing what you WANT to do. I learned the hard way not to deprive myself. One time when I was on a diet, I was really good and didn't cheat but I deprived myself of all the junk that I love. After I went off the diet, I couldn't get enough. This is NO EXAGGERATION! I ate a dozen donuts at one sitting and STILL WANTED MORE!!!! That is why I will not deprive myself again.
I don't feel old, nor do I feel young. I do feel that I have reached an age where I should get respect for reaching this age. Unfortunately, kids today are not taught "respect your elders" like we were taught. So, I feel like I have to DEMAND respect from the younger crowd. On the same token, I like to think that I can still turn some heads when I want to.
Well, in those days I could get away with it. Unfortunately, I couldn't get away it today. It would go straight to my hips and it would take me many months to get it off.
I don't understand why it takes 6 months to lose 5 lbs but 6 weeks to gain it back again.
Well, in those days I could get away with it. Unfortunately, I couldn't get away it today. It would go straight to my hips and it would take me many months to get it off.
I don't understand why it takes 6 months to lose 5 lbs but 6 weeks to gain it back again.
Cat
Six weeks? I can gain five pounds in six days! I know this because the last time I went to New Orleans my pants were tight at the end of a week!
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