At what age did you first notice that your body is aging

[ksinger]

Date: 6/18/2010 1:11:38 PM
Author: RaiKai

Date: 6/18/2010 1:08:54 PM
Author: joflier

Date: 6/18/2010 1:04:07 PM

Author: NewEnglandLady

I started noticing a few signs that my body was getting a little older at 28 as well.


It started with me gaining a few pounds even though my diet was the same. I noticed I needed to start watching what I ate. I stopped drinking soda and went the the gym more frequently. It wasn''t enough of a weight gain for anybody to notice, but I definitely noticed.


I also started to notice some faint wrinkling around my eyes. I remember being frustrated because I still have the occasional pimple and it doesn''t seem fair to have to worry about pimples and wrinkles at the same time.


And the may sound strange, but my hands and feet seemed to swell a little bit and become more dry? This may be a lack of hydration, but everything felt puffier.


I''ve had grey hair for most of my twenties, but I''ve noticed in the past month or so (I turned 29 last month) that I have a lot more grey hair than I remember.


Finally, my energy level isn''t quite the same. I''m an active person, so I''m used to doing something different every weekend, spending a ton of time in the mountains, etc...I still love all of that stuff, I''m just not as eager as I was to do it even a couple of years ago. For the past several summers D and I have created a list of all the things we want to do during our summer weekends. This year we haven''t done that at all.


ETA: I also notice myself saying things like ''kids today...''

Yes!!! And do you ever find yourself saying things like....''are they really old enough to be driving? Or old enough to be working here?'' I find myself wondering that a lot. And then I get annoyed at myself and think, geez I''m acting like an old lady!

I swear everyone under 20 looks like they are 15 to me these days. And I realize how young I must have looked then (I used to get mistaken for being 13 when I was 18, and people would ask my employers if I was old enough, etc). It used to upset me. Now I get it. It''s bizarre.

I seriously busted out laughing at this. Oh don''t you just. It''s like one day you woke up and (for the childless amongst us) you realized that quite of few of the people you work with, you are old enough to have created, raised and gotten through COLLEGE. We hung out the other evening with my husband''s new sailing crew. One of them just graduated so he''s about 22, and the other is still a sophomore. They are just adorable, and sharp fun young guys, but dang, I just feel I must look like Methuselah to them, or worse, their MOM!! Not that I CARE truly, but it''s just weird to feel so old and know they view you like you viewed older people when you were 20.

I hate it all actually - the aging thing, at least the physical part. I''m not doing it all that well actually. I''ve resisted thinking this way for a long time - and still have moments of intense disgust at the whole thing, even while I can''t deny the symptoms anymore, but I''m really starting to think I fibromyalgia. And like anything like that, it certainly isn''t getting better with age.

But even with all the crap, the thing that distresses me the most, is my poor hands. The hands of freckled redheads do NOT hold up well, trust me.

 

[AprilBaby]

About 48. At 51 I still (honestly) don''t have a single gray hair, I have very few wrinkles, but my eyes are starting to get a bit...poofy? Like too much skin on my eyelids? And my hands are showing their age because of sun damage. It helps to be pleasantly plump because it keeps your skin plumped up. Most people think I am about 5-7 years younger than I am.

 

[Prana]

I noticed that my body changed at 23...I could never eat how I wanted to without gaining weight, but I REALLY had to start paying attention to it at about that age.

I started noticing changes in my face at around 26 (I''m 27 now). I feel like my face looks more tired, more swollen, my skin is no good etc. No wrinkles yet, and I''ve only noticed a few lighter colored hairs, and I''ve been unable to determine if they are actually gray or not.

Bingo arms are hereditary in my family... my mom is 5''8" 118lb and she has them...she hates her arms!

I''m still pretty active and healthy, but things don''t tone like they used to, nor do they stay toned like the used to.

Oh well!

 

[JSM]

I just turned 28 a few weeks ago, and this summer was the first time I've started to feel "older."

I am in, dare I say it, the best shape of my life, exercising frequently, eating well, and have a happy life, so my stress levels are down. But... my body doesn't recover the way it used to from exercise. My beautiful rear end has lost a bit of spring.

My face looks 'older' - I don't really have wrinkles yet but I don't have the youthful glow I had in the past. I definitely have to work harder to maintain/lose weight. And for the very first time, I didn't get carded when buying a bottle of wine!

I think 28/29 was about the time DH really started to feel his age. I'm sure there will be another drop off, but for now, it's a little depressing knowing I'll never get my early 20s back. Boo.

 

[Amethyste]

In all honesty - I have noticed things changing since I was 15... but now at 40, i am not really noticing much - i actually think i look better now than I did when I was in my 20''s! I am heavier than back then, but you know what? I think i like it better than when i looked really thin and emanciated.

What really changed is my attitude toward life and the normal progression of things. I am fine with it and I appreciate it immensely!

 

[April20]

I haven''t noticed too, too much. I started getting gray at 16, so that''s genetics, not age. I''m almost 33 now and I''m about 85% gray at the crown, who knows how much elsewhere.

The biggest thing I''ve noticed with age is my metabolism. It''s sooooo much slower than it used to be.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I noticed my metabolism slowing down around 23-24. My body didn''t really change much until after I had a kid. Now it is a war zone. I have very dark hair so gray really sticks out. I am estimating I started getting them around 25. I will be 30 next week

and the gray isn''t too bad. Maybe 50 strands. I dye it a few times a year.

 

[Callisto]

Date: 6/18/2010 12:40:31 PM
Author: Haven

I recently learned that I definitely cannot handle a hangover like I used to. Back in college I could spend a night out drinking and get up the next day ready to go after a good breakfast. Now it takes me a full day to recover, and I don''t even drink much. Three cocktails in one night, and I''m done for 48 hours.

Ahh ditto! But my hangover resilience went down the drain real fast. When I first started drinking around 18 I remember bragging about how awesome it was that I didn''t get hangovers.... yeah karma is a you know what... by my sophomore year of college I started getting the worst hangovers of anyone I know and they''ve gotten even worse in the past few years. Now it only takes about 2 drinks and I''ll feel it the next day. Worst part is mine don''t go away after a few hours, my day is pretty much shot.

I''m still pretty young so I don''t have a whole lot of physical signs quite yet, but I''m really starting to notice my inherited bad knees already.

 

[Amethyste]

In all honesty - I have noticed things changing since I was 15... but now at 40, i am not really noticing much - i actually think i look better now than I did when I was in my 20''s! I am heavier than back then, but you know what? I think i like it better than when i looked really thin and emanciated early early 20''s.

What really changed is my attitude toward life and the normal progression of things. I am fine with it and I appreciate it immensely!

here is a collage of pictures throughout my 20''s into my 30''s and now one I took yesterday, entering my 40''s.
I can''t believe I am posting this?!

Hmmm............ I am looking at this, and I don''t really know what to make out of the progression. I am not sad to be 40 actually...

 

[Dreamer_D]

Right after I had my baby I noticed it a lot

I was 31.

 

[decodelighted]

I''d say I made it to about 34 w/o feeling any aging. Then one day I looked around my neighborhood and everyone else was a decade younger. Hmmmmm. At the time I thought I was just fatigued by big city living -- not realizing it was the beginning of a whole *process*.

Right now I''m totally vexed by my expanding mid-section. Not the belly, not the boobs -- the puffy spare tire that''s sprung up BETWEEN them seemingly overnight. The gray hair is coming in at the temples pretty strong now too. And some circles under my eyes. And maybe an age spot on my nose! (Consulting the dermatologist on Monday -- after a four month wait -- geez!).

If folks don''t look too close at me I can get away with seeming pretty young (its the fat! and my juvenile taste in clothes!) -- but it all falls apart on closer inspection.

 

[decodelighted]

When do you guys think is the average woman''s beauty peak? I''d guess 27. Good news for you younger ladies.

But sometimes folks peak much, much later & kinda grow into their features -- in their forties, fifties, sixties etc.

 

[BeachRunner]

Yes, it looks like 28 is the age where your age starts to catch up on you based on these few responses.

I'm 27, so I guess I better live this year up!

I've got no wrinkles, no grays, no older hands, feet, etc.
I can no longer drink like I used to. I really don't have a desire to anymore, but if I did, I'd be in trouble.

I am probably eating better and exercising more than ever in my life. I haven't really noticed a decrease of metabolism yet, but I attribute that to my daily exercise. I also have not had a child yet.

ETA: I'm not nearly as flexible as I used to be! (Hopefully my yoga practice changes that)

 

[BeachRunner]

Date: 6/18/2010 9:52:39 PM
Author: Amethyste
In all honesty - I have noticed things changing since I was 15... but now at 40, i am not really noticing much - i actually think i look better now than I did when I was in my 20''s! I am heavier than back then, but you know what? I think i like it better than when i looked really thin and emanciated early early 20''s.


What really changed is my attitude toward life and the normal progression of things. I am fine with it and I appreciate it immensely!


here is a collage of pictures throughout my 20''s into my 30''s and now one I took yesterday, entering my 40''s.

I can''t believe I am posting this?!


Hmmm............ I am looking at this, and I don''t really know what to make out of the progression. I am not sad to be 40 actually...

You look exactly the same! You look wonderful!

 

[lulu]

I would say at six. At six I started noticing that I wasn''t as limber or mentally quick as my three year old brother. Frankly it''s been downhill ever since.

 

[AprilBaby]

Ames, you look more beautiful now than any other time in your life! Congrats!

 

[joflier]

Amethyste: You look fantastic!! I hope age is as good to me as it's been to you!

 

[Amethyste]

oh wow!!! You guys know how to make a girl *ahem... woman* blush!!!!

THank you!

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

Honestly, 18.
I was a step dancer and I couldn''t do it without music if anyone was watching because my ankles poped and cracked so badly. It was also the year I got wrinkles on my forehead. It was the same time I got really good about sun, and they haven''t gotten worse in the seven years since, but I was not happy to be the only wrinkly one in high school.

 

[junebug17]

For me, it was late thirties...started noticing wrinkles and put on weight. Around 45, noticed I was waking up kind of achy and stiff. Energy level is not what it used to be either. Arms have a papery, dry look to them, they remind me of my mother''s (she''s 85). Ironically, no gray hairs as of yet.

 

[hihowareyou]

I''m 23 and have grey hairs my dad was completely grey by the time he was 30 so I think I''m headed down that path. I am still mistaken for a 14 year old at times though so it is an interesting body to be in. It is difficult to feel old when bus drivers don''t want to let you on during school hours because you should be in class...
In the last few years I''ve had quite serious back and neck pains. Those make me feel old because they are problems older people generally have but mine are not really related to my age.

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

At about 28 i noticed my upper eyelids were sagging enough for me not to be able to wear makeup any more. I put up with it for about a year and a half and then got an eyelid reduction.

Now its just the rest of my face that is sagging.

 

[Allison D.]

Date: 6/18/2010 1:04:07 PM
Author: NewEnglandLady
I started noticing a few signs that my body was getting a little older at 28 as well.

It started with me gaining a few pounds even though my diet was the same. I noticed I needed to start watching what I ate. I stopped drinking soda and went the the gym more frequently. It wasn't enough of a weight gain for anybody to notice, but I definitely noticed.

I also started to notice some faint wrinkling around my eyes. I remember being frustrated because I still have the occasional pimple and it doesn't seem fair to have to worry about pimples and wrinkles at the same time.

And the may sound strange, but my hands and feet seemed to swell a little bit and become more dry? This may be a lack of hydration, but everything felt puffier.

I've had grey hair for most of my twenties, but I've noticed in the past month or so (I turned 29 last month) that I have a lot more grey hair than I remember.

Finally, my energy level isn't quite the same. I'm an active person, so I'm used to doing something different every weekend, spending a ton of time in the mountains, etc...I still love all of that stuff, I'm just not as eager as I was to do it even a couple of years ago. For the past several summers D and I have created a list of all the things we want to do during our summer weekends. This year we haven't done that at all.

ETA: I also notice myself saying things like 'kids today...'

Hehehehe - so starts the slide.

For me, it's been approximately like this:

22 - grays began coming in; the beginning of self-coloring slavery begins

28 - could no longer eat late at night without having sour stomach next morning

32 - caffeine began to run through me like a sieve - had to pee more often w/caffeine

37 - what are those little lines on my face, anyway?

41 - are you kidding me? am I really beginning to get a touch of arthritis in my toes/fingers? Is that what that is?

42 - no more caffeine past 6pm or else I stay awake until 3:30 a.m.! How did this happen?

43 - WHAT IS THAT?? When I raise my eyebrows, did I just see an 'old person' type of skin pull thing near my eyelid?

43 - (becuase now it's happening in multiples) - none of my size 8.5 sneakers are fitting anymore - had to move up a half-size
44 - why am I so tired only after a half-day's normal activities? Harsh realization that my energy level is juuuuuuuuuuust beginning to diminish a bit - the indefatigueable Alj hurricane has suddenly (and without warning!) been downgraded to a tropical storm.

44 - You have got to be KIDDING me - I have to move things AWAY from me a bit to read them well, and I can't see the clasp on my bracelet to put it on.

It started much earlier than I thought it would; the grays didn't really throw me because my dad is premature gray so I somewhat expected it. However, the 28 thing was a shocker - I didn't expect any appreciable changes until early 40s. Boy did I get THAT wrong!

 

[Natylad]

Date: 6/18/2010 11:33:46 PM
Author: junebug17
For me, it was late thirties...started noticing wrinkles and put on weight. Around 45, noticed I was waking up kind of achy and stiff. Energy level is not what it used to be either. Arms have a papery, dry look to them, they remind me of my mother''s (she''s 85). Ironically, no gray hairs as of yet.

Junebug, for what it''s worth, i once saw two pics of you (i think it was at the "real life perspective" thread) and i thought that you have a great figure and your hands are very beautiful

Go girl!!!

 

[Natylad]

Date: 6/18/2010 9:52:39 PM
Author: Amethyste
In all honesty - I have noticed things changing since I was 15... but now at 40, i am not really noticing much - i actually think i look better now than I did when I was in my 20''s! I am heavier than back then, but you know what? I think i like it better than when i looked really thin and emanciated early early 20''s.

What really changed is my attitude toward life and the normal progression of things. I am fine with it and I appreciate it immensely!

here is a collage of pictures throughout my 20''s into my 30''s and now one I took yesterday, entering my 40''s.
I can''t believe I am posting this?!

Hmmm............ I am looking at this, and I don''t really know what to make out of the progression. I am not sad to be 40 actually...

Amethyste, needless to say that you look fantastic!!!

By the way...I am 36 now and i noticed the first signs of age when i was 29... And every day i stare at myself in the mirror and count the things that i don''t like and i think they grew older in time...I know, very pathetic...but i admit that i''m doing it

 

[lknvrb4]

I''m 33 now. I am in the best shape of my life, but I feel the aches and pains more. It takes me longer to recover from an injury. I started getting a few gray hairs in my twenties. I am really noticing now the small little lines around the eyes and I have been using eye wrinkle cream since I was 18. I think the hardest thing for me has been having children because my stomach did not go back to normal, it''s softer now. I am very thin, just have loose skin left there no matter how much I exercise.

 

[lknvrb4]

Date: 6/18/2010 9:52:39 PM
Author: Amethyste
In all honesty - I have noticed things changing since I was 15... but now at 40, i am not really noticing much - i actually think i look better now than I did when I was in my 20''s! I am heavier than back then, but you know what? I think i like it better than when i looked really thin and emanciated early early 20''s.


What really changed is my attitude toward life and the normal progression of things. I am fine with it and I appreciate it immensely!


here is a collage of pictures throughout my 20''s into my 30''s and now one I took yesterday, entering my 40''s.

I can''t believe I am posting this?!


Hmmm............ I am looking at this, and I don''t really know what to make out of the progression. I am not sad to be 40 actually...

I was shocked when you said you were 40 after seeing your picture that you posted on here awhile ago in a different thread. You have not aged.

 

[missy]

Date: 6/18/2010 10:23:55 PM
Author: decodelighted
When do you guys think is the average woman''s beauty peak? I''d guess 27. Good news for you younger ladies.

But sometimes folks peak much, much later & kinda grow into their features -- in their forties, fifties, sixties etc.

I totally agree with this. Many women look more beautiful in their 40''s than their 20''s. I think it is because they become more comfortable in their own skin and more confident and content with life.

 

[missy]

Date: 6/18/2010 10:38:08 PM
Author: lulu
I would say at six. At six I started noticing that I wasn''t as limber or mentally quick as my three year old brother. Frankly it''s been downhill ever since.

 

[missy]

When I look at photos of me in my twenties compared to now (44) I can see a bit of a difference but (knock wood) so far not much and I still get mistaken for being in my late twenties by people who don't know me. The real difference is more about recovering after my workouts and that I really need to stretch now where in my twenties and thirties I never needed to (though probably should have).

Another big difference I notice is that I cannot sleep as well or as late as I used to.

I think some of that has to do with the fact that during the work week I am awake before 5 am and so I am sleepy before 9 pm these days and no matter what time I go to sleep I am awake by 5 am on weekends too!!

When I was younger I could sleep till noon! I miss those days, I really do.

Otherwise I wouldn't change my age for anything because I prefer my life now than when I was in my twenties and just getting established and dealing with anxieties that are now gone. I was also too skinny in my twenties and early thirties and am a perfect weight now.

I recommend to all women to wear sunblock on their hands and neck as these age more quickly than the rest of the body. You can really help your hands and neck by protecting them with sunblock from the harmful UVA and UVB rays.