40 is the new 30, and other lies!
Peace.
When I turned 30, I was expecting a traumatic experience. There was a little trauma (I found my 1st gray hair) but most of it was the build up. 30 wasn’t really all that bad… in retrospect. But, it wasn’t just about that day or even that year. By the time I was 32 I could see that there were some big physical difference from me at that age and me just 5 years younger.
One of the big differences was my inability to party hard like I used to be able to in my 20’s. A lot of my changes were, admittedly, mental. I didn’t want to be out so late. And since I was married, I didn’t want male attention. But I remember in my 20’s being able to hang out all night and work the next day. Example: Age 26 found me with 2 jobs. Job one had me working 55 hours/week 8am-ish to sometimes 9pm. Job 2 had me working 36 hours from 7pm to 3am. I did this for maybe 2 years? I worked on my feet at both jobs. I don’t ever remember being wacked out tired. I still had a man, my friends, my customs (hair and nails), my family and church. Yes I was constantly on the go, but it was all good. That thought of that now, frightens me. I now wake at 4:30 am and sleep comes and gets me around 9 pm.
My appearance is different. Not that I look old. I had the good sense to preserve myself and become a vegetarian. But I don’t wake up flawless anymore. I remember something a friend of my late husband once said. She was complaining about men. She said a man wants to pop by all late an unannounced. She said. “I don’t wake up beautiful anymore. I’m not in my 20’s anymore.” That phrase stuck with me. It might have been out of fear. But I suspect the truth in it was more apparent. Natural changes happen. When I wake up in the morning now a days, my skin isn’t as dewy, my breath isn’t fresh (and that’s shocking because I smoked in my 20’s), I just can’t fall out of bead and run off to work. First of all I might be stiff. That’s another thing. In your 30’s, body parts will hurt that you didn’t fool with.
So I will do for you, what I wished someone would have done for me. I will list the changes I saw in my 30’s….
1. Inability to stay awake past 11 on a good night!
2. Even though I could now afford better alcohol, I got drunk faster
3. Hangovers. Never had those before age 30. Just slept it off
4. Aches and pains, accompanied by me groaning
5. Gray hair
6. My skin became drier. Not super crackly, but tighter
7. My metabolism started to slow down. I couldn’t just lose weight at will
8. Workouts were harder, meaning I had to work harder to do the same routines and injuries were more frequent
9. My patience for bullshit has shortened exponentially
10. I developed heartburn/reflux
11. I became concerned about the frequency and quality of my bowel movements
12. All of a sudden my teeth needed work. Real stuff like crowns
13. Loud music irritates me
14. My knees crack
15. Infertility. Yes, more women in their 30’s and 40’s are having children. But if you add the number of women in their 30’s and 40’s having babies, it is no where equal to the number of women in their 20’s making babies. There is a reason for that.
16. Food turns on you. You can’t enjoy eating because you like it. It’s now, “that is going to give me heartburn” or “that will constipate me” or “nope. That will give me the runs” or “It’s too late to eat that.”
17. Caffeinated coffee makes my boobs hurt
18. I get up really early for no reason.
19. Can’t sleep completely through the night
20. If I drink ANYTHING after 7pm, I will have to get up to pee
This is my list. I’m certain other folks have their own. And I encourage you to post your list in the comment section.
Now that I have hit the 40 threshold, I am convinced, from previous experience, that something else is coming. I ain’t going to sit back and wait on it to pop off. I am going to be proactive in prophylactic prevention. And I will use 30’s changes to guide me. Frequent exercise, water, rest, clean eating, NIGHT CREAM, and floss will help me look good for as long as I want. Constantly moving, reading, learning new things, hanging out with younger people and sex with the God will go a long way in keeping me sharp in various ways.
Oh, I do not plan to age gracefully. I intend to fight it every step of the way. Getting old ain’t for punk bitches.
Peace
When I turned 30, I was expecting a traumatic experience. There was a little trauma (I found my 1st gray hair) but most of it was the build up. 30 wasn’t really all that bad… in retrospect. But, it wasn’t just about that day or even that year. By the time I was 32 I could see that there were some big physical difference from me at that age and me just 5 years younger.
One of the big differences was my inability to party hard like I used to be able to in my 20’s. A lot of my changes were, admittedly, mental. I didn’t want to be out so late. And since I was married, I didn’t want male attention. But I remember in my 20’s being able to hang out all night and work the next day. Example: Age 26 found me with 2 jobs. Job one had me working 55 hours/week 8am-ish to sometimes 9pm. Job 2 had me working 36 hours from 7pm to 3am. I did this for maybe 2 years? I worked on my feet at both jobs. I don’t ever remember being wacked out tired. I still had a man, my friends, my customs (hair and nails), my family and church. Yes I was constantly on the go, but it was all good. That thought of that now, frightens me. I now wake at 4:30 am and sleep comes and gets me around 9 pm.
My appearance is different. Not that I look old. I had the good sense to preserve myself and become a vegetarian. But I don’t wake up flawless anymore. I remember something a friend of my late husband once said. She was complaining about men. She said a man wants to pop by all late an unannounced. She said. “I don’t wake up beautiful anymore. I’m not in my 20’s anymore.” That phrase stuck with me. It might have been out of fear. But I suspect the truth in it was more apparent. Natural changes happen. When I wake up in the morning now a days, my skin isn’t as dewy, my breath isn’t fresh (and that’s shocking because I smoked in my 20’s), I just can’t fall out of bead and run off to work. First of all I might be stiff. That’s another thing. In your 30’s, body parts will hurt that you didn’t fool with.
So I will do for you, what I wished someone would have done for me. I will list the changes I saw in my 30’s….
1. Inability to stay awake past 11 on a good night!
2. Even though I could now afford better alcohol, I got drunk faster
3. Hangovers. Never had those before age 30. Just slept it off
4. Aches and pains, accompanied by me groaning
5. Gray hair
6. My skin became drier. Not super crackly, but tighter
7. My metabolism started to slow down. I couldn’t just lose weight at will
8. Workouts were harder, meaning I had to work harder to do the same routines and injuries were more frequent
9. My patience for bullshit has shortened exponentially
10. I developed heartburn/reflux
11. I became concerned about the frequency and quality of my bowel movements
12. All of a sudden my teeth needed work. Real stuff like crowns
13. Loud music irritates me
14. My knees crack
15. Infertility. Yes, more women in their 30’s and 40’s are having children. But if you add the number of women in their 30’s and 40’s having babies, it is no where equal to the number of women in their 20’s making babies. There is a reason for that.
16. Food turns on you. You can’t enjoy eating because you like it. It’s now, “that is going to give me heartburn” or “that will constipate me” or “nope. That will give me the runs” or “It’s too late to eat that.”
17. Caffeinated coffee makes my boobs hurt
18. I get up really early for no reason.
19. Can’t sleep completely through the night
20. If I drink ANYTHING after 7pm, I will have to get up to pee
This is my list. I’m certain other folks have their own. And I encourage you to post your list in the comment section.
Now that I have hit the 40 threshold, I am convinced, from previous experience, that something else is coming. I ain’t going to sit back and wait on it to pop off. I am going to be proactive in prophylactic prevention. And I will use 30’s changes to guide me. Frequent exercise, water, rest, clean eating, NIGHT CREAM, and floss will help me look good for as long as I want. Constantly moving, reading, learning new things, hanging out with younger people and sex with the God will go a long way in keeping me sharp in various ways.
Oh, I do not plan to age gracefully. I intend to fight it every step of the way. Getting old ain’t for punk bitches.
Peace
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