At what age would you or did you start feeling old?

[Namechangedforthis25]

im 39 and in the space of 4 years and 2 pregnancies I’ve gone from someone agile and young looking/feeling to things hurting when I sit up too fast. when I tried to show my daughter a bridge, well my wrists were about to snap.

my weight is fine.

But I suddenly feel like my mind is decades younger than my body.

anyone out there feel physically young into their 40s/50s/60s etc

I always liked the idea of ageing naturally and never felt bothered about wrinkles arriving. At 47 I have almost none, as it happens. What I didn't envisage was a puffy jowly face with ever increasing puffy eye lids, I mean that fatty area under the eye brow. I dont like to smile anymore in photos because a massive lump of fat jumps out. There is no product or simple treatment that gets rid of it. I'd happily swap for some wrinkles!

50 when I needed reading glasses! But definitely since 65 when everything stiffened up and my joints are aching more

53, turning 54 in January. Have always been pudgy, now it’s causing concern. I realised I was getting older the other day when I looked in the mirror and saw a jowl ( not a huge one) under my chin. Also a nice gentlemen gave up his seat on the train for me, I seem to be inordinately interested in flowers and jazz is not as bad as I thought it was.

Well, when I was 48 I weighed 17st, struggled to get up a flight of stairs, no energy, depressed, tired all the time....def felt older then my years.
Now Im 51 and weigh 9st 7, exercise 10 times a week (for fun!), have tons of energy, positive attitude and feel younger then I have since my twenties.😎

I still have a dodgy hip, bad knees and menopause has swiss cheesed my brain somewhat so you cant turn back the clock but you sure as hell can get your moneys worth out of life with abit of effort!😉

early 30s just a series of health issues that had knock on effects like osteoporosis then got cancer which dealing with atm, just feel very old before my time due to health and not as sharp either.

Sorry to hear this. 💐

Its posts like this that make me feel the “oh it’s only if you let yourself be old in mind and attitude” posts can be deeply smug and annoying.

38 exactly- put back out, developed arthritis in knees and started getting stomach problems and started losing hair (although that was Covid) and getting a lot of grey hairs. I will say after Covid for a few years my energy and fitness went but now at 44 the fitness is coming back properly which is great (thanks to diagnosis of asthma so my inhaler is a godsend!!)

For me it was mid/late 40s. I still felt and looked young and had loads of energy in my early 40s (had a baby at 41). But my face started dropping at about 45, I am very grey and have sun damage on my arms. I look every bit my age now. I especially hate the old lady upper arms that have recently appeared. And jowls are starting. I have terrible night blindness so think I'm going to have to give up driving at night soon (but have always been very short sighted - reading is still fine). I'm about the same size I have always been (upper end of healthy BMI) and exercise more than I ever did (4-5 times a week including weights and yoga plus dog walking) but have lost so much energy and oomph in perimenopause. I'm 51 now and on HRT but still feel tired ALL THE TIME. And have zero interest in work but need to work as am sadly not rich enough to retire early. I definitely feel ready for retirement. That's the main thing actually - absolutely hating the farce that is work, have seen it all before and have become very cynical.

Age 55 was fantastic, walking 10 miles every day, then age 67 morbidly obese, could barely walk, despairing at failing health, huge weight gain and abdominal distension (following Mirena coil insertion for HRT…)

Age 68 now turned a very positive corner, feeling great, on HRT and testosterone, re-enabled: back-to-back fitness classes, distance swimming, solo catamaran sailing, cycling.

Mounjaro injections have reduced all inflammation, totally off painkillers now for 3 months (osteoarthritis / knee replacement) feeling back to my 30 year old self.

OK, my energy and batteries run down sooner, but a small snack seems to restore things.

I started feeling old when children I saw in a paediatric out patient clinic when they were toddlers and young children started attending the adults clinic

I went through a phase around 39-45 where I often ached, fell asleep on settee in evenings, slept long - I thought at the time it was actually down to rushing around after a family, sometimes on my own as DH was often away, keeping up with housework and doing an active job.

I'm now 58 and feel much better than I did then, I still have active jobs and reasonably physically active, but DH is around a lot more now, also no children to care for, collect, look after, ie life is easier. Haven't seen a GP in years (could be ten or more!).

When the recovery time between one ache/pain/illness just started to run seamlessly into the next one, and there always seems to be something wrong. Also when presciptions went onto repeat. Yep, that made me feel old (66).

By the time I'd started my 4th round of IVF and certainly after my 6th which resulted in my pregnancy and rapid decline after dd was born. Lost a lot of strength, aches, pains, eyesight failing and needing glasses. All peri menopause stuff.

As with a few others, now in my late 30s at 38. So tired and achy all the time. My left ankle and foot has been painful for a while, so while I walk everywhere it's not fast. Spine, hips, shoulders and fingers are starting to pack in. Kids are 5 and 2, which probably has something to do with it.

God yes! When people start to give up their seat for you you know it’s really the slippery slope. That happened to me twice this year and totally shocked me.

@HeadJudgeShirley I hope you still get to have fun too

I was asked if I had grandchildren by someone making polite chit chat -it was the nurse at my hospital appointment so they would have known my age from my file so at least I don't have to worry that I actually look my age (47) as I've always got away with looking younger, but it's catching up with me. But yeah - being asked if I had grandkids was a new low. I'm not ready to be a granny!

I'm 63 and wouldn't say I feel old. I have arthritis in my knees, hip and left hand but it's not painful and it doesn't stop me from doing much of what I want to do (I won't ever dare to ski again, but that wasn't a regular activity anyway).

I feel better than I do 10 years ago. But 10 years ago I had a full time job which usually involved at least a 9 hour day plus at least a 3 hour commute. I also had two children still at school. I was permanently exhausted. Both children have now left home and I have retired, so my life is much easier.

I wear my polarised glasses on the tube so that it's not so obvious. I have lines around my eyes but frankly am probably fitter than a lot of people twenty years younger than me and they shouldn't have to stand for me!