To ask what age you suddenly really started to age?

[Onedaylikethis21]

I feel like at 48, I have really started to age- creepy neck, a bit jowly, going a bit grey and not feeling great to be honest! I look after myself - don’t really drink as I see it on my face, wear nice clothes, nice hair etc but it’s becoming an effort ☹️ Wasn’t expecting it actually!! I always thought I looked pretty good for my age. I know it’s vain and I shouldn’t care but it’s just weird!!

Oh years ago but I'm 56 now and in the zone of no fucks given 😬

I so agree. I know some women talk of becoming "invisible" at a certain age, but I love it.
I recenty went on holiday with my gorgeous 22 year old daughter. At 5'10", slim and very fit I watched the gazes of men as we passed them in the street.
And just remembered how tiresome it was to have such public scrutiny, and made me glad to be 60.

I’m 46. Up until a few years ago people generally assumed I was much younger than I actually was (yes really). Then seemingly overnight I looked my age. It’s a bit devastating 😭

30

Like Speakout when I was 60 I was really fit could keep up with people much younger than myself. Then when I was 72 I tore the meniscus in my knee. All I did was turn round suddenly and I felt it tear. I do all the excercises my chiropractor gives me. I also swim 4 times a week including hydro fit classes. My knee now gives way without any notice and I have fallen several times, luckily in the house. This has robbed me of my confidence as I am really scared of falling in the street and breaking a bone. So I can honestly say I now feel old.

31 for me. Having a ruptured aneurysm which required endovascular coiling has set me back (understandably so).

Looking at the other women in my family I'd say 50s.

59

and I blame boots No 7 and the rise of hylauronic acid.

I swore by boots no 7. My skin was fantastic. I didn’t have a line on my face.

Then they changed the recipe and added hylaurinic acid
I couldn’t use it any more and on my journey to find a hylauronic free face cream that
gave the same results as no7 I tried many new face creams
I tried a new cream one night and awoke in great pain the skin on my face was literally hanging off

I ended up in A&E looking like an acid attack victim,
(At least I managed to get them to refer me to an allergy clinic after 59 years of trying)
Turns out I am allergic to everything.

Now I only use a really cheap moisturiser that has only a few ingredients.

It does nothing for anti aging
My skin has never recovered and I look incredibly old. My neck has gone crepey and my face has vertical lines as well as horizontal where as before I didn’t have a single crease.

I can’t even dye my hair as they stopped doing the dye I used and I am allergic to everything else

My mum is 70 and looks fabulous. She still plays competitive sport which require her to travel round Europe, she won a tournament yesterday in fact. She has used thick blue tub Nivea cream her whole life and has barely a wrinkle and is a healthy size 10, strong muscles, never seems to get tired. She has sagging around her jaw line but doesn't care, has never had any work done and her face still sparkles when she smiles.
Her secret is just a simple healthy lifestyle and lots and lots of sport and a young mindset. I hope I age half as well.

@Pottycat DH had that but had it repaired now can run again etc

Started around 45, but in the last year I have really struggled with sore joints and aches everywhere. Got some lines but not too bad, it's the loss of mobility that is really irking me, I am 53 not 73! And I do yoga, weight, bootcamp, healthy food etc. Weight also increased. On the plus side, I take no shit now.

@NannyOggsWhiskyStash you might be deficient in something . Vit D helps with aches and pains.

51, the covid vaccine played havoc with my hormones and joints. I'm on HRT now, was doing OK until this year (53), I now have plantar fasciitis, it's bloody awful and aging me horribly.

I completely agree that with a regime like you describe, there is no inevitable slide into decrepitude. But what you describe is difficult to achieve for the average woman (time, money, time, caring responsibilities, time) let alone people who have additional things going on. There is a woman I know who looks incredible all the time, prioritises her own physical health and well being and physical apperance above pretty much everything else. To be honest, I think she might have the right idea in so far as her husband and children seem happy enough with it all. But the vast majority of people don't have the discipline or maybe it's the (healthy?) dose of selfishness to do what she does.

I don't see it as selfishness.
Keeping strong and healthy also benefits my family.
I have strength to support others, mentally, physically and emotionally.
I too have a busy life but exercise and looking after myself is top priority.
Most middle aged women don't have small children, so finding time can be done.
I work full time and I am also a carer to two ( adult) family members.
My daily yoga is pretty near the top of my priorities.
Yes it takes discipline, but well worth the effort.
I feel like a woman in her 20s, although I am 60.

Thanks,will check out some v

It's so refreshing to hear people focussing on how they feel rather than how they look in a discussion about ageing.

Agreed, I don’t see how staying healthy is selfish. I work full time and have two teens, I exercise before work while my kids are still in bed, the only thing I am putting exercise ahead of is an extra hour in bed! The difference it makes I how I feel is well worth it to me both for my mental and physical well being, I am much better able to deal with the stress of a body life with this routine

I agree, exercise does not have to take a long time or cost a lot. A 30 minute run, or a workout on youtube.
Safety advice on airlines is to put on your own oxygen mask before attending to infants- same is true for life

If you have the self-discipline, I suspect you get the time back in other ways. Far less time in the bathroom - bowels work instantly, makeup barely necessary, hair needs washing less, clothes just fit without having to be carefully chosen etc. Every other task you do, you do faster because your body simply works and you have higher motivation and less blah in your mental background.

I started intervening at 30 looking back at 32 I now look younger than I did in my late 20s

What intervention did you make?

@speakout do you mind detailing your regime? I’m 51, still slim and feel fit. Have always eaten healthy most of the time and walk for at least 45 mins a day with the dog but could do more.

I think you have a great attitude and your kids will thank you for it!

It is nothing complicated.
I do 5 (Astanga) yoga classes a week, and yoga at home too on the days I have no classes.
My diet is simple, I am not vegetarian but eat only a little meat and some fish.
Tons of vegetables, grains, seeds, nuts and oatmeal, eggs.
I do attend to keeping my mind healthy too- with daily meditation each morning. I go to bed easrly and make sure I get good sleep.
I take steps to eliminate stress from my life- I don't commute, I like simple pleasures and live in the country. I visit the city only a couple of times a year.

56-ish after the 'change'.. eyelids disappeared & my eyes now look like bloody raisins. I look old & tired, & it's a jolt when I catch sight of my reflection. Went from a normal shape to overweight - I have one bloody meal a day!
Arthritis in hips means I can't run calories off..
Maybe Miss Haversham had the right idea.. #covers mirrors ;-)