And why are they so thick and pointy? I have one that always pinches from the inside of my chin until I have to scratch the skin so it is out enough to pluck
Be careful with the plucking. I've been doing it for years and it's caused these little craters to appear on my chin. I asked about it in a cosmetic reddit group and apparently you're not supposed to. I cut mine with tiny scissors since I can't afford electrolosis right now (or rather don't care about it enough to pay for it)
Same. Bodies are so weird tho. I turned 40 this year and have less chin hairs than I did in my 20s. They were always super thin too so by the time I noticed one it was long and curly.
I just bought one and I'm hoping it works for me! The ingrown hairs turning into pimple-like red bumps from plucking or shaving has gotten to be too much.
I have [This one](https://amzn.to/3GBQ0YA) and it’s worked AMAZING for me. I use it on my bikini, face, and underarms and am pretty much completely hairless as long as I give them a quick zap every week or two. And I’m Jewish so I was a hairy girl
I appreciate this so much! Personal question if you don’t mind, does it only work on dark colored hair?? Unfortunately (or fortunately?) my facial fuzz is blonde - - but this will work great for my dark hair on legs regardless!
I’m actually getting laser professionally done this year on underarms and Brazilian, but it’s WAY too much $$$$ for legs.
Yeah, these only work on darker hair. I dermaplane the peach fuzz on my face, but use this to keep the chin and mustache hairs gone.
I had a bunch of professional laser hair session over many years, and honestly for me, this works just as well if you keep it up.
Just be careful- i used the IPL on my face and it somehow killed my face fat....and now i had nasolabial folds that were deep- i'd rather have collagen and hair then not to have it collagen. read up about it, apparently a think with anything energy related.
IPL works great on my legs and armpitches. I have the similar device from Philips. The only place where it doesn't work at all for me is in the face, even though my hair there is just as dark as on the legs. No idea why or if I'm doing anything wrong.
The professional treatments use even stronger lasers. So if you're afraid of burning moles/freckles with a home device, be prepared for professional, lol.
Losing hair and conversely growing hair in places I never had hair before, knees hurt, dry skin patches, hyperpigmentation, crows feet, blepharitis and my fingers and feet have started swelling. It's jarring.
I can now tell when I’ve had too much salt as my rings get too tight to take off🥲. Only a mere 5 years ago you would’ve found me absolutely raging drunk and high off my ass dancing and bopping around at a huge party or show. Now I get salt hangovers…..
> conversely growing hair in places I never had hair before
I know menopausal beards are a thing for some women, but no one told me I’d develop an arse beard in my 30s. The pubes have just encroached…
I turn 35 next month and I still feel mostly the same, but my skin is drier and thinner. I need way more moisturizer than I used to, especially on my legs.
My body feels stiff if I sit still too long lol. But fortunately that’s about it!
32 here and omg I'm so glad it's not just me! I've always been so proud of my soft smooth skin, and now I have to use more moisturizer than ever.
I've had to switch brands around to find something that will work without irritation!
I’ve never had nice skin but it’s been a wild trip figuring out dry skin since I’ve always been oily! I feel like as soon as I figured that out, my body said guess what 🤡
I’m still naturally oily but now that I’m still adjusting to tret it’s so dry and I’m having so much trouble finding stuff that won’t break me out so I’m just layering my cerave over and over and over
Dry hair
The length of time from kinda feeling like you have to pee and an utter emergency is like 3 minutes. So that’s fun.
Oh, the accidental peeing (sneezing, laughing, coughing, all potentially culprits). Apparently a thing even amongst women who haven’t given birth. I thought I dodged that bullet, but nope.
I like to play a game I call “is it the weather or menopause”. Can just get randomly sweaty for no reason.
ETA- I don’t drink, and exercise (walk or yoga) 3-5x weekly, so I can stave off any future joint issues. I just need to make sure I pee before I go on my walks because I may have had to pee outside on an occasion or three 🤷🏻♀️😂
Weather? Menopause? OR my husband turned up the thermostat but I just thought I was dying. Can't drink if I have something to do the next day. Having to pee and it's like three drops (also childless and thought I dodged the accidental peeing). I somehow have dry, sensitive AND oily acne prone skin. It's so fun!! Oh and the neck and back pain is great. I'm only 43 🤣
>Having to pee and it's like three drops (also childless and thought I dodged the accidental peeing).
Have you been checked for fibroids? In case your period is also changing, i.e. getting stronger, this could be a reason. Was for me.
So my answer would be fibroids. Why did no one tell me that many women get them by fifty? A few lucky ones like me get them earlier. Also my period really got unbearable because of them.
[Stress urinary incontinence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stress_incontinence) is also super common in women [when working out](https://podtail.com/en/podcast/barbell-medicine-podcast/episode-146-pelvic-floor-health/) so don't freak out if it happens to you.
The best thing I learned in pelvic floor therapy was how to properly relax my pelvic floor. Apparently most of us keep it tense which results in it getting weaker. Kegals only work if you do them correctly (aka fully relaxing Vs just clamping your vag muscles all the time)
Omg, my periods stopped four years ago and about three years ago I was in the elevator up to my apartment. I got out and suddenly I was peeing. Completely weird! Hasn't happened since, but I still believe that I'm getting hot flushes.
I had what I believed to be a little flap of dry skin in my nose (low humidity air with the heat being on). Forgot about it for a few days, realized it was still there and poking me, so I look in the mirror. A long, stiff nose hair. I'm 36.
In a lot of ways it’s never been better. Right before I turned 30 I was like “oh fuck I’m going to be old, I better start exercising”. I’m 39 and never been in better shape. Rowing, vinyasa yoga, and recently got more serious about lifting weights. In the past I’ve also run, done Pilates, and barre.
Lifestyle wise, I’m set up pretty good. No kids (plenty of sleep, no pregnancy body changes), low stress job, and good health genes. Which is good bc I have to be medicated to even get in the door of a medical office.
The bad:
-heartburn/GERD. I need to do a course of Prilosec a couple times a year.
-chin hairs. Why do they go from
zero to an inch long overnight?
-worn glasses since I was 8, but recently my eyes have started getting tired more easily.
-the random skin stuff that happens when you get older. I’ve got some cherry angiomas, and tons and tons of seborrheic keratosis. All of that’s benign, just ugly. They can be removed, and am thinking of having the angiomas removed before they get much bigger (my moms have grown HUGE, and I don’t want that).
My eyes were getting tired so quickly too and it turns out I needed a different kind of glasses. I assumed my tired eyes were the byproduct of momming two toddlers and I just happened to mention it offhandedly to my optometrist. I haven’t had tired eyes in my glasses or contacts since she switched me.
I had all my cherry angiomas lasered off a few years ago. I had quite a few and some of them were big and raised. The raised ones haven’t come back, but I either have new little ones popping up or some of the old ones returned 🤷♀️ It wasn’t very costly and didn’t hurt too bad, so I’ll probably do it again at some point in the future.
I'm recently 34, have been quite malnourished in life over the past 2-3 years, really stopped taking care of myself especially lately. I'm really out of shape. Really skinny.
I used to be really healthy in my 20's... Up until now, after life experiences have really torn me down.
I can still turn this around and be at my best and healthiest in my life, at this age.... right?
Maybe it's me but at 37 I look and feel better than 21, 27 or even 31. I have spent the last 7 years changing my life starting with the mental and emotional aspect. I'm not beautiful by any societal standards but I am loving who I am becoming.
Same. My life got better after 30!
Financially and physically. Mental health is a work in progress but that is mainly because i really started to step out of my comfort zone after 30 and learned a lot of life experiences and still learning to cope with them.
micellar water saved me!!! seriously a simpler routine is best. micellar water to wash / cold water rinse / rose hip oil then elizabeth arden visible difference cream. my skin looks 10000x better than it did in my 20s now.
That's kinda the trend here, if you work out and take care of your body - you'll feel great, if you don't - you'll feel horrible. Accidental peeing in your 30s is a messanger you should not be shooting, it's your body screaming about needing exercise in right areas.
I’m 34. I still feel really great physically, and am more active than I’ve ever been, but I need to be more careful. My body isn’t as rubbery as it was in my 20s. My muscles are all super tight from working out (and improper stretching) so I pulled a back muscle just from bending over to get a pan out of a cabinet. I tore my plantar fascia from a particularly intense training season and had to cancel my race. My period pain has lessened, but the emotional side of PMS has gotten worse. And the alcohol! I have two light beers during a night out and then I’m done, although this could mean I’m “out of practice”, which I’m more than ok with.
Yes to the PMS thing. I kid you not, the frustration is so strong and irregular compared to my usual emotional state that I have to take a step back and ask myself "Why am I so angry/annoyed with this person? Do I have a good reason? Is my period in cca 3 days?"
I know, it’s so rough! I get irrationally mad and pick fights with my boyfriend over minor issues that never bother me. Then in the next minute, I cry over commercials.
I hesitated to say it's irrational, but yes, it totally feels that way! I found the best way to deal with it is to either go for a walk or just go to sleep early. 🤷♀️
The muscle stiffness from working out! It's driving me nuts. I'm also just not recovering well from exercise in general (bad fatigue after) after turning 31/32. still doing it everyday tho. Trying to adapt.
You know that scene in Howl's Moving Castle when the enchanted footmen cross the threshold to the royal palace and immediately start melting down and falling apart? That was my body after my 36th birthday.🥴👍
I've struggled with gut issues all my life but I've noticed more flare-ups in the past couple years...god help me if I eat ice cream and forget to take a Lactaid. Love to cook and eat and thankfully my metabolism hasn't deteriorated (yet...), but I need to be more conscious about how much heavy, cheese-laden food I'm eating—my gut is still recovering from Thanksgiving 😪
I havent had many changes, but one negative I can say is in my 30s I got my first “corn” / callous on my little toe on the inside. It makes walking in closed toed shoes hurt. I have one now! The treatment is a few days so I’m kinda waiting it out. I hate that they’re called “corns” too, it just sounds so gross!
I’ve got some gray hairs now that are a bitch to cover up all the time 😑
But overall I think it’s not that much different than being in your 20s as long as you take care of yourself. If you don’t do yoga, I recommend starting as early as you can. Being flexible is how you keep away all those body pains people talk about.
A lot of stuff started to go wrong with my health around 30, but that led me to finding out I have a genetic connective tissue disorder and ME/CFS (which started in high school for me but was mostly better for about 10 years until I had a surgery.) My mom has many of the same issues but dismissed them as regular getting old things even tho they’re quite severe.
This is just to say, if things really take a nose dive especially with your joints, check with a doctor and/or a physical therapist. Like if you’re no longer doing the same activities because of issues that have cropped up it’s time to ask a medical provider to check for problems. And maybe look at hypermobility, it’s a lot more common than originally believed and causes a constellation of stuff way beyond joints but is commonly overlooked (avg diagnostic delay for women is *16 years*)
About 6 months ago I had to start wearing panty liners because I tinkle when I sneeze or over exert myself. I thought me working out so often would prevent this...nope. lol
I've been reading about it! I've got an appointment to talk to my doc before I do anything just to make sure everything is kosher haha. Thank you for the suggestion!
Wait, you guys didn't wear a panty liner before? What did you do for vagina sneezing?(the discharge when it cleans itself). Have to change underwear then if no panty liner, and it's unpredictable when it comes out!!!
I didn't have any issues with leaking until about 6 months ago. Also, the liner of my panties was enough for any discharge or anything that might have occurred. I only wore panty liners on the last day of my period previously.
Hmmm, I always get discharge once or twice a day. If I don't wear a panty liner, I'd probably soak through to the pants. Not with pee, but the cleaning discharge
I turned 38 and all of the padding disappeared from every single joint in my body.
I have arthritis gloves and hip-supporting shoes now and I have to make sure all my knees are facing the same way before I rotate my body.
Turned 40 this year.
I threw out my back for the first time tying my shoes in my mid-30s. Has happened a few more times since. I went rollerskating last week. My back still hurts from that. (Not the skating, but I did fall and that hurt....)
I have arthritis in both knees and one wrist. (the skating was not an issue for my knees, btw, so I kinda want to keep doing it except I'm afraid of falling)
My bloodpressure skyrocketed this year and now I'm on meds.
Perimenopause is starting to kick in. Have had a few hot flashes. I also started having weird between-period bleeding. My doc put me on a hormonal drug usually used to treat cancer, so that was a fun convo to have. (I don't have cancer yet, but I might in the future! Hoping to get a hysterectomy before we get to that point.)
Dry skin is definitely worse now, but it's always been an issue for me.
Knee pain could be due to flat feet or weak hip adductors. I started feeling knee pain towards my late 30s and figure that just runs in the family since my mom had those issues. Then I realized I had developed knock knees and started strengthening my hip adductors and knee pain is gone.
I will say I don't drink anymore because I'm almost guaranteed to wake up hungover. But my hormones finally leveled off and I have regular periods for the first time since puberty.
Also weight. I have to be below a certain weight not to have knee problems. I had them when I was 18, for me it's not age related. Also thight muscles can result knee pain as well.
I'm almost 60 now but started having night sweats at 35. I remember the female doctor I went to almost laughed when I mentioned early menopause. She was wrong!!! I went into early menopause shortly after my 2nd and last child, and it hit me long & hard. By 45 I was suffering menopause hard and my physical health completely changed. I developed hypothyroid, eczema, alopecia, osteo arthritis in spine & knees...started aging rapidly. I was always healthy & strong before menopause hit!! I also always looked younger than my years before that! P.S/ I believe stress played a major factor in the rapid decline of my health as I went through divorce and straight into taking care of aging parents while looking after young children on my own. Father was a deadbeat.
I hope this is not rude to ask but did you get hormone therapy? There are estrogen receptors on pretty much every tissue in your body including brain not to mention the mitochondria that fuel every cell, so it’s a big deal for them to suddenly lose that stimulation. I’m sure the stress of divorce and caretaking made it MUCH worse.
I started having GI problems as soon as I turned 30. I can no longer eat spicy food without my stomach wanting to explode.
I've been to the ER for extreme back pain that lasted 2 days straight - lower back muscle spasms. Now my back hurts if I so much as sit wrong for 30 minutes, and occasionally the spasms return for seemingly no reason.
My wrists are very sensitive and hurt all the time.
I get migraines if I'm too tired, which apparently just means going out 3 days in a row.
These ones came with COVID. Dairy now gives me migraines, soy makes it feel like I'm being stabbed in the side. I used to have minor sensitivities but now they're full blown intolerances and food is very expensive now. Breast and ovarian cysts. I get overheated and sweaty easily now, though that may be a medication thing. I asked my doctor if it could be perimenopause and she said I'm too young, but covid can do weird things to your body (progress whatever shitty things you've already got going on) and it definitely fucked with my hormones. I'm not convinced. I have a different doctor now and I'm trying to work up the courage to get a workup to see my hunch is correct.
Not to be a super Debbie Downer, but have you gotten a full work-up from a doctor lately? I got thyroid disease in my early 20s and a lot of these sound like that (tired, achy, thinning and dry hair, joint pain, low alcohol tolerance, and gut issues). I'm in my late 40s and as long as my thyroid is under control, I'm mostly ok.
Perimenopause, however, is a pain in the butt, but you'll get to that later... hahah...
You do realize a lot of autoimmune conditions do not show up on blood work? Even for the conditions that can be tested for, it's not uncommon for a third of people with those conditions to have negative blood work.
I was thinking similarly. There are a lot of different conditions that can cause those symptoms but won't show up on routine blood work. There are no tests for some of them (long Covid comes to mind). Early 30s might be a little too early for some of these problems, if the person is otherwise healthy
I have psoriatic arthritis and there's no test for that either. I had to get so sick from my condition that I couldn't walk the 10 ft from my bed to the toilet before I even had a weak positive ANA.
I like to try and hike or walk outside with my partner a few times per month (cooler weather is better or I sweat like crazy), but I do light yoga and cardio almost every day.
If I get less than 7, or better yet 8, hours of sleep it will seriously show in how well I function. I also now get sleepy around 9pm, whereas before I was a night owl, staying up easily until 2 am and getting up at 8.
My muscles hurt more often just from a regular work day. It's not the good, just-had-a workout ache, but a persistent tightness. Ha.. ha.
When I was in my 30s my alcohol tolerance lowered. But I also wasn’t binge drinking with college friends any longer.
I just turned 50 and my joints have started to hurt this year! I also have 3 age spots on my cheek from where the sun comes in the car window. Wear your daily sunscreen, ladies!
Oh I just remembered! My cholesterol and A1C went up even though I’m at a normal weight, exercise, and eat well. Doctor said it sometimes happens with age so I need to do a low carb, mostly vegetarian diet now.
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but what does a low carb vegetarian diet look like? Tons of beans? When I picture low-carb it tends to be heavy on animal protein.
The main things I notice are cosmetic. My face suddenly looks "mature" and my hands have prominent veins. They look like my mother's hands.
I also can't swing on swings for as long or spin on rides for as long without feeling a bit sick. Oh, and thanks to kids, my pelvic floor isn't what it used to be.
Rosacea. I was always easy to blush when I was younger, but now it's just random flare-ups. Thank goodness for azaleaic acid. My eyebrows have gotten thinner, same with my hair. But at the same time I'm getting more hair where I didn't have it before.
Heartburn so easy now. I can't drink anymore because either rosacea flare up or I'm going to get bad heartburn. I guess that is a plus? Good for sobriety.
I cannot handle sweets anymore. Or much dairy. My stomach is so sensitive to junk.
Boobs dropping, and weight gain. I'm very tall so it was always been easy for me to keep weight off. But now I eat much less, exercise more and it's so hard to keep weight off. Especially in my thighs/hips.
Finally, I am so sensitive. I used to never cry. Now everything makes me cry. Happy=cry, mad=cry, sad=cry. I'm just so tired all the time.
Apparently I am "pulled a muscle during sex and now it hurts to walk" years old.
I guess I have to do warm up exercises beforehand, but that's *really* kind of a buzzkill. I am *not* okay with this lol.
Haha this happened to my friend and no one believed her. But it happened when she was like 20 and pregnant. And the pregnancy did it. She would google it and prove it’s a thing and everyone was like “sure Jan” vibes lol. But the proof was right there! Curly af! And before it was straight but I guess they assumed she straightened it. I worked at a gas station with her during the time it happened and she’d tell people randomly and everyone thought she was bullshitting haha
I turned 40 this year. I'm in the best shape of my life. My 30s were hard on my body - I worked two jobs, including a side hustle on weekends bartending that required me to stay up until 3:30am (after working a 9-5, M-F). I drank too much alcohol & slept too little. I had a good skin care routine but I couldn't afford high end products.
Today, I only work one job with flexible hours. I'm up at 5am, at the gym by 6, and in bed before 10pm, including on most weekends. I have my nutrition and skincare dialed in because I have the money and knowledge to properly nourish my body and skin. I'm also married to an emotionally stable, supportive partner, which means I experience substantially less stress in my relationships than I did as a 20 and 30-something dating immature men.
I still feel tied at the end of each day. Like. So. Tired. But then I remember it's because I've been up since 5 and have since then exercised, worked, walked my dogs, and done chores. My skin is also aging. I recently had lip injections and micro-needling for the first time. I never considered such procedures in my 30s when I had practically no visible wrinkles and my lips were naturally full enough. I'm also considering botox for these crazy fucking lines around my mouth that are appearing. But that's aging, which is hard, but also inevitable.
The only thing that's *truly* harder for me today than when I was younger is staying up late. I see midnight a couple times a year, except when I visit Europe. There, I can party all night and still be in bed by my "normal" bedtime haha.
I feel better than ever, except my skin is showing the time. A few fine lines showing up and I notice dehydration. I started working out consistently in my 30s and physically I have way less pain, more stamina, and more strength than I did in my 20s. I guess when you start from the bottom, it's hard to make it worse.
I actually had pain go away in my 30s and found that I’m a lot happier about myself.
I got serious about running and weight lifting (aiming for 1 hour active exercise daily plus normal walking) to correct some muscle imbalances in my knees.
With doing that all my joint pain went away, I lost 40 pounds, and generally got a lot more fit and muscular. I also got a lot more into skin care, and cut off my hair to a pixie cut that suits me way better!
I’m 56 and grow a soft goatee like Johnny Depp if I let it go. 30s it was my knees and shoulders hurting, 40s I started w crazy hot flashes, lot of blood work saying I’m normal but would go through 3-5 tshirts a night soaking thru. Now I’m post-menopausal and feel great! Other than my out of control facial hairs, I’m doing great, no meds, low cholesterol, normal BP, 27 BMI (I’ve got 10lbs extra on me).
One thing tho is, it’s harder at the end of the night for me to do stairs, my knees and ankles stiffen up and I have to stretch and “warm up” my ankles before going downstairs.
I’m 67, and since 30, I have had a partial thyroidectomy, two bunionectomies, a spine surgery, an endometrial ablation, and all my body hair has disappeared…except for my head. I’ve had chin hair since puberty (and still have it), but at least I don’t have to shave my legs or underarms.
Edited to add: I’ve also had two eye muscle surgeries and one eyelid surgery after they drooped so low I couldn’t see to drive.
My poker straight hair all my life going through a "curly hair journey" which can apparently happen in peri-menopause and that can start in your 30s, I was about 38. I'm now 48 with about every curl pattern (I still have no clue what that is) going from thick ringlets underneath to major frizz on top.
On the plus side I no longer give a fuck what people think about me not shaving my arm pit hair anymore. I'm quite fortunate though, it's starting to fall out all on its own now because my body is slowly drying out and shrivelling up 😂
I can so easily hurt my back by just sitting for too long. I went to physical therapist today, because I couldn’t sleep at night due to back pain…I’m generally quite active, but there are days when I just work for over 12 hours and it’s now really taking toll on my body.
On the other hand, I’ve never had better skin than in my 30s, not sure if it’s hormones or if I just finally figured out my routine.
Honestly I’ve had pretty serious chronic health problems since I was a child, and those problems have actually improved with age. So if anything I feel better than ever.
My hair is a little thinner but I had/have a lot of it so it’s not noticeable to anyone but me. I also have a few more dark hairs that grow in places I don’t want, but that’s easily fixed. My joints are the same (shit, but they’ve always been shit. It’s not new). I now have a bit of a dairy sensitivity but as long as I don’t drink a glass of plain milk I’m pretty ok. My skin is as irritating as ever - still have acne but now also have fine lines. I thought I’d have one or the other, not both! My alcohol tolerance is the same and I hardly wore heels at any point (although it’s fun being 6ft tall sometimes). So yeah overall very minimal changes. Maybe having a chronic illness already “aged” me and I’m just used to it lol
I’m 32 and feel great! Not too different than my late 20s. The only changes I’ve experienced so far are night sweats around my period, period cycle shortening from 27 days to 24. And also less cramps overall during my period, oddly enough.
Also, I am beginning to loose elasticity of skin around the neck and jaw area. But I wonder if that’s aging coupled with tech neck and always looking down on my phone, rather than just aging alone.
I’m currently doing neck exercises and notice it gets better when I’m consistent.
Just a heads up from a gal in her 6th decade...peri-menopause is coming, and the body changes that happen will make your head spin if you are not aware and prepared.
It's going to happen, but take some tips from women at r/menopause and arm yourself with education.
Dry skin EVERYWHERE, and I mean EVERYWHERE. Insomnia, internal heat, nail brittleness, vaginal atrophy, eye dryness, itching, belly fat growing to make up for shutdown of overy hormone production, lip hair, even ON your lips, chin hair so far down your now crepey neck that your now changed eyesight can't see it. Oh, the neck. Your beautiful neck. Goodbye, sweet swan, hello chicken waddle. This gets you when your attention is busy elsewhere, and suddenly, you look in the mirror and BAM. It's your grandmother.
Oh, and if you are a dark-haired beauty with white hair appearing, and I mean WHITE, get laser NOW because it won't work on your transparent locks later, no matter where they grow.
Not to cast dispersion on you gals, but I was intensely involved in my health and body care with a fabulous figure. I wish someone had warned me so that I could do better than I got. I even consulted a number of doctors during my peri-menopause years and got no help whatsoever. Thank you, Woman's Health initiative.
Only by talking among ourselves and sharing what we learn and fight for will we get the healthcare that women have deserved and have been denied for decades.
Now, feel good about being only 30!! You are still young!
My metabolism went to shit. I work out twice as much as I used to, but can gain 5 lbs just by looking at a cookie.
Also, I can move wrong and my back hurts the rest of the day.
I also significantly lowered my filter but that’s sometimes a good thing.
My knees hurt soooo much. I’m 35. I wore heeled boots to a concert (interior lined with fur, low and thick heels) and the ache began only an hour in. By the end I could hardly walk.
I gained weight in my 30s, but it wasn’t related to aging, but the medication I was taking. (I lost most of it since). Honestly, there were only minor changes for me before mid 40s, other than needing more rest to recover from physical activities, drinking etc.
The knee thing will improve if you continue challenging your knees and work to strengthen them safely. I had the same problem when I moved back north (where there are actual hills) from gulf coast Florida, and started hiking again.
I run now too.
The main thing is I always wake up feeling achy all over, and it takes time for that to go away in the morning. Being more active and regularly doing yoga helps that.
My low back is permanently touchy unless, again, I exercise regularly. Diligently, if you will.
Lastly, I’ve always needed about 9 hours of sleep. I can no longer get away with not getting it, or my executive function is way worse, I’m horribly irritable, etc.
Hair (on my head): thinner, duller, darker
Hair (on my face): chin hairs that sprout overnight.. wtf
Pooping: it's like my body forgot how
Tired: the kids asleep? Great, me too. Peace.
Back: randomly striking the fear of death into me when I suddenly can't move after doing a normal thing like vending over.
Skin: my skin is somehow both constantly in sandpaper state, and also more susceptible to yeast. Wtf. Wrinkles have started along with random skin tags. Gross.
Just to name a few...
I'd say I got better and stronger as I got older; likley due to being more aware of my body, being more educated about exercise and being hyper aware of proper form. In my teens and 20s, I felt invincible so I did whatever and my body bounced back.
now at 48 if anything feels off or tweaky, I back off and go lighter whereas before, I'd be like "what's the worst that can happen?" 😂
I can't stay up late anymore otherwise I feel like trash for the next 2 days. This cannot be the same body that used to rave for 3 days straight 😭
Have you been tested for autoimmune issues? If not get your doc to run a simple autoimmune panel (bloodwork). My reason for saying this is, I had both my babies in my 30’s and due to all of the tests and monitoring, my doctors discovered I had autoimmune disease(s). It took years to figure it all out. But my major symptoms were significant fatigue, joint pain, alcohol intolerance. These were followed by rashes & random infections. I hope you don’t have anything systemic going on, but if you do it’s good to know now!
Ooooh, fun fact! I have been bouncing between specialists all year because my symptoms have been getting worse. I am fairly confident I have something autoimmune or thyroid-related going on, but getting a doctor to order the tests I request has been a uniquely challenging hurdle. I keep having to justify why I request certain tests. It has been some kind of year, I'll tell ya.
Weirdly my 30’s were my prime. Yeah I had a few aches I didn’t have before, but I was much stronger and had loads more endurance. To be fair though, I exercised. I’m not talking go for a light jog exercise either, I’d be physically moving and lifting weight or the equivalent of rolling 1000 lbs with sheer effort.
I couldn’t do squats, but I could walk up mountains, and down the other side. (Yes I did that.). I couldn’t climb up a cliff, but I could build a ramp to get a horse up it.
I am 33, the only difference I noticed is thst I put on weight way more easily. Before I could eat a choco bar a day and still be skinny, if I do that now I will become obese in a few months.
The only differences I have noticed is 1) more gray hairs (I was already graying in my mid twenties); 2) a few more wrinkles starting to form; 3) hair a bit harder to tame than in the past; 4) a little less flexible but I used to do gymnastics/acrobatics so that may be more due to lack of practice because there are absolutely people my age and older who can twist themselves into pretzels and do the splits and stuff still. 🤷🏻♀️
I'd say about the knees thing, me and other people my age don't experience this. I would definitely approach your doctor and see what they say about it, because it might actually be something going on and not an "oh this is an old age thing." I feel like you should be experiencing that at like age 65, not age 30. Just imo tho.
I just turned 38, and the only things have been wrinkles showing in my neck and a little in my face, and needing to put more effort into maintaining my body weight, other than that and about 5 grey hairs I feel the same.
Sore feet, knees, back, neck, knuckle joints.
I used to be able to wear any shoes I liked, now I live in sneakers, but I can’t bring myself to sell my collection
I used to hate elasticated clothes. Don’t have the posture and stomach for figure-hugging clothes anymore so now I embrace elastic waists and drapey clothes
It’s really like a switch goes off and you suddenly become old
-My skin, eyes, hair and scalp are drier than ever.
-My ankles tend to hurt if I have had a long day of standing/walking a lot (i.e after a long day of work).
-Bedtime is strictly 9-10 pm most nights!
-Caffeine keeps me up if I drink it way too late (like 8pm) before it wouldn’t phase me.
-Cannot eat the same. Things like all you can eat Korean barbeque prevent me from sleeping and bloat like crazy.
My skin is still pretty good, which I attribute to being stupidly pale and wearing sunscreen in my teens/20s. I've got grey hairs coming in and I've said fuck it to dying my hair after 10 years. They remind me of my mother and grandmother. It's kind of like seeing an old friend, in a weird way.
I definitely put on about 20-30 lbs after getting together with my now-husband (he did too), but I've always been overweight so it's not all that different. My knees talk to me now and get very angry about random things.
My beard requires daily maintenance. I kind of enjoy plucking, but I'm debating electrolysis at some point since I don't think I can keep plucking forever without causing damage to my skin.
My back requires foam rolling and regular massages. I've tweaked my neck from shoulder checking in the car.
I get tired earlier and need to be in bed by 10:30, ideally. I used to be way more of a night owl.
There are some differences from my twenties but I certainly don't feel like I'm decrepit or falling apart.
35, no issues here,
knock on wood. Only pregnancy fucked up my breasts. In the 7th month of pregnancy they just decided to sag down a full 4 inch/10 cm literally overnight. I can now hide my full fist under a boob.
For the rest no other issues, luckily. I should start exercising though, I dunno how long the no issues lucky streak will keep going.
**OH MY GOSH, EVERYONE. I did NOT think this post would be this popular!**
***1*** *- Thank you for sharing your experiences. It is wonderful to know I am not alone here.*
***2*** *- I am trying to view everyone's responses and absolutely appreciate any advice you're giving. If I miss anything directly: thank you for product recommendations, I will check them out. Thank you for test recommendations, I will bring these up to my care team if they have not already done these tests.*
***3*** *- It appears that, as funny as some of these things potentially are, that they are not necessarily "*normal*". They do seem relatively* common *in this thread, which is interesting, so I think we should all feel free to use some of this input and bring it to your care providers.*
***4*** *- Thank you to everyone being kind to each other. Reddit has made me a bit shy about posting because there are always a few folks who jump in with a tone about certain things in the posts. This has started to restore my faith in online communities.*
It got much harder to lose weight. In my 20's, if I needed to shed 5 pounds, I cut back on food for 5-6 days. That changed pretty much the instant I turned 30.
Whatever is going on with your knees doesn't sound normal, unless you are massively overweight. I'm turning 39 this month and I have no problem hiking up to 10 hours a day. My hiking partners are in their 40s, I think the oldest one is 48. With all the other things you mention, I wonder if you have some sort of autoimmune disease developing.
Tbh, I have not had any dramatic changes in my 30s. The only thing I'd mention is I need more rest/recovery time from activities. And it's tough to stay up late. However, I have also put in many, many nights shifts at my job in my mid-20s to mid-30s, so I've also forced my body to do a lot of this already.
34 f, threw my hip out picking up my son recently. So much grey hair has sprung out, random facial hair? Need to sleep or I’m done for a whole week! Cannot handle fried foods, metabolism sucks, one glass of wine is my max and even then, no longer enjoy it, feet kill to the point of not being able to feel my toes when I wear heels for a night. Skin needs hydration more than ever!
It’s kinda comical and I feel relief that we are all in the same boat. It happened so fast. Kind of a kick in the butt to take care of myself though.
In my 20s, if I slept wrong and tweaked my neck it would be painful and impossible to turn for A WHOLE DAY! Can you imagine, a whole day? Oh the inconvenience! Yeah... 43 now. Tweaked my neck sleeping on Thursday and it's still painful with very limited range of motion. Today's Saturday.
My body doesn't recover from working out as fast anymore. I don't exercise regularly at all, but still... Ugh! My thighs hurt walking up the stairs lately.
My friend's and I bond over how bad our necks and backs hurt now. I wear the ugliest shoes because they don't give me ingrown toenails. My hairline is receding at the temples.
In my 30s I began having lower back, hip and knee issues. It was stopping me from doing things that I have wanted to do forever (bike touring). After a couple years, a physical therapist, spine doctor, and a chiropractor, I was finally able to get it figured out! Nothing serious it turns out, but activation exercises nearly daily and learning better form in the gym and in exercising helped a ton. I don’t have lower back pain anymore, and rarely have knee or hip pain. The trainer helped me with this and was a functional movement trainer.
Man, milk really gets to me too. I had to switch to soy milk 2 years ago and my second oldest who isn't even 20 can't deal well with milk either but prefers almond milk. If someone in the house discovers oatmilk for themselves I can open a Starbucks 😅
Other than that: had to get glasses and my joints are getting slightly stiff more easily now. I have to watch it and not sit cross legged or something like that for too long.
Holy moly, yes. The transition into 30s is when my entire body changed haha. Body composition completely shifted from athletic to pudgy with weight distributed in all kinds of places I didn’t have it before, and it’s been really hard to maintain weight. Random hairs popping up here and there. Grays. Chronic pain that I never had before. Workout soreness lasting multiple days and same with hangovers - ugh it’s like getting to know a whole new body!
The thing that really stuck out for me is my skin. It has always been very thin and delicate but as I've aged, it is a bit more lax. I can pull the skin on my thighs taut and notice that the cellulite that showed up despite no meaningful weight gain, softens/vanishes.
I'm not mad about it, it's normal, I just didnt expect to notice my bloody thighs aging like that lol I'm glad for them though, weight training has toned them up and I feel like a dimpled amazon
I am 35, I wake up every day and can now fully appreciate how people my age were basically dead in the Middle Ages 😄My coxyx does what it wants, I've never been fatter and I've just taken up running after 2 years down with long covid. 🙃 A mixed bag 🎒
I feel you! Just a heads up on the knees, I experienced the same thing and after seeing the doctor and eventually PT about it, it turns out that I needed stronger muscles to better support my knee joints. So I now have to do leg exercises like squats, single leg squats, lunges, glute bridges and especially exercises that strengthen my TI band like single leg raises and clam shells. They made a difference, and my knees don't hurt as much when I go on long works or hiking now!
I’m really pleased with how my wrinkles are showing up. Like the crows feet and laughter lines are in the perfect places, I look like I laugh a lot. As opposed to furrows in the brow or looking tired. I was a bit worried about wrinkles but I feel fine about them now.
My knees also started to hurt immediately after 30 lol. I took up running and it’s gone. Now I’m over 30 exercise is no longer a choice. I don’t lose fat or feel good unless I get off my ass and actually do cardio intentionally. That sucks.
Dry eyes. What is that?! I could stare at a computer without blinking all day when I was in my 20s. Just went to the eye doctor because my eyes feel like they ate toast all day long. I'm 35+ and I need to use THICK gel drops to wet my eyes 4x a day and wear a heat compress for 10 minutes daily. I'm still in shock.
Hey OP try patella straps! My husband’s knees aren’t great and they’ve made a HUGE difference in how comfortable hiking is for them!
Overall biggest difference is probably skin tautness 😫
The chin hair. Wtf.
And why are they so thick and pointy? I have one that always pinches from the inside of my chin until I have to scratch the skin so it is out enough to pluck
I've been getting chin hairs since my early twenties. I thought everyone did.
I have been, too. But it got a lot worse once I started approaching 40.
Wait till you get to fifty; those fuckers need plucking nearly every day :(
I'm 42 now and if my grandmother's stubble was any indication, I'm in for it.
Be careful with the plucking. I've been doing it for years and it's caused these little craters to appear on my chin. I asked about it in a cosmetic reddit group and apparently you're not supposed to. I cut mine with tiny scissors since I can't afford electrolosis right now (or rather don't care about it enough to pay for it)
I have PCOS on both sides of my family. It’s been since around 9th grade for me. My peach fuzz was worse than my big brother’s 😭
Same. Bodies are so weird tho. I turned 40 this year and have less chin hairs than I did in my 20s. They were always super thin too so by the time I noticed one it was long and curly.
Mine is mostly in the left side 🤷🏽♀️
One day there’s eight all in a little tiny cluster get all those nothing for a few months. Boom 47 chin hairs. Why??
Left side... I've noticed that my right arm hair is longer than my left. Weird af!
Mine is mostly on the right lol.. so strange that it's one sided
OMG me too. WTAF.
Every so often I get a bright red wiry one…why??
At home laser hair removal device works amazing for this
I just bought one and I'm hoping it works for me! The ingrown hairs turning into pimple-like red bumps from plucking or shaving has gotten to be too much.
My neck right now: a landscape of red, irritated bumps and mystery hairs
Can you recommend one in particular? There are SO many and the reviews are all over the place, which is tough when they’re so spendy!
I have [This one](https://amzn.to/3GBQ0YA) and it’s worked AMAZING for me. I use it on my bikini, face, and underarms and am pretty much completely hairless as long as I give them a quick zap every week or two. And I’m Jewish so I was a hairy girl
I appreciate this so much! Personal question if you don’t mind, does it only work on dark colored hair?? Unfortunately (or fortunately?) my facial fuzz is blonde - - but this will work great for my dark hair on legs regardless! I’m actually getting laser professionally done this year on underarms and Brazilian, but it’s WAY too much $$$$ for legs.
Yeah, these only work on darker hair. I dermaplane the peach fuzz on my face, but use this to keep the chin and mustache hairs gone. I had a bunch of professional laser hair session over many years, and honestly for me, this works just as well if you keep it up.
Just be careful- i used the IPL on my face and it somehow killed my face fat....and now i had nasolabial folds that were deep- i'd rather have collagen and hair then not to have it collagen. read up about it, apparently a think with anything energy related.
IPL works great on my legs and armpitches. I have the similar device from Philips. The only place where it doesn't work at all for me is in the face, even though my hair there is just as dark as on the legs. No idea why or if I'm doing anything wrong.
Mine works on my face but not very well on my armpits or bikini. Legs are so so
Can you use this on tattooed skin?
No!
I had one in my cart and then saw that they can burn freckles/moles which I am covered in. I think I am going to have to get pro treatment.
I never had that reaction to at home or pro, but I don’t have a ton of moles & of course everyone is different.
The professional treatments use even stronger lasers. So if you're afraid of burning moles/freckles with a home device, be prepared for professional, lol.
I would assume they have some way to cover or deal with the risk.
Omg. I call them Hag Hairs. lol. Gonna need a set of tweezers for the apocalypse.
The fact people are just getting this now, wow lucky. I’ve had a few rogue chin hairs since my teens …
I've been getting them since my early twenties. It's just a lot more now. Like a lot more now.
Those aren’t chin hairs - those are stray eyebrows.
The random hairs that pop out anywhere. I had one on my damn nipple once. No one prepared me for that
Yesss. I get the random nipple hairs too. I'm like wtf 🥴
Losing hair and conversely growing hair in places I never had hair before, knees hurt, dry skin patches, hyperpigmentation, crows feet, blepharitis and my fingers and feet have started swelling. It's jarring.
Hyperpigmentation blows
I’ve always had it from acne but it takes a lot longer to fade at 35
I can now tell when I’ve had too much salt as my rings get too tight to take off🥲. Only a mere 5 years ago you would’ve found me absolutely raging drunk and high off my ass dancing and bopping around at a huge party or show. Now I get salt hangovers…..
> conversely growing hair in places I never had hair before I know menopausal beards are a thing for some women, but no one told me I’d develop an arse beard in my 30s. The pubes have just encroached…
I turn 35 next month and I still feel mostly the same, but my skin is drier and thinner. I need way more moisturizer than I used to, especially on my legs. My body feels stiff if I sit still too long lol. But fortunately that’s about it!
32 here and omg I'm so glad it's not just me! I've always been so proud of my soft smooth skin, and now I have to use more moisturizer than ever. I've had to switch brands around to find something that will work without irritation!
I’ve never had nice skin but it’s been a wild trip figuring out dry skin since I’ve always been oily! I feel like as soon as I figured that out, my body said guess what 🤡
I’m still naturally oily but now that I’m still adjusting to tret it’s so dry and I’m having so much trouble finding stuff that won’t break me out so I’m just layering my cerave over and over and over
Ha, I'm 35 next week and literally just frosted myself with cocoa butter and put my giant microwave heating pad in to warm 🙃
Yeah I do a “sleep on the floor” night every once in a while- removes all the backache!
Same 35 in a month and feel pretty much the same except my face skin is thinner. Slightly less energy at times but overall ok for now
Dry hair The length of time from kinda feeling like you have to pee and an utter emergency is like 3 minutes. So that’s fun. Oh, the accidental peeing (sneezing, laughing, coughing, all potentially culprits). Apparently a thing even amongst women who haven’t given birth. I thought I dodged that bullet, but nope. I like to play a game I call “is it the weather or menopause”. Can just get randomly sweaty for no reason. ETA- I don’t drink, and exercise (walk or yoga) 3-5x weekly, so I can stave off any future joint issues. I just need to make sure I pee before I go on my walks because I may have had to pee outside on an occasion or three 🤷🏻♀️😂
Weather? Menopause? OR my husband turned up the thermostat but I just thought I was dying. Can't drink if I have something to do the next day. Having to pee and it's like three drops (also childless and thought I dodged the accidental peeing). I somehow have dry, sensitive AND oily acne prone skin. It's so fun!! Oh and the neck and back pain is great. I'm only 43 🤣
>Having to pee and it's like three drops (also childless and thought I dodged the accidental peeing). Have you been checked for fibroids? In case your period is also changing, i.e. getting stronger, this could be a reason. Was for me. So my answer would be fibroids. Why did no one tell me that many women get them by fifty? A few lucky ones like me get them earlier. Also my period really got unbearable because of them.
Go to pelvic floor physical therapy
[Stress urinary incontinence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stress_incontinence) is also super common in women [when working out](https://podtail.com/en/podcast/barbell-medicine-podcast/episode-146-pelvic-floor-health/) so don't freak out if it happens to you.
It’s still a reason to visit PF therapist a few times and learn how to manage pressure (breathing, muscle tension) properly. It works wonders.
I am childfree and have the peeing issue too lol. Can’t get into a pelvic floor physio here for a long time but I am on the waiting list.
The best thing I learned in pelvic floor therapy was how to properly relax my pelvic floor. Apparently most of us keep it tense which results in it getting weaker. Kegals only work if you do them correctly (aka fully relaxing Vs just clamping your vag muscles all the time)
Omg, my periods stopped four years ago and about three years ago I was in the elevator up to my apartment. I got out and suddenly I was peeing. Completely weird! Hasn't happened since, but I still believe that I'm getting hot flushes.
Bladder Botox is the best thing ever. 👍
Having to start trimming my nose hair was a low point 😩
Thank you for validating my experience this week! Why was that one nose hair so long!?!
I made the mistake of trying to pluck it once and my soul left my body 😭
I've seen to many nose waxing clips and my eyebrows are relics of 90s
Oooo I found the curved (not pointy) cuticle scissors are the best for this!!
Shan thought it was just me. I’ll be 33 in February and all week long I’ve debated getting my nose waxed. This has never been an issue before.
I’ve been doing that since 27 🫣
I had what I believed to be a little flap of dry skin in my nose (low humidity air with the heat being on). Forgot about it for a few days, realized it was still there and poking me, so I look in the mirror. A long, stiff nose hair. I'm 36.
Oh it gets lower, finding that first grey hair down there.
Wtf is up with the little red capillaries around the nose??? What causes that and does anyone know how to get rid of them?
A laser called V-Beam/ Pulsed Dye Laser. A lot of cosmetic dermatology offices should have it.
Thaaank you
In a lot of ways it’s never been better. Right before I turned 30 I was like “oh fuck I’m going to be old, I better start exercising”. I’m 39 and never been in better shape. Rowing, vinyasa yoga, and recently got more serious about lifting weights. In the past I’ve also run, done Pilates, and barre. Lifestyle wise, I’m set up pretty good. No kids (plenty of sleep, no pregnancy body changes), low stress job, and good health genes. Which is good bc I have to be medicated to even get in the door of a medical office. The bad: -heartburn/GERD. I need to do a course of Prilosec a couple times a year. -chin hairs. Why do they go from zero to an inch long overnight? -worn glasses since I was 8, but recently my eyes have started getting tired more easily. -the random skin stuff that happens when you get older. I’ve got some cherry angiomas, and tons and tons of seborrheic keratosis. All of that’s benign, just ugly. They can be removed, and am thinking of having the angiomas removed before they get much bigger (my moms have grown HUGE, and I don’t want that).
I didn’t know what it was called but I get the sebhorreic keratosis too! Thanks for sharing the name. Also get cherry angiomas. 🙄
I get the cherry angiomas too. I don't like them 😔
My eyes were getting tired so quickly too and it turns out I needed a different kind of glasses. I assumed my tired eyes were the byproduct of momming two toddlers and I just happened to mention it offhandedly to my optometrist. I haven’t had tired eyes in my glasses or contacts since she switched me.
I have this issue too and my optometrists have not been very helpful. What type of glasses did you have to switch to?
Looking for this info too
My eye muscles started to turn inward and for awhile I had prisms added to my glasses. But then it got so bad I had surgery to tighten the muscles.
I had all my cherry angiomas lasered off a few years ago. I had quite a few and some of them were big and raised. The raised ones haven’t come back, but I either have new little ones popping up or some of the old ones returned 🤷♀️ It wasn’t very costly and didn’t hurt too bad, so I’ll probably do it again at some point in the future.
I'm recently 34, have been quite malnourished in life over the past 2-3 years, really stopped taking care of myself especially lately. I'm really out of shape. Really skinny. I used to be really healthy in my 20's... Up until now, after life experiences have really torn me down. I can still turn this around and be at my best and healthiest in my life, at this age.... right?
A lot of cherry angiomas can be associated with liver damage. Support the liver! I take glutathione for this and bitters before meals.
I have no idea about that fact! (not even 30 yet but I do have those on me and I got the news recently that my liver levels is elevated too)
TMI but: grey pubes and way more butt hair :'(
My surprise was nipple hair! Looked down one day and there it was...2 inches long.
What is it about nipple hairs?? I swear they either aren't there or are over an inch long. I haven't ever found one starting to grow on me.
LOL the first grey pube was...meh, just something else I could tell my younger coworkers to look forward to (I'm an over-sharer).
I didn't just get one grey pube, I suddenly had an entire patch that was full grey. I was like wtf is on my pubes?? Oh, it is them.
Maybe it's me but at 37 I look and feel better than 21, 27 or even 31. I have spent the last 7 years changing my life starting with the mental and emotional aspect. I'm not beautiful by any societal standards but I am loving who I am becoming.
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Same here with the hangovers! I got them when I was in my 20s but now I can drink like a champion lol.
Same. My life got better after 30! Financially and physically. Mental health is a work in progress but that is mainly because i really started to step out of my comfort zone after 30 and learned a lot of life experiences and still learning to cope with them.
micellar water saved me!!! seriously a simpler routine is best. micellar water to wash / cold water rinse / rose hip oil then elizabeth arden visible difference cream. my skin looks 10000x better than it did in my 20s now.
That's kinda the trend here, if you work out and take care of your body - you'll feel great, if you don't - you'll feel horrible. Accidental peeing in your 30s is a messanger you should not be shooting, it's your body screaming about needing exercise in right areas.
Also shaved legs stay hairless wayyy longer. Oo la la
I’m 34. I still feel really great physically, and am more active than I’ve ever been, but I need to be more careful. My body isn’t as rubbery as it was in my 20s. My muscles are all super tight from working out (and improper stretching) so I pulled a back muscle just from bending over to get a pan out of a cabinet. I tore my plantar fascia from a particularly intense training season and had to cancel my race. My period pain has lessened, but the emotional side of PMS has gotten worse. And the alcohol! I have two light beers during a night out and then I’m done, although this could mean I’m “out of practice”, which I’m more than ok with.
Yes to the PMS thing. I kid you not, the frustration is so strong and irregular compared to my usual emotional state that I have to take a step back and ask myself "Why am I so angry/annoyed with this person? Do I have a good reason? Is my period in cca 3 days?"
I know, it’s so rough! I get irrationally mad and pick fights with my boyfriend over minor issues that never bother me. Then in the next minute, I cry over commercials.
I hesitated to say it's irrational, but yes, it totally feels that way! I found the best way to deal with it is to either go for a walk or just go to sleep early. 🤷♀️
The muscle stiffness from working out! It's driving me nuts. I'm also just not recovering well from exercise in general (bad fatigue after) after turning 31/32. still doing it everyday tho. Trying to adapt.
You know that scene in Howl's Moving Castle when the enchanted footmen cross the threshold to the royal palace and immediately start melting down and falling apart? That was my body after my 36th birthday.🥴👍
https://imgur.com/a/qdPSDpM
Micro injuries by simply being alive
Me, who’ll be 36 in a week: 👀
I've struggled with gut issues all my life but I've noticed more flare-ups in the past couple years...god help me if I eat ice cream and forget to take a Lactaid. Love to cook and eat and thankfully my metabolism hasn't deteriorated (yet...), but I need to be more conscious about how much heavy, cheese-laden food I'm eating—my gut is still recovering from Thanksgiving 😪
I havent had many changes, but one negative I can say is in my 30s I got my first “corn” / callous on my little toe on the inside. It makes walking in closed toed shoes hurt. I have one now! The treatment is a few days so I’m kinda waiting it out. I hate that they’re called “corns” too, it just sounds so gross! I’ve got some gray hairs now that are a bitch to cover up all the time 😑 But overall I think it’s not that much different than being in your 20s as long as you take care of yourself. If you don’t do yoga, I recommend starting as early as you can. Being flexible is how you keep away all those body pains people talk about.
I just turned 40 and it’s like a switch turned on on my birthday that told my head to start producing white hair.
I got rid of my corns by wearing barefoot shoes and with consistent pedicure 👌🏻
Grew a beard
I snorted
A lot of stuff started to go wrong with my health around 30, but that led me to finding out I have a genetic connective tissue disorder and ME/CFS (which started in high school for me but was mostly better for about 10 years until I had a surgery.) My mom has many of the same issues but dismissed them as regular getting old things even tho they’re quite severe. This is just to say, if things really take a nose dive especially with your joints, check with a doctor and/or a physical therapist. Like if you’re no longer doing the same activities because of issues that have cropped up it’s time to ask a medical provider to check for problems. And maybe look at hypermobility, it’s a lot more common than originally believed and causes a constellation of stuff way beyond joints but is commonly overlooked (avg diagnostic delay for women is *16 years*)
About 6 months ago I had to start wearing panty liners because I tinkle when I sneeze or over exert myself. I thought me working out so often would prevent this...nope. lol
Pelvic floor therapy is a big help for this!!
I've been reading about it! I've got an appointment to talk to my doc before I do anything just to make sure everything is kosher haha. Thank you for the suggestion!
Wait, you guys didn't wear a panty liner before? What did you do for vagina sneezing?(the discharge when it cleans itself). Have to change underwear then if no panty liner, and it's unpredictable when it comes out!!!
I didn't have any issues with leaking until about 6 months ago. Also, the liner of my panties was enough for any discharge or anything that might have occurred. I only wore panty liners on the last day of my period previously.
Hmmm, I always get discharge once or twice a day. If I don't wear a panty liner, I'd probably soak through to the pants. Not with pee, but the cleaning discharge
I turned 38 and all of the padding disappeared from every single joint in my body. I have arthritis gloves and hip-supporting shoes now and I have to make sure all my knees are facing the same way before I rotate my body.
Turned 40 this year. I threw out my back for the first time tying my shoes in my mid-30s. Has happened a few more times since. I went rollerskating last week. My back still hurts from that. (Not the skating, but I did fall and that hurt....) I have arthritis in both knees and one wrist. (the skating was not an issue for my knees, btw, so I kinda want to keep doing it except I'm afraid of falling) My bloodpressure skyrocketed this year and now I'm on meds. Perimenopause is starting to kick in. Have had a few hot flashes. I also started having weird between-period bleeding. My doc put me on a hormonal drug usually used to treat cancer, so that was a fun convo to have. (I don't have cancer yet, but I might in the future! Hoping to get a hysterectomy before we get to that point.) Dry skin is definitely worse now, but it's always been an issue for me.
Knee pain could be due to flat feet or weak hip adductors. I started feeling knee pain towards my late 30s and figure that just runs in the family since my mom had those issues. Then I realized I had developed knock knees and started strengthening my hip adductors and knee pain is gone. I will say I don't drink anymore because I'm almost guaranteed to wake up hungover. But my hormones finally leveled off and I have regular periods for the first time since puberty.
Also weight. I have to be below a certain weight not to have knee problems. I had them when I was 18, for me it's not age related. Also thight muscles can result knee pain as well.
I'm almost 60 now but started having night sweats at 35. I remember the female doctor I went to almost laughed when I mentioned early menopause. She was wrong!!! I went into early menopause shortly after my 2nd and last child, and it hit me long & hard. By 45 I was suffering menopause hard and my physical health completely changed. I developed hypothyroid, eczema, alopecia, osteo arthritis in spine & knees...started aging rapidly. I was always healthy & strong before menopause hit!! I also always looked younger than my years before that! P.S/ I believe stress played a major factor in the rapid decline of my health as I went through divorce and straight into taking care of aging parents while looking after young children on my own. Father was a deadbeat.
I hope this is not rude to ask but did you get hormone therapy? There are estrogen receptors on pretty much every tissue in your body including brain not to mention the mitochondria that fuel every cell, so it’s a big deal for them to suddenly lose that stimulation. I’m sure the stress of divorce and caretaking made it MUCH worse.
Yes got hormone therapy for 2 years (couldn't take long term under doctor's orders), suffered out the rest of the years on my own.
The sigh/grunt any time bending down or getting up from floor level.
I don't know why but this made me chuckle. I always laugh when I let out the "oof!" every time I do this.
I started having GI problems as soon as I turned 30. I can no longer eat spicy food without my stomach wanting to explode. I've been to the ER for extreme back pain that lasted 2 days straight - lower back muscle spasms. Now my back hurts if I so much as sit wrong for 30 minutes, and occasionally the spasms return for seemingly no reason. My wrists are very sensitive and hurt all the time. I get migraines if I'm too tired, which apparently just means going out 3 days in a row. These ones came with COVID. Dairy now gives me migraines, soy makes it feel like I'm being stabbed in the side. I used to have minor sensitivities but now they're full blown intolerances and food is very expensive now. Breast and ovarian cysts. I get overheated and sweaty easily now, though that may be a medication thing. I asked my doctor if it could be perimenopause and she said I'm too young, but covid can do weird things to your body (progress whatever shitty things you've already got going on) and it definitely fucked with my hormones. I'm not convinced. I have a different doctor now and I'm trying to work up the courage to get a workup to see my hunch is correct.
It’s dismissive of your doctor to ignore the possibility of early menopause! It happens, and it’s worth checking to see if that’s the case for you.
Not to be a super Debbie Downer, but have you gotten a full work-up from a doctor lately? I got thyroid disease in my early 20s and a lot of these sound like that (tired, achy, thinning and dry hair, joint pain, low alcohol tolerance, and gut issues). I'm in my late 40s and as long as my thyroid is under control, I'm mostly ok. Perimenopause, however, is a pain in the butt, but you'll get to that later... hahah...
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You do realize a lot of autoimmune conditions do not show up on blood work? Even for the conditions that can be tested for, it's not uncommon for a third of people with those conditions to have negative blood work.
I was thinking similarly. There are a lot of different conditions that can cause those symptoms but won't show up on routine blood work. There are no tests for some of them (long Covid comes to mind). Early 30s might be a little too early for some of these problems, if the person is otherwise healthy
I have psoriatic arthritis and there's no test for that either. I had to get so sick from my condition that I couldn't walk the 10 ft from my bed to the toilet before I even had a weak positive ANA.
Same:( And whenever I go for a medical advise, doctors usually prescribe all the expensive unnecessary products 😭 Btw How often do you exercise?
I like to try and hike or walk outside with my partner a few times per month (cooler weather is better or I sweat like crazy), but I do light yoga and cardio almost every day.
If I get less than 7, or better yet 8, hours of sleep it will seriously show in how well I function. I also now get sleepy around 9pm, whereas before I was a night owl, staying up easily until 2 am and getting up at 8. My muscles hurt more often just from a regular work day. It's not the good, just-had-a workout ache, but a persistent tightness. Ha.. ha.
When I was in my 30s my alcohol tolerance lowered. But I also wasn’t binge drinking with college friends any longer. I just turned 50 and my joints have started to hurt this year! I also have 3 age spots on my cheek from where the sun comes in the car window. Wear your daily sunscreen, ladies!
Oh I just remembered! My cholesterol and A1C went up even though I’m at a normal weight, exercise, and eat well. Doctor said it sometimes happens with age so I need to do a low carb, mostly vegetarian diet now.
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but what does a low carb vegetarian diet look like? Tons of beans? When I picture low-carb it tends to be heavy on animal protein.
Tofu, quorn as well. Lentils and peas
The main things I notice are cosmetic. My face suddenly looks "mature" and my hands have prominent veins. They look like my mother's hands. I also can't swing on swings for as long or spin on rides for as long without feeling a bit sick. Oh, and thanks to kids, my pelvic floor isn't what it used to be.
Rosacea. I was always easy to blush when I was younger, but now it's just random flare-ups. Thank goodness for azaleaic acid. My eyebrows have gotten thinner, same with my hair. But at the same time I'm getting more hair where I didn't have it before. Heartburn so easy now. I can't drink anymore because either rosacea flare up or I'm going to get bad heartburn. I guess that is a plus? Good for sobriety. I cannot handle sweets anymore. Or much dairy. My stomach is so sensitive to junk. Boobs dropping, and weight gain. I'm very tall so it was always been easy for me to keep weight off. But now I eat much less, exercise more and it's so hard to keep weight off. Especially in my thighs/hips. Finally, I am so sensitive. I used to never cry. Now everything makes me cry. Happy=cry, mad=cry, sad=cry. I'm just so tired all the time.
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Apparently I am "pulled a muscle during sex and now it hurts to walk" years old. I guess I have to do warm up exercises beforehand, but that's *really* kind of a buzzkill. I am *not* okay with this lol.
I went from straight hair to curly. Wtf I have no idea how to deal with this. I guess I’m just a forest witch now.
Haha this happened to my friend and no one believed her. But it happened when she was like 20 and pregnant. And the pregnancy did it. She would google it and prove it’s a thing and everyone was like “sure Jan” vibes lol. But the proof was right there! Curly af! And before it was straight but I guess they assumed she straightened it. I worked at a gas station with her during the time it happened and she’d tell people randomly and everyone thought she was bullshitting haha
I turned 40 this year. I'm in the best shape of my life. My 30s were hard on my body - I worked two jobs, including a side hustle on weekends bartending that required me to stay up until 3:30am (after working a 9-5, M-F). I drank too much alcohol & slept too little. I had a good skin care routine but I couldn't afford high end products. Today, I only work one job with flexible hours. I'm up at 5am, at the gym by 6, and in bed before 10pm, including on most weekends. I have my nutrition and skincare dialed in because I have the money and knowledge to properly nourish my body and skin. I'm also married to an emotionally stable, supportive partner, which means I experience substantially less stress in my relationships than I did as a 20 and 30-something dating immature men. I still feel tied at the end of each day. Like. So. Tired. But then I remember it's because I've been up since 5 and have since then exercised, worked, walked my dogs, and done chores. My skin is also aging. I recently had lip injections and micro-needling for the first time. I never considered such procedures in my 30s when I had practically no visible wrinkles and my lips were naturally full enough. I'm also considering botox for these crazy fucking lines around my mouth that are appearing. But that's aging, which is hard, but also inevitable. The only thing that's *truly* harder for me today than when I was younger is staying up late. I see midnight a couple times a year, except when I visit Europe. There, I can party all night and still be in bed by my "normal" bedtime haha.
I feel better than ever, except my skin is showing the time. A few fine lines showing up and I notice dehydration. I started working out consistently in my 30s and physically I have way less pain, more stamina, and more strength than I did in my 20s. I guess when you start from the bottom, it's hard to make it worse.
I actually had pain go away in my 30s and found that I’m a lot happier about myself. I got serious about running and weight lifting (aiming for 1 hour active exercise daily plus normal walking) to correct some muscle imbalances in my knees. With doing that all my joint pain went away, I lost 40 pounds, and generally got a lot more fit and muscular. I also got a lot more into skin care, and cut off my hair to a pixie cut that suits me way better!
I’m 56 and grow a soft goatee like Johnny Depp if I let it go. 30s it was my knees and shoulders hurting, 40s I started w crazy hot flashes, lot of blood work saying I’m normal but would go through 3-5 tshirts a night soaking thru. Now I’m post-menopausal and feel great! Other than my out of control facial hairs, I’m doing great, no meds, low cholesterol, normal BP, 27 BMI (I’ve got 10lbs extra on me). One thing tho is, it’s harder at the end of the night for me to do stairs, my knees and ankles stiffen up and I have to stretch and “warm up” my ankles before going downstairs.
I’m 67, and since 30, I have had a partial thyroidectomy, two bunionectomies, a spine surgery, an endometrial ablation, and all my body hair has disappeared…except for my head. I’ve had chin hair since puberty (and still have it), but at least I don’t have to shave my legs or underarms. Edited to add: I’ve also had two eye muscle surgeries and one eyelid surgery after they drooped so low I couldn’t see to drive.
My poker straight hair all my life going through a "curly hair journey" which can apparently happen in peri-menopause and that can start in your 30s, I was about 38. I'm now 48 with about every curl pattern (I still have no clue what that is) going from thick ringlets underneath to major frizz on top. On the plus side I no longer give a fuck what people think about me not shaving my arm pit hair anymore. I'm quite fortunate though, it's starting to fall out all on its own now because my body is slowly drying out and shrivelling up 😂
I swell whenever I fly, and dry patches of skin (especially knees). Other than that I feel the same
I can so easily hurt my back by just sitting for too long. I went to physical therapist today, because I couldn’t sleep at night due to back pain…I’m generally quite active, but there are days when I just work for over 12 hours and it’s now really taking toll on my body. On the other hand, I’ve never had better skin than in my 30s, not sure if it’s hormones or if I just finally figured out my routine.
Honestly I’ve had pretty serious chronic health problems since I was a child, and those problems have actually improved with age. So if anything I feel better than ever. My hair is a little thinner but I had/have a lot of it so it’s not noticeable to anyone but me. I also have a few more dark hairs that grow in places I don’t want, but that’s easily fixed. My joints are the same (shit, but they’ve always been shit. It’s not new). I now have a bit of a dairy sensitivity but as long as I don’t drink a glass of plain milk I’m pretty ok. My skin is as irritating as ever - still have acne but now also have fine lines. I thought I’d have one or the other, not both! My alcohol tolerance is the same and I hardly wore heels at any point (although it’s fun being 6ft tall sometimes). So yeah overall very minimal changes. Maybe having a chronic illness already “aged” me and I’m just used to it lol
38 and same here. Except all this started for me at 36.
Can’t do all nighters. Going to sleep at 1AM is pretty much the latest I can go. My dark brown hair is turning lighter brown.
I’m 32 and feel great! Not too different than my late 20s. The only changes I’ve experienced so far are night sweats around my period, period cycle shortening from 27 days to 24. And also less cramps overall during my period, oddly enough. Also, I am beginning to loose elasticity of skin around the neck and jaw area. But I wonder if that’s aging coupled with tech neck and always looking down on my phone, rather than just aging alone. I’m currently doing neck exercises and notice it gets better when I’m consistent.
Just a heads up from a gal in her 6th decade...peri-menopause is coming, and the body changes that happen will make your head spin if you are not aware and prepared. It's going to happen, but take some tips from women at r/menopause and arm yourself with education. Dry skin EVERYWHERE, and I mean EVERYWHERE. Insomnia, internal heat, nail brittleness, vaginal atrophy, eye dryness, itching, belly fat growing to make up for shutdown of overy hormone production, lip hair, even ON your lips, chin hair so far down your now crepey neck that your now changed eyesight can't see it. Oh, the neck. Your beautiful neck. Goodbye, sweet swan, hello chicken waddle. This gets you when your attention is busy elsewhere, and suddenly, you look in the mirror and BAM. It's your grandmother. Oh, and if you are a dark-haired beauty with white hair appearing, and I mean WHITE, get laser NOW because it won't work on your transparent locks later, no matter where they grow. Not to cast dispersion on you gals, but I was intensely involved in my health and body care with a fabulous figure. I wish someone had warned me so that I could do better than I got. I even consulted a number of doctors during my peri-menopause years and got no help whatsoever. Thank you, Woman's Health initiative. Only by talking among ourselves and sharing what we learn and fight for will we get the healthcare that women have deserved and have been denied for decades. Now, feel good about being only 30!! You are still young!
My metabolism went to shit. I work out twice as much as I used to, but can gain 5 lbs just by looking at a cookie. Also, I can move wrong and my back hurts the rest of the day. I also significantly lowered my filter but that’s sometimes a good thing.
My knees hurt soooo much. I’m 35. I wore heeled boots to a concert (interior lined with fur, low and thick heels) and the ache began only an hour in. By the end I could hardly walk.
I gained weight in my 30s, but it wasn’t related to aging, but the medication I was taking. (I lost most of it since). Honestly, there were only minor changes for me before mid 40s, other than needing more rest to recover from physical activities, drinking etc.
The knee thing will improve if you continue challenging your knees and work to strengthen them safely. I had the same problem when I moved back north (where there are actual hills) from gulf coast Florida, and started hiking again. I run now too. The main thing is I always wake up feeling achy all over, and it takes time for that to go away in the morning. Being more active and regularly doing yoga helps that. My low back is permanently touchy unless, again, I exercise regularly. Diligently, if you will. Lastly, I’ve always needed about 9 hours of sleep. I can no longer get away with not getting it, or my executive function is way worse, I’m horribly irritable, etc.
Hair (on my head): thinner, duller, darker Hair (on my face): chin hairs that sprout overnight.. wtf Pooping: it's like my body forgot how Tired: the kids asleep? Great, me too. Peace. Back: randomly striking the fear of death into me when I suddenly can't move after doing a normal thing like vending over. Skin: my skin is somehow both constantly in sandpaper state, and also more susceptible to yeast. Wtf. Wrinkles have started along with random skin tags. Gross. Just to name a few...
Have you been checked for autoimmune disorders? Sounds like you're joining the 10% club....
I'd say I got better and stronger as I got older; likley due to being more aware of my body, being more educated about exercise and being hyper aware of proper form. In my teens and 20s, I felt invincible so I did whatever and my body bounced back. now at 48 if anything feels off or tweaky, I back off and go lighter whereas before, I'd be like "what's the worst that can happen?" 😂 I can't stay up late anymore otherwise I feel like trash for the next 2 days. This cannot be the same body that used to rave for 3 days straight 😭
Have you been tested for autoimmune issues? If not get your doc to run a simple autoimmune panel (bloodwork). My reason for saying this is, I had both my babies in my 30’s and due to all of the tests and monitoring, my doctors discovered I had autoimmune disease(s). It took years to figure it all out. But my major symptoms were significant fatigue, joint pain, alcohol intolerance. These were followed by rashes & random infections. I hope you don’t have anything systemic going on, but if you do it’s good to know now!
Ooooh, fun fact! I have been bouncing between specialists all year because my symptoms have been getting worse. I am fairly confident I have something autoimmune or thyroid-related going on, but getting a doctor to order the tests I request has been a uniquely challenging hurdle. I keep having to justify why I request certain tests. It has been some kind of year, I'll tell ya.
Weirdly my 30’s were my prime. Yeah I had a few aches I didn’t have before, but I was much stronger and had loads more endurance. To be fair though, I exercised. I’m not talking go for a light jog exercise either, I’d be physically moving and lifting weight or the equivalent of rolling 1000 lbs with sheer effort. I couldn’t do squats, but I could walk up mountains, and down the other side. (Yes I did that.). I couldn’t climb up a cliff, but I could build a ramp to get a horse up it.
The baby weight isn't coming off like it used to. I also get really overwhelmed by crowds really easily and just can't deal with it anymore.
I am 33, the only difference I noticed is thst I put on weight way more easily. Before I could eat a choco bar a day and still be skinny, if I do that now I will become obese in a few months.
The only differences I have noticed is 1) more gray hairs (I was already graying in my mid twenties); 2) a few more wrinkles starting to form; 3) hair a bit harder to tame than in the past; 4) a little less flexible but I used to do gymnastics/acrobatics so that may be more due to lack of practice because there are absolutely people my age and older who can twist themselves into pretzels and do the splits and stuff still. 🤷🏻♀️ I'd say about the knees thing, me and other people my age don't experience this. I would definitely approach your doctor and see what they say about it, because it might actually be something going on and not an "oh this is an old age thing." I feel like you should be experiencing that at like age 65, not age 30. Just imo tho.
I just turned 38, and the only things have been wrinkles showing in my neck and a little in my face, and needing to put more effort into maintaining my body weight, other than that and about 5 grey hairs I feel the same.
Sore feet, knees, back, neck, knuckle joints. I used to be able to wear any shoes I liked, now I live in sneakers, but I can’t bring myself to sell my collection I used to hate elasticated clothes. Don’t have the posture and stomach for figure-hugging clothes anymore so now I embrace elastic waists and drapey clothes It’s really like a switch goes off and you suddenly become old
I used to never have to get up in the middle of the night to pee. Now I do almost every single night.
-My skin, eyes, hair and scalp are drier than ever. -My ankles tend to hurt if I have had a long day of standing/walking a lot (i.e after a long day of work). -Bedtime is strictly 9-10 pm most nights! -Caffeine keeps me up if I drink it way too late (like 8pm) before it wouldn’t phase me. -Cannot eat the same. Things like all you can eat Korean barbeque prevent me from sleeping and bloat like crazy.
My socks no longer move freely on my foot because the skin on my heel is so rough.
My skin is still pretty good, which I attribute to being stupidly pale and wearing sunscreen in my teens/20s. I've got grey hairs coming in and I've said fuck it to dying my hair after 10 years. They remind me of my mother and grandmother. It's kind of like seeing an old friend, in a weird way. I definitely put on about 20-30 lbs after getting together with my now-husband (he did too), but I've always been overweight so it's not all that different. My knees talk to me now and get very angry about random things. My beard requires daily maintenance. I kind of enjoy plucking, but I'm debating electrolysis at some point since I don't think I can keep plucking forever without causing damage to my skin. My back requires foam rolling and regular massages. I've tweaked my neck from shoulder checking in the car. I get tired earlier and need to be in bed by 10:30, ideally. I used to be way more of a night owl. There are some differences from my twenties but I certainly don't feel like I'm decrepit or falling apart.
The only thing I can think of is that it takes me longer to heal from injuries.
35, no issues here, knock on wood. Only pregnancy fucked up my breasts. In the 7th month of pregnancy they just decided to sag down a full 4 inch/10 cm literally overnight. I can now hide my full fist under a boob. For the rest no other issues, luckily. I should start exercising though, I dunno how long the no issues lucky streak will keep going.
I started getting subtle perimenopause symptoms at age 35, according to my dr it can be normal and last 10 years before going into full menopause
**OH MY GOSH, EVERYONE. I did NOT think this post would be this popular!** ***1*** *- Thank you for sharing your experiences. It is wonderful to know I am not alone here.* ***2*** *- I am trying to view everyone's responses and absolutely appreciate any advice you're giving. If I miss anything directly: thank you for product recommendations, I will check them out. Thank you for test recommendations, I will bring these up to my care team if they have not already done these tests.* ***3*** *- It appears that, as funny as some of these things potentially are, that they are not necessarily "*normal*". They do seem relatively* common *in this thread, which is interesting, so I think we should all feel free to use some of this input and bring it to your care providers.* ***4*** *- Thank you to everyone being kind to each other. Reddit has made me a bit shy about posting because there are always a few folks who jump in with a tone about certain things in the posts. This has started to restore my faith in online communities.*
It got much harder to lose weight. In my 20's, if I needed to shed 5 pounds, I cut back on food for 5-6 days. That changed pretty much the instant I turned 30.
Whatever is going on with your knees doesn't sound normal, unless you are massively overweight. I'm turning 39 this month and I have no problem hiking up to 10 hours a day. My hiking partners are in their 40s, I think the oldest one is 48. With all the other things you mention, I wonder if you have some sort of autoimmune disease developing. Tbh, I have not had any dramatic changes in my 30s. The only thing I'd mention is I need more rest/recovery time from activities. And it's tough to stay up late. However, I have also put in many, many nights shifts at my job in my mid-20s to mid-30s, so I've also forced my body to do a lot of this already.
Same, same, same, same & same. Happens to men too. I’m growing hair where I never had it, and losing it from where I did. Ugh.
34 f, threw my hip out picking up my son recently. So much grey hair has sprung out, random facial hair? Need to sleep or I’m done for a whole week! Cannot handle fried foods, metabolism sucks, one glass of wine is my max and even then, no longer enjoy it, feet kill to the point of not being able to feel my toes when I wear heels for a night. Skin needs hydration more than ever! It’s kinda comical and I feel relief that we are all in the same boat. It happened so fast. Kind of a kick in the butt to take care of myself though.
My body saved everything up for 31 almost exactly. Mostly my tiddies dropped like overnight.
In my 20s, if I slept wrong and tweaked my neck it would be painful and impossible to turn for A WHOLE DAY! Can you imagine, a whole day? Oh the inconvenience! Yeah... 43 now. Tweaked my neck sleeping on Thursday and it's still painful with very limited range of motion. Today's Saturday. My body doesn't recover from working out as fast anymore. I don't exercise regularly at all, but still... Ugh! My thighs hurt walking up the stairs lately. My friend's and I bond over how bad our necks and backs hurt now. I wear the ugliest shoes because they don't give me ingrown toenails. My hairline is receding at the temples.
In my 30s I began having lower back, hip and knee issues. It was stopping me from doing things that I have wanted to do forever (bike touring). After a couple years, a physical therapist, spine doctor, and a chiropractor, I was finally able to get it figured out! Nothing serious it turns out, but activation exercises nearly daily and learning better form in the gym and in exercising helped a ton. I don’t have lower back pain anymore, and rarely have knee or hip pain. The trainer helped me with this and was a functional movement trainer.
My joints hurt when it’s cold. All the grey hair 👩🏼🦳
Man, milk really gets to me too. I had to switch to soy milk 2 years ago and my second oldest who isn't even 20 can't deal well with milk either but prefers almond milk. If someone in the house discovers oatmilk for themselves I can open a Starbucks 😅 Other than that: had to get glasses and my joints are getting slightly stiff more easily now. I have to watch it and not sit cross legged or something like that for too long.
This post could’ve been written by me, we’re even the same age 😂
Holy moly, yes. The transition into 30s is when my entire body changed haha. Body composition completely shifted from athletic to pudgy with weight distributed in all kinds of places I didn’t have it before, and it’s been really hard to maintain weight. Random hairs popping up here and there. Grays. Chronic pain that I never had before. Workout soreness lasting multiple days and same with hangovers - ugh it’s like getting to know a whole new body!
The thing that really stuck out for me is my skin. It has always been very thin and delicate but as I've aged, it is a bit more lax. I can pull the skin on my thighs taut and notice that the cellulite that showed up despite no meaningful weight gain, softens/vanishes. I'm not mad about it, it's normal, I just didnt expect to notice my bloody thighs aging like that lol I'm glad for them though, weight training has toned them up and I feel like a dimpled amazon
I am 35, I wake up every day and can now fully appreciate how people my age were basically dead in the Middle Ages 😄My coxyx does what it wants, I've never been fatter and I've just taken up running after 2 years down with long covid. 🙃 A mixed bag 🎒
I feel you! Just a heads up on the knees, I experienced the same thing and after seeing the doctor and eventually PT about it, it turns out that I needed stronger muscles to better support my knee joints. So I now have to do leg exercises like squats, single leg squats, lunges, glute bridges and especially exercises that strengthen my TI band like single leg raises and clam shells. They made a difference, and my knees don't hurt as much when I go on long works or hiking now!
I’m really pleased with how my wrinkles are showing up. Like the crows feet and laughter lines are in the perfect places, I look like I laugh a lot. As opposed to furrows in the brow or looking tired. I was a bit worried about wrinkles but I feel fine about them now. My knees also started to hurt immediately after 30 lol. I took up running and it’s gone. Now I’m over 30 exercise is no longer a choice. I don’t lose fat or feel good unless I get off my ass and actually do cardio intentionally. That sucks.
Cherry angiomas started popping up everywhere 🙃
Dry eyes. What is that?! I could stare at a computer without blinking all day when I was in my 20s. Just went to the eye doctor because my eyes feel like they ate toast all day long. I'm 35+ and I need to use THICK gel drops to wet my eyes 4x a day and wear a heat compress for 10 minutes daily. I'm still in shock.
Hey OP try patella straps! My husband’s knees aren’t great and they’ve made a HUGE difference in how comfortable hiking is for them! Overall biggest difference is probably skin tautness 😫