Why is 40 called the, "New Twenty"?
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FitGirl_Running wrote: »I'm 58. My parents and their generation, and even a lot of people from my generation had the preconceived notion that once you were a certain age, your body just wore out. It was your destiny to barely be able to get out of bed in the morning and hobble around all day because you had so many aches and pains. You were ready for the rocking chair. That philosophy is now being turned on its head. Not so long ago it was incomprehensible that people over 40 would be running marathons. People in their nineties are running marathons! Speaking for myself, I had grown up unathletic. Because I believed that was just the way it was, I never dreamed I could run a mile, much less a half marathon, and I didn't even start running until I was 53! I was in better shape at 55 than I had been at 40...even when I was 20! So that might be a reason people say 40 is the new 20. I've beaten more than one 20 year old in a race, and I've spun circles around several youngsters in spin class. Not to mention there have been folks much older than I who have whupped my sorry butt in a race or on a spin bike. The old saying really is true! USE IT OR LOSE IT!
Get it, girlfriend! A friend and I were discussing how attitudes have changed over the years regarding health & fitness. I think you elaborated on that very point beautifully. Thank you very much for your input.1 -
The phrase was coined by Babyboomers, like me, who are generally more fit and active than their parents and who want to put a positive spin on aging.
Call it "denial" if you like but, despite the slogan, all of us in this boat realize that things change (generally not for the better) as we age.
FWIW, I'm 66 but most people think I'm in my 40's due to good genes, eating well, taking care of my heath and working out which give me a fit and muscular appearance that most "young" people do not associate w/senior citizens like me.
Even so, I agree that 66 is still 66 and no one can avoid the ravages of old age. I watched my father rapidly decline and die of emphysema at 89 and then watched my mother slowly (painfully so) decline until she passed at 101.
So, I am under no delusions. My time will come, as it will for every one. I just hope to remain as fit and healthy as I can for as long as I can.
Thank you so much for sharing this! Eureka! You actually answered my question. You're right...none of us can avoid growing older but, we can sure take measures to delay those "ravages" you mentioned earlier. You're obviously doing that. I'm only 20 years from my 60's and that's but a flash in the stream of time. If you ask me though, the 60's are FLY as heck!!! I look at my mom & I'm amazed every time.
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I am pretty sure that nobody who is 20 is saying 40 is the new 20. They just think people in their 40s are old.
But at 47, I don't feel much older than I did in my 20s. And when i take off my glasses and everything is fuzzy, I don't think I look much older either.
Too funny. Believe me, at 47, you are FABULOUS!!
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thisonetimeatthegym wrote: »thisonetimeatthegym wrote: »
But in all fairness to the common folk, Cher has been completely reconstructed over the years with plastic $urgery, from head to toe. Including getting ribs removed to give her waist the appearance of being more cinched.
True.
How old do you think I am?
Umm...it's hard to tell with the sisters! lol Judging from your previous profile pic, well...your skin glows of youthful dew.
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So people don't feel.... "old"??0
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Midlife crisis?? Not for me I just turned 40 and I feel no different then in 30s... Maybe new 20 is because people in 40 don't age and look older as they use to before specially women. A lot of women I know in 40s look like they are in their early 30s, I guess today's generation take care of themselves more then our parents or older generation did ??2
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i find it kind of funny that the 20'somethings think its about physical age - and about envying them.
not so much. i had a child at 25 and became the person that child needed me to be. that goes on for so long and feels so permanent that you come to believe that it is permanent. but now he's older than i was when i had him, and it's more like the surprise of finding out that you're not actually that person that you turned into for life. having your kids grow up does do this surprising thing where you're sort of returned back to whoever you were before you had them - and you find that long-ago person's still there and maybe not as different as you thought they'd become.
it's really not much about looking back and regretting, for me. it's not about making some last grab for something that's long-ago gone, and it's not about trying to pretend that the years never happened. it's more like things opening up again. so i do stuff that surprises people not because i'm trying to be some silly little 20-something again. it's mostly just me being me.3 -
E're body is pinochio and the don't want to grow up.0
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Is that what they say?
So funny!
I keep hearing 47 is the new 25!
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I am pretty sure that nobody who is 20 is saying 40 is the new 20. They just think people in their 40s are old.
But at 47, I don't feel much older than I did in my 20s. And when i take off my glasses and everything is fuzzy, I don't think I look much older either.
You're so fit and gorgeous, women of ALL ages envy you! xo0 -
My motto is "60 is the new 40..." so I figure if I stay on plan I will be in as good shape at 60 as I was at 40 or even 30. My doctor agrees. This is not about vanity, but simply slowing the aging process in order to retain as good a quality of life into my elder years as possible. It is proven that diet and exercise can slow or even reverse a lot of the damage we do to ourselves over the years.
Plus when I look in the mirror, except for a slightly receded hairline, and a few more blond hairs, I don't see anything different than I did 10, 20 or 30 years ago.
That's right...I'm going blond, not gray.4 -
I will be 48 next week, and I think it's all about being more comfortable in your own skin. In your 20's, you are still figuring out who you are, and wanting acceptance. And now, it doesn't matter. I'm older and wiser, and although I don't look the way I did at 20 on the outside, I still feel young on the inside. Age is just a number, it's your attitude about your age that really matters.2
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I think because it's proven older people enjoy life more.
They are not "trying to be" somebody or something - they enjoy "being" who they are.
They have been through stuff and come out better.
I can run longer and faster, twice as physically strong and as or more flexible than I was when I was a teenager.
That helps.
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turning on the "i don't give a f^ck" button helps immensely when you are older.
At 20 you worry too much about stuff not worth worrying about.3 -
vikinglander wrote: »My motto is "60 is the new 40..." so I figure if I stay on plan I will be in as good shape at 60 as I was at 40 or even 30. My doctor agrees. This is not about vanity, but simply slowing the aging process in order to retain as good a quality of life into my elder years as possible. It is proven that diet and exercise can slow or even reverse a lot of the damage we do to ourselves over the years.
Plus when I look in the mirror, except for a slightly receded hairline, and a few more blond hairs, I don't see anything different than I did 10, 20 or 30 years ago.
That's right...I'm going blond, not gray.
I LIKE YOUR ATTITUDE!!
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acajunintexas wrote: »I will be 48 next week, and I think it's all about being more comfortable in your own skin. In your 20's, you are still figuring out who you are, and wanting acceptance. And now, it doesn't matter. I'm older and wiser, and although I don't look the way I did at 20 on the outside, I still feel young on the inside. Age is just a number, it's your attitude about your age that really matters.
Until you slip and fall and find out it'll take 3 times as long to heal compare to back in the day just rub dirt on it and it's fine the next day
Funny0
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