Turning 40 in only a few days worries

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Replies

  • SCV34
    SCV34 Posts: 2,048 Member
    3 more days to go, not dreading it too much, just this year 2013, I lost my job, moved far away, lost contact with most of my friends, feeling i'm forgotten, and with all the weight i've lost, the old me no longer exists, but yeah your replies have made me feel better, there is life after 40, ive onlyy heard negatives from people i know that are already 40, like "life's downhill after 40", yet i'm fitter than I can ever remember myself being, and trying to stay postive, wish me luck!

    Like I said in an earlier post, you got this! Don't listen to the nay sayers about life's downhill after 40, they were probably saying things like that their whole lives. I will be wishing you a happy birthday on Sunday, so you won't be forgotten about:smile:

    Congrats on being a new you! It can only get better from here on out!
  • SuperJo1972
    SuperJo1972 Posts: 113 Member
    I think it's the idea of it. To be honest I embraced by 40th much better than my 30th. What I realised is that (as the song goes) it is just a number, it really only matters how you feel inside. I feel 27, cop to 37 and in reality I will be 42 this Sunday.

    I found my 40s so far have been the most relaxed time for me so far and all my aims are to get back to being true to myself and stop caring as much about what other people think I should be, say, do, look like etc. I definitely feel much more content and focused. You will too.

    You have done so well to be turning 40 and fit, that is quite an accomplishment and says more about you than anything else. That took determination and hard work my son, there are lots of 20somethings who wouldn't be able to achieve that.

    Happy Birthday for Sunday :o)
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    your replies have made me feel better, there is life after 40, i've only heard negatives from people i know that are already 40, like "life's downhill after 40", yet i'm fitter than I can ever remember myself being, and trying to stay postive, wish me luck!
    When I turned 10, my dad told me it's all downhill once you turn double digits. I believed him, b/c I was gullible, he's my dad, and I was a kid.

    You're in the best shape of your life. Your 40s will rock!
  • michael1976_ca
    michael1976_ca Posts: 3,488 Member
    40 really didn't bother me, neither did 30. I think it was 38 that was rough (due to a difficult break up). I feel more confident in who I am and where I am going. It's been an interesting journey, and I look forward to seeing where I will be in five years. Perspective is the only thing that stands in the way of a Happy 40th and a miserable one. You have accomplished great things this year. What do you want to do next year? Or the next several years?

    take that back i'm turning 38 this year. sorry op i dread each year my oldest nieces is turning 18 at the end of feb. oh how time flys
  • shartran
    shartran Posts: 304 Member
    Guess from this point is to keep the weight off, and turning 40 didnt bother me much until tonight that is, just felt like the world by passing by me, just gonna make the day as quiet as possible, try to forget the number.

    30 just looks like 20, I don't even remember my 30th, 40 is a noticeable number on its own

    Thanks, for your replies, the dreaded moment will just pass by despite the invisible permanent stamp im about to get on me for the rest of my life.

    I thought nothing of turning 40 until the week before the day actually came. All of a sudden I was bothered by 'that number'. Well, the day came and went...I obviously got 'use' to being now in my 40's. Now that I'm 47 and heading towards 50 (sounds really weird to me), I might surprise myself and be bothered by turning 50, but I actually enjoyed my 40's...the older I get, I am much more settled and 'real' than ever before. I'm living for me now, in my twenties and thirties I lived for others. I am much happier now than when I younger.

    Hope you find the same thing transpiring into your life. Be grateful; I frequently ask myself what I am grateful for and I, as I'm sure you have, always find SO many things!

    Take care...and dare I say...Happy Birthday!
  • indianarunner76
    indianarunner76 Posts: 108 Member
    Some quick perspective. Go buy a newspaper and turn to the Obituaries. Im pretty sure anybody in that section would be thrilled to see another birthday no matter what age it is. Be grateful that you woke up this morning because many people didn't. Enjoy what you have you'll reach your goals one step at a time :)
  • carrieous
    carrieous Posts: 1,024 Member
    for me, after I turned 40 was worse- but only because of the way I was treated by other people. I seem to attract much younger guys and then when they find out im 40 its a turnoff. WTH

    or maybe its in my head because Ive also attracted some mid-20s guys. I think im a cougar now??
  • nccarolb
    nccarolb Posts: 858 Member
    Not to belittle your feelings, but I just turned 54 and life is way better now than it was when I turned 40. Try to embrace it instead of dreading it!
  • Mischievous_Rascal
    Mischievous_Rascal Posts: 1,791 Member
    OMG!! Are you married? I had to go through this with my husband - please don't do this to your wife. It sucks.

    PS: 40 is awesome, and 45 is more awesome, and so on, and so on....
  • Just_Scott
    Just_Scott Posts: 1,766 Member


    I think, at 40, you really have nothing to worry about. Keep living as healthily as you can and you're fine. You might not even be at your peak yet depending on how you took care of yourself earlier in life.

    True! I walk longer and have more energy than ever before, I hate thinking 30-35 is the retirement age from fitness!

    Okay so a little something to ponder. Our family runs a 5k Turkey Trot each Thanksgiving. It used to be fairly small but has grown to a 1,000 folks. One guy ran the course in 35 minutes and inquired what the age brackets were. They give prizes for each age group by decade. He won the 70's age group which at 35 minutes was pretty cool; even better --->he was 83 years old. And yes, a standing ovation followed his winnings. Age is relative, get it done Brother.
  • Smeltzer2
    Smeltzer2 Posts: 210 Member
    I would give my grandchildren you if i child be 40 again. I will be 71 in February. I actually feel better most days tgsn i did at 45. Lost 80 lbs when i was 60. My son is 45 and his friends kid him. Your Mom looks better tgan you. You look great.
  • TXEXrunner
    TXEXrunner Posts: 178 Member
    Think of it as not even being half way through life yet. This is time for new starts (I trained for and ran a marathon for my 40th). My attitude is to get better with age. You've worked hard to get this far, it's time to capitalize on what you've earned. From a physical perspective, you have proven you can set goals and accomplish them. As with many of the other comments, congratulations on what you have achieved so far! I am certain you will reach your goal in 2014. Jan 5th will be another day on the calendar - or it can be the start of the next chapter in life! Make the most of every day - then your age doesn't matter (says the guy who's 50!). Go out and do something for yourself and fun on the 5th, and maybe the 6th! Congrats again on your accomplishments!
  • The worry leading up to it. the reality is I've only had prob 15yrs of what I consider adult life experience under my belt and I'm now maybe 1/2 way through .... but the latter half, I get 40 years of adult life (God willing). I imagine the butt I can kick!
  • queenstl
    queenstl Posts: 64 Member
    :drinker: Nothing bad about 40. I just turned 42 on december 30th, and i feel good. Its all about what you think and feel. I never dreaded getting older.
  • CipherZero
    CipherZero Posts: 1,418 Member
    True! I walk longer and have more energy than ever before, I hate thinking 30-35 is the retirement age from fitness!

    I didn't start until I was 45. It saved my life.
  • Spiderkeys
    Spiderkeys Posts: 338 Member
    Im 40 years old now as today, but now im already thinking about 50, and looking at it that when I turn 50, I gonna wish i'm 40 again, I hope my 40s don't fly as fast as my 30s did, and my 20s?, I barely remember them anymore.
  • SCV34
    SCV34 Posts: 2,048 Member
    Happy 40th birthday! Embrace it, seize the day and enjoy it with no dread. Don't overthink it just be awesome with no worries:happy:
  • Happy 40th!! In a few days I will be 48. I would say it gets harder to stay motivated after 40 but not impossible. Compared to when I was 40 I think I need to push myself more and I think my metabolism has slowed way down. Nothing is impossible with determination though. Enjoy your birthday!!
  • Machdude
    Machdude Posts: 136 Member
    My life began at 40 (actually 42). Met my current wife and am more active than I ever was prior to that. Your age is a number. I am in better shape now at 61 than I was in my 40''s and feel pretty good.
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  • olehcat
    olehcat Posts: 92 Member
    Turning 40 was a milestone for me, the moment I realized I was no longer "young" technically. That was kind of a shock to my system, but inside I feel like I'm about 28! I have decided now (at the age of 43) that I may not be technically young anymore, but I don't have to look middle-aged! Age is only a number if you keep yourself in good shape and "think" young! :).
  • retiree2006
    retiree2006 Posts: 951 Member
    First of all, Happy Birthday. Instead of dreading it, celebrate the fact that you've improved your health and are taking 40 on with renewed purpose! It's all in the mind!

    Personally, when I turned 40 I was surprised how I didn't feel any "older"! And my friends made sure I knew I was "over the hill" with all kinds of funny messages, etc. But I continued to yoyo with my weight so I wasn't as smart as you are! A couple years ago I decided it was the last time I would lose weight and this time I'd keep it off! And so far I'm doing great. AND I just turned 64 two days ago and feel better now than I have in many years. So...if you let an age freak you out, you can also turn that attitude around and celebrate how you're now healthier and continue to set goals for the things you want to do and accomplish in the next year or so. Putting a goal out there will let you look forward to each day you're here.
  • Happy birthday...welcome to the forty something stages of your life. Embrace them. You're fitter than you were in your thirties...and I bet there's lots of things in your life that you still haven't done. I suggest that you sit down today and write a list of things you've never seen or experienced. Then over the next ten years, get out and do them. Make amazing memories....then when you are sat in your old persons chair later in life...you'll look back and think...yes...I did that. That's my plan anyway....47 and loving life.
  • JONZ64
    JONZ64 Posts: 1,280 Member
    Its just a number, goals shouldn't be set or limited by our age (timelines yes, age not so much). You had a goal and you've been working on it, so you're 40? Just be the best 40 you can be and don't judge your 40 on other people at 40, it is a set up for failure.
    My 40's sucked NOT because I was 40, but I had let myself go and got out of shape, heading into 50 I feel much better than I did in my mid-late 40's


    I will be 50 in a few weeks, hence my screen name...wait, will I have to change it to "In50'sdoor"? anyway... I have had people tell me "50 is the new 40!" I always say BS! I will be 50 I will be the best 50 I can be and it is just a number. I have felt this way my whole life. The only important Birthdays to me were; 21-legal to drink, 25- my insurance went down and now 62- I can retire:smile:
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    40 didn't bother me at all but turning 50 had a big mental impact. Not so much that "life is over" but more "if not now, when?".
    Now a month from 54 (in my mind moving from early 50's to middle 50's !!) I'm in better shape than I've been since I was 31.

    Age does change things but it should never be an excuse not to challenge yourself to be the best you can. I still feel I'm too young to take up golf so I'm making a squash comeback instead. :smile:
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
    I'll be 59 in a week, and I'll say that my 50's have been the best decade of my life. I've achieved success and recognition in my career, my adult daughters are educated and successful in their careers and personal lives, I have a strong relationship, and good friends. Many things come much more easily than they did decades ago. I'm grateful for wisdom and experience. My life is much easier than it used to be. I hope to make the most of every age as it comes my way. I don't want the alternative.
  • Leaping_Lemur
    Leaping_Lemur Posts: 121 Member
    I never had any dread coming up to 40, so it was never a big deal. I had a few friends say 41/42 is when you begin to decline, and indeed I find that I'm now more likely to need bright light to read small print, for example. However, 42 is when I joined MFP and started lifting weights, and I am in much better shape now (at 43) than I was at 30. I weigh less, I'm stronger and have more endurance. So for me, my 40s are going to be much better than my 30s!
  • zornig
    zornig Posts: 336 Member
    Happy birthday to you! I turned 40 exactly one month ago today, and so far so good. I also didn't want to turn 40 at my fat girl size, and managed to drop 25 lbs in time for the big day.

    There's a lot about aging that is scary and maybe even sad, but there's also a lot that's exciting and satisfying. Think of all the amazing things you've accomplished, things you've learned, people you've known, skills you've acquired. In many ways it's really true what they say: you're not getting older, you're getting better!
  • happysherri
    happysherri Posts: 1,360 Member
    HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I'm the type that announces my birthday, actually i skip around Singing 'it's my birthday, it's my birthday' Why not celebrate, life is hard enough anytime you can celebrate, take the chance!

    I'm 38 and hope to be fabulous 40! Be proud and have some laughs.

    Also isn't 40 the new 20?! lol
  • Trisha_Williams
    Trisha_Williams Posts: 33 Member
    l really enjoyed my forties, life is what you make it, l will be 67 this year, quite a lot of health problems but i still
    enjoy my life. .Age is all in the mind.
    By the way Happy Birthday.