There is an element of this, but you also start noticing how different your body responds to the same situation at different ages. When I was under 25, I could lift weights, run 10k, and play sports, all in the same day and not suffer any negative consequences. In my 30s a similar level of activity would wipe me out for a couple days. In my 40s, I couldn't complete all of that without injuring myself or getting sick. Injuries are similar. A sore back would be a minor inconvenience in my 20s, take me out for a few days in my 30s, and will sideline me for a week or more in my 40s. Basically, as you age it becomes easier to fatigue and injure yourself, and it takes a lot longer to recover. You will likely start to notice this in your 30s and it will be undeniable in your 40s.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

This is what OP means though. You are complaining about being unhealthy, not ageing. There is no reason one can't "lift weights, run 10k, and play sports, all in the same day and not suffer any negative consequences" in your 30s and 40s, assuming you are fit and healthy. The reason you can't is because of unhealthy lifestyle choices, not ageing.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

I was in great shape until I was in my mid 30s, running and lifting weights at a fairly high level, and what you say is nonsense. If what you said is true you'd see professional athletes still able to compete well into their 40s. In reality, most start to decline in their 30s because they can't push themselves and recover at the same rate. I don't deny that health and fitness plays a role, and a fit and healthy 50 year old will often feel better than an overweight and sedentary 25 year old, but age plays a huge factor in this. Controlling for health and fitness level, your recovery times get longer and the risk of illness and injury grows as you get older.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

You physically peak in your early-mid 20s. People that are really in tune with their bodies and in great shape will be the first to tell you this. I agree that someone in their 30s complaining about "old age" is probably just an unhealthy individual though.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Or they wish they were still in their 20s.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

You barely feel "old" at 30 though.... I agree with OP, people complaining about age in their 30s are just probably complaining about general health stuff, not age.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Or **possibly** it's the litres of alcohol that people consume in their 20's that start to compound a few years later. Men reach peak muscle mass at 30.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Yeah, there's lots of different variables. Testosterone in men peaks in their early 20s.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

I agree. The world likes to downplay how harmful alcohol can be.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

This makes me worried as person in my 20's with asthma and some other issues that make life kind of difficult.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

It's a lot easier to stay healthy in your 20s than it is in your 40s. As you get older, you'll get injuries from exercise more often, your recovery time will be longer, you'll find it harder to stay felixible and physical exercise just becomes more difficult. You genuinely will be more tired after exercise than a younger person doing the exact same. That's what people are complaining about.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

And you know this how..? Also:. *"health issues outside their control."* Like the onset of the effects of aging?

by Anonymous 2 years ago

this is silly. case in point: i'm an avid cyclist. but somewhere around my late 30s, my legs and knees just don't cooperate as well as they used to. is this because i'm unhealthy? i've been cycling for years and i'm in good shape.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

>The Majority of People Under 45 might've missed the "majority" part

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Seeing as most males reach peak physical form in their late 20s to early 30s I'd have to disagree with the "people under 45" sentiment.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

In my twenties, I was always sore and achy. Lots of my joints would ache after work, even my elbows. I'm, stronger, leaner and healthier in my 40s, than I was in my 20's. Its like being Benjamin Button.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Yes, but also, no. You do start feeling older around 30. Like, 23 was the best after that it goes downhill

by Anonymous 2 years ago

I have a chronic illness, and honestly? Fair. There's very little about ageing that isn't mostly related to my poor health.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Yeah, you can honestly tell way earlier sometimes, especially with consistently overweight people, nic addicts, and people with excessively sedentary lifestyles. It isn't that you're at fault necessarily for how your parents ate or for not showing you good exercise or drug use habits, nurture does a lot of damage to some, but there's a pretty clear reason that you feel the way you feel most of the time.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Nah, I have been unhealthy for years. The issue is that now I am now suffering the consequences of those years of being unhealthy.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

I've weight trained, played sports, and been active for most of the last 30 years, starting in Jr. High. I'll say this, injuries can sneak up on anybody. I have permanent shoulder issues that started in my late 20s. You what caused it? Sleeping almost nightly with my arm above my shoulder. Didn't notice until one day when my shoulder started hurting.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

That's more true then you know. The elevator went out at work. We had high school kids that could walk up five sets of stairs, in fact non of them could. No one could do the stairs, except a few of us. It was frightening to see.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Well yeah part of getting older is your body can't handle an unhealthy lifestyle. 10 years ago I could eat whatever I want and drink till the sun came up and be fine but now I'm older and still have some of those habits that were once fine and it sucks so I complain a little

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Partially agree. ​ But there are very much what are basically switches that get flipped as you get older. Metabolism slows down, injuries take longer to heal from (which is most of the aches and pains at this point in life), and other fun stuff (like your refractory period increasing significantly...) ​ Metabolism goes without elaboration (and is the source of a lot of "became unhealthy"). But the big one is really just slower healing. In my teens and twenties I could DEMOLISH my body and be good to go the next day. Now? if I push too hard/take a nasty fall while climbing, I am going to be wincing for a couple days after. Same with a particularly strenuous workout resulting in my coworkers laughing as I hobble back to my chair after rushing downstairs for a coffee refill before a meeting. ​ But also? that lower metabolism and slower healing IS what leads to people "letting themselves go". When exercise becomes harder to maintain and food goes to your thighs and gut a lot more, you kind of just get fat.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

In my personal situation, I'm a 37 year old man and I can say, without any doubt, that you aren't wrong. I need to work on changing and I will feel better. Thank you.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

I'll be complaining abt my body at 30 cause I play sports a lot

by Anonymous 2 years ago

So at what age precisely do you think it's possible when someone is in pain that it isn't their fault? Let me just say, we all have genes, and some of them aren't made to last. Some people get arthritis in their 30s. Some people feel the signs of disorders like dystrophies years before they are diagnosed. Cool that you got so far in great health, but sadly your judgment speaks more about yourself than "people that complain."

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Im getting older and i complain about it because i dont recover as fast as i used to. Strain a shoulder? In my 20s take a hit bath and a Tylenol. I'll be fine in the morning. At 40... take the advil and the bath. Hope the next morning it's only stiff. If not more advil stretch out the shoulder and hope that taking it easy for the next couple of days will fix it.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Not everyone is rich enough to afford to have time to be healthy, pal. Let's see you survive with doing only 10 hours of work.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

With the example of 30 you are probably correct, but with the example of 40 unless you are a fairly high caliber athlete most people suffer some bodily decline by then.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Yea let's just pretend every human body is exactly the same and breaks down at exactly the same age. Your Toyota can very well have design flaws or faulty hardware that makes it break down early. In reality it's because you usually start noticing your mortality in your thirties. It's the first decade in life where most people are less healthy and fit than the previous one, assuming that you keep taking care of yourself in the same way. Bad habits that you can get away with in your twenties start to catch up to you in your thirties, like staying up late or drinking a lot. Of course it's not going to be as bad as when you're in your sixties, but relatively speaking you feel worse than you used to. If you work out every day your entire life, it's still going to be harder the older you get.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

People with more education and cultural/intellectual interests complain less about this. They can keep progressing into their 50s and in some ways beyond. People who are more physically oriented or into things harder on the body (like alcohol) may lose more as they age.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Yeah I'm going to be honest, this is largely an issue of being significantly overweight. I don't need a lecture about healthy at every size or being crucified for fat phobia or whatever. I was 210 pounds at one point on my 5'9 frame. I'm now 160 which is only 10 pounds above my high school weight, after having two kids. When I hit about 175, it was weird. I woke up in the morning, and I literally felt lighter. It was like my limbs were somehow slicing through the air. I don't know how to describe it, but you just feel better when you're not overweight, or at least scale back from obesity to just a bit overweight. And yes, I get it, you can have "tons of muscle" and make you technically obese. But let's not pretend that applies to most people. I feel like it's common sense - if you're a bodybuilder in the gym all the time, yeah, could be muscle. Or if you work a very physical job. But no, if you only walk to your mailbox two times a week, it's not muscle. I get that our culture has a long, long history of promoting disordered image and behaviors, such as only eating a handful of almonds when you're so hungry, you're going to pass out to lose weight. Yeah, let's do away with all that crap. But let's not pretend that just because you can walk a mile in the park and "swear you're more active than your skinny friends", that being 40 + pounds overweight is somehow not harmful to your body. Just keeping it real, numerous people who have sworn up and down that they "just had tons of muscle" we're plainly fat. I've noticed that former athletes in particular tend to fall victim to this. Yeah, in high school, when you exercised for three hours a day, you could probably eat three cheeseburgers in one sitting and not gain weight. But those days are long over and yes, those extra 60, 70 lbs now are fat. My father had pain so bad he literally broke down into tears trying to climb the stairs. And he was not big at all by most people standards (re: Americans, where it's just "curvy" to be over 200 lbs when you're 5'3). However, he couldn't live that way, and he lost 60 pounds. People tell him he's "too skinny", but he feels and looks 15 years younger and he is active and Mobile without issues now. I'm sorry, but that's the reality of the situation.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

People in their 30s complaining about being "old" just don't like being adults.

by Anonymous 2 years ago