Middle age?

[Anonymous]

I think we need a new category for 50-65 year olds. Maybe late-middle age, or maybe mature active?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm 39, and I think 40 is middle age. It doesn't matter how healthy you are. It doesn't matter whether your kids are grown or not.

It's still middle age. I knew someone who was healthy and in great shape at 70. She was still a senior citizen.

Even if you have a baby at 43, you are still middle aged.

I don't know why people are so afraid of that term.

+1. I'm 41 years old. Take barre classes practically every morning. Eat healthy foods. In great shape. I embrace the term middle-aged. Face it - we are not young like the 20 year olds anymore. I may feel it, but when I stand next to a 20-something - yeah, I'm middle aged and darn proud!

Take ownership of being middle-aged and redefine it. It doesn't have to mean you are start to be put out to pasture. You can be middle aged, healthy and have tons of energy. They are not mutually exclusive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Middle age is 30 to 50. After 50 you are not middle aged, you are old.

Says the 21-year old.

Actually I am 42. In late middle age.

Both of my parents worked for 25 more years past 50. My dad was older than 50 when he went to medical school. They did a lot of traveling, helped raise grandchildren and were generally very active for a long time after 50. My grandmother had a baby after 50. Maybe that colors my perspective, but I disagree that 50 means old.

50 still is old. You can get AARP membership. Old doesn't have to be a bad thing. And it doesn't mean you aren't active or in good shape.

I don't think that a person can be defined as old the day they qualify for aarp membership. The dictionaries I have consulted generally define middle age as 45-65. 50 is on the lower end of that.

[Anonymous]

Amazin wrote:I think middle age begins when you become an empty nester. 45? 50? 55? That is the point when you have completed the major part of child rearing and turn to your spouse and say "what's next"? A whole new phase of life begins.

Seriously? What if you're single and/or never had children? What if you married at 48?

[Anonymous]

I am 36 and feel middle aged. I don't think other my age think the same way though.

[Anonymous]

Amazin wrote:

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Amazin wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have written before. It is in the person. Someone who is healthy is middle aged at 65. I, battling cancer and heart issues, am older at 52. I will be surprised if I make it to 65....

I just hope that the terrible health issues you face weren't brought on by things like smoking. Stuff like that can really age you. Regardless, best wishes and I hope you beat them.

What a nasty thing to say to someone battling serious illness.

"Maybe it's all your fault, but best wishes!"

Ditto!

I feel very sorry for the person undergoing these terrible health issues. But in an anonymous public forum my message was directed to those who wreck their bodies and then say "why me?" The OP did not provide any perspective on what might have brought on his/her condition. If it's simply genetics or whatever I'm truly sorry... and grateful that I have not drawn the same bad card . But we have to accept that there are many behaviors that influence our middle age health. Do you smoke, do you drink too much, do you consume twice as many calories as you burn....the list is endless. I have great sympathy for anyone facing health problems but I only have great empathy for those who have tried hard to live a reasonably health lifestyle.

No one wants your sympathy or your empathy. You are a cipher of a human.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When does middle age begin? 40? 45? 50?

35. Half of 70.

[Anonymous]

The start of middle age was a state of life for me; youngest kid in elementary school, parents in fading health, career derailed, realizing we will never be financially OK, seeing my health hit some potholes. Age 42 male.
I'm somewhere in the trough, waiting for things to start getting better at age 53. I keep reading that either some of the burdens start to lighten or I just stop caring. I guess that's when old age will begin for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Amazin wrote:

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Amazin wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have written before. It is in the person. Someone who is healthy is middle aged at 65. I, battling cancer and heart issues, am older at 52. I will be surprised if I make it to 65....

I just hope that the terrible health issues you face weren't brought on by things like smoking. Stuff like that can really age you. Regardless, best wishes and I hope you beat them.

What a nasty thing to say to someone battling serious illness.

"Maybe it's all your fault, but best wishes!"

Ditto!

I feel very sorry for the person undergoing these terrible health issues. But in an anonymous public forum my message was directed to those who wreck their bodies and then say "why me?" The OP did not provide any perspective on what might have brought on his/her condition. If it's simply genetics or whatever I'm truly sorry... and grateful that I have not drawn the same bad card . But we have to accept that there are many behaviors that influence our middle age health. Do you smoke, do you drink too much, do you consume twice as many calories as you burn....the list is endless. I have great sympathy for anyone facing health problems but I only have great empathy for those who have tried hard to live a reasonably health lifestyle.

No one wants your sympathy or your empathy. You are a cipher of a human.

I agree with Amazin. His/her comments are really about taking responsibility for one's health, not about a specific post. If you smoke two packs a day for 30 years and get lung cancer who is to blame? If you drink too much and have big liver problems, who is to blame? These illnesses are tragic for the individual and their families. But some are preventable. But there are plenty of illnesses such as Parkinsons, Alzheimers, Lou Gehrig's disease that are simply genetic or unexplainable that strike brutally. Taking care of yourself is no guarantee but it does improve your odds.

[Anonymous]

I had a relative die of cirrhosis of the liver, but he never drank alcohol a day in his life. I have seen my sister smoke a carton (yes, a carton) of cigarettes in 24 hours. To be honest, it was a traumatic day. Still, my sister is OLD and she is never going to get cancer. It's just not that easy to point the finger and be right. Things happen and, often, there is no fairness involved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had a relative die of cirrhosis of the liver, but he never drank alcohol a day in his life. I have seen my sister smoke a carton (yes, a carton) of cigarettes in 24 hours. To be honest, it was a traumatic day. Still, my sister is OLD and she is never going to get cancer. It's just not that easy to point the finger and be right. Things happen and, often, there is no fairness involved.

I agree that life isn't fair. Bad stuff happens to good people who work hard to live a healthy lifestyle. When you see it happen you simply wonder why. I hope that you are right about your sister. If you are, she is very lucky.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Middle age is 30 to 50. After 50 you are not middle aged, you are old.

Says the 21-year old.

Lol, this is hilarious. Thank you.

My 50s were my best decade, ever. Life is settled in some ways and you have a stronger platform to build from. You know who you are and who your friends are. With any luck, you're more established in your career and doing good work. You've learned to want what you have a little more. And as others have noted, you get real about what you're supposed to look like at this age.

When I see 20- and 30-somethings out in full battle gear, I just think - all that hair straightening! It looks like a lot of work.