Oh! What Was That? When Your Body Starts Talking Back After 40

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In my younger years, I remember hearing those famous words time and time again, 'Just wait until you turn 40!' When I would hear others talk about aging, changes in their body, and decreasing energy levels, it's not that I necessarily thought that people were lying or over-exaggerating. After all, I not only stayed awake during my 9th-grade biology class (sorry to say that 3rd-period history class didn't fare the same fate), I excelled and finished the year on the honor roll. I know that, scientifically speaking, as we age, our cells stop renewing, energy levels decrease, hormone levels change, etc., etc.

But it wasn't until one day, not too long ago in the distant past, that I got out of bed and when I stood up to stretch, I heard my husband say the words found in the title - 'Oh! What was that?' Apparently, some part of my body, maybe a joint, ligament, or perhaps an organ, popped out of place and made a sound loud enough to be heard outside of my body. Now, that's not a reason to sound the alarm, since any movement at any age can warrant a temporary shift in the body. But I clearly remember feeling something that I hadn't felt before. Like, even when you're in the middle of just about dying during a CrossFit class at the gym and you swear you'll never take that class again, when in reality, you are a core member that voluntarily endures the torture weekly. But, it wasn't that type of feeling. It was just...different.

Still not quite convinced that this was the result of aging, I decided to shake it off and continue on with my day. Was this a one-time occurrence or a foreshadowing that a change was soon on the horizon? Well, I'd love to say that it was the result of one night of sleeping in a pretzel-like position or perhaps doing one too many repetitive actions the day before, but lo and behold, the words at the beginning of this story started to resonate in my mind, "Just wait until you turn 40!" So I guess the people that uttered that phrase time and time again weren't exaggerating after all. You can't deny it. Once you hit a certain age, your body starts to behave... differently. This was 40 — and my body had officially entered a new chapter.

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So I guess now that I've come to terms with the fact that, no doubt, the inevitable has started to happen, how am I going to react to it? How is it possible that in my head and in my heart I swear I'm a certain age even though my legal identification shows something else? Should I just sit back and let nature take its course? As tempting as it is, and trust me, there are days when I don't feel like doing anything at all and I've even contemplated purchasing a rocking chair, I've decided to take advantage of this new chapter in my life and keep my mind and body as active and engaged as possible. I've also decided to take some well-deserved 'me time' and pursue some of my hobbies and interests that I've put on the back burner for years, making excuses that I had 'better' and more important things to do with my time. So now that I've turned this page in the book of my life, what am I doing to keep my mind and body active?

Be sure to stay tuned for the next blog where I talk more about that.

If you’re experiencing similar changes in your 40s, tell me how you’re staying active in the comments!

Know someone about to turn 40? Share this with them and and give them a laugh!

Related post - What to know when turning 40

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