As you age, what goes first?

For me physical strength, physical speed and physical appearance were my first signs.

Beloved pet friends.

Hair.

But on the plus side, I seem to have gained a lot of forehead.

I’m in the hair club. But everything else still works well,so I’m not complaining. I’m still on the right side of the grass.

@thorninmud Fivehead?

I was always very nearsighted, and still am, but now if I have to read something small I have to hold it a bit away. It’s weird because I’m not used to having to do that, and so it’s like “whoa.”

Agility.

Slowing down. Auditioning for a musical, we all had to run across stage. I couldn’t figure out why everyone was across before I was. Like there’s no difference between 18 and 40.

I’m 41 and the joints are starting to go. Knees and shoulders particularly.

Last weekend I painted my daughter’s room and spent about two hours in a crouching position (like a baseball catcher) painting baseboards.

Whoa mama! I could barely stand up and it took a minute to get moving.

My hair went first and that was when I was in my early twenties. That never bothered me.

Hitting my forties and suddenly needing reading glasses kills me.

For me its been my back and knees. Sad part is I’m 24

What was the question again?

Stamina. I’m still a sprinter, but I’m no longer a marathoner. I begin with tremendous energy and focus, but I get tired after a while.

When I was younger, I’d do all my spring cleaning in just a few days. I’d tackle one room at a time—wash the windows, launder and iron the curtains, strip and wax the floor, clean the upholstery and rugs, polish the furniture, etc. Now, it takes me much longer to achieve all those things. I can’t start early in the morning and go, nonstop, until night.

The knees.

Having worn specs since I was in the fourth grade, they are part of my persona.

After a bad fall, I have hearing loss in one ear due to a fractured stapes.

@gailcalled . . . bet that was a hard cast to sign . . .

Muscle strength went first on me. Then eye sight (which has now rebounded from a low in my 40s).

@Blondesjon: You’re back in the land of the living, I am happy to see.

Stapes, famous for being the smallest bone in the body.

Stapes is slightly bigger than FDR’s nose and cheekbone on the dime.

i can’t drink vodka straight anymore.

Your kids childhoods…just a few years left now.

Vision goes first but thank goodness, I get free cataract surgery, free eye exams, free frames and lenses (within certain limits).
Hair disappears on top and sore appears to appear or get thicker in other places.
Balance and coordination seems to decline with decreased lower body strength (at least in my case)
When memory starts to get spotty, I forget what happens then.

Um… could you repeat that? Where am I?

Fun?

I’m only 24, but I’ve found it’s much harder for me to lose weight now than it was in high school.

Shyness.

My waistline. But, I’m getting it back.

@jca, wait until your arms get shorter. Then you’ll really feel old.

Stamina, carefree moments, metabolism slows down, joint pain, fatigue hits fast, energy leaves you. Oh those salads days!!!!!!

@bkcunningham Arms getting shorter? Holy crap that is a new one.

You know how @jca said she has to hold things out away from her eyes in order to read it clearly? As time goes by and she gets older her arms will get shorter and holding things out like that won’t work.

45: reading glasses
49: no more periods, yay
50: menopause, NOT yay
52: someone is convinced I need a moustache, I do NOT need a moustache!

Yes, all of the above. tehehehe

Recovery time seemed to increase tremedously. Makes it harder to say, “OK, let’s go for it” when it comes to anything physical. I had to give up soccer it hurt so bad and I couldn’t recover for the next game.

Well, I became a bit “saggy” in my breast area. It’s a good thing I grew a shelf underneath to hold them up. But I have started a yoga routine that seems to work for me. I just have to work at it a bit more, and hopefully I will start to see results.

Like other jellies expressed, my physical abilities waned as I got older—I think my eyesight was the first (at 40). But the big thing that went away (also in my 40s) was my silly childhood belief that I was immortal. It’s obvious to me now of course, but in my teens, 20s and even 30s, I honestly thought I was somehow immune from the aging process and that I would never die. Ah, blissful youth.

Hair. Then vision. Now I smell.

FIRST? Close up vision. Many years later muscle tone. After that everything goes at once. All I have left is all my teeth, thick hair and great hearing. Period.

A lot of women my age have told me they lost interest in sex. I am very happy that has not been something that I’ve lost, yet, and hopefully never will.

income

Youth.

fast metabolism.

That print has definitely gotten smaller lately…

For me, inhibition. And I love it!

@jordym84: I hope I’m freaky until the day I die!

@jca That’s what makes life fun! I used to be really shy and way too cautious, but as I’ve gotten older and become surer of myself, I’ve also become less timid. As a result, my days are happier now than they were in my teens.