10 Mindblowing Things That Happen As You Age
When you're over the hill, you just pick up speed.
Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional, but you should probably be glad of the opportunity to do either.
With average life expectancy having virtually doubled in the past 100 years or so, and medical science allowing us to live out our twilight years with most of the sprightliness of youth, we're rapidly becoming a super-race of old people.
Science isn't exactly sure why we age in the way we do and it's becoming increasingly clear that the whole thing isn't as simple as we once thought it was, many even think that it is an essential part of our development as a species.
With this in mind, perhaps that time has come for us to start appreciating all of the gifts that age bestows upon us. After all, age isn't just something that happens to the old, it's a life-long process that begins at birth and affects every single one of us until we eventually shuffle off our mortal coil.
With increasing understanding of the ageing process, there are even lots of things that we can do to make the whole thing a lot more fun while we're at it.
Besides, who ever decided that wrinkles are a bad thing anyway?
10. You Start When You're Young
We have this idea that old age just happens, suddenly, to old people, but it doesn't, it's a much more gradual process that begins from the moment you're born.
Age-related sarcopenia - the slow degeneration of muscle tissue- begins as early as your late twenties. This doesn't just mean that your ability to do pullups is compromised, sarcopenia affects every muscle in your body, including the ones that help you breathe, blink, eat and move.
Everybody probably knew someone in their early twenties that began to lose their hair or go grey, and these "signs of ageing" can crop up as early as towards the end of your teens.
Your brain and lungs will both begin to go downhill after just 20 years on the planet, your bones will begin to deteriorate at 35 and your teeth will start to let you down at around 40.
This is, of course, without any help from your fun-loving, rock 'n' roll lifestyle. There's no way to protect yourself from the whips and scorns of time, so you may as well embrace it - just don't be an idiot with tanning and loud music and you'll be fine.