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" My girlfriends are gorgeous, yet when we get together the talk topics always hit upon what I lovingly call the ravages of time. One points out her crow&amp;#039;s feet, another her little bit of tummy fat, and third points out her perceived uneven complexion. They&amp;#039;re all in their early 50s, all yogis who are into self-care and self-acceptance \u2013 and even they turn hyper-critical when they start scrutinizing their flaws. I tried to be the exception, saying that I don&amp;#039;t feel like I&amp;#039;m aging, or that I still feel like I did when I was in college. Then I had a reality check. A friend asked me to be in a video. When I saw my face reflected back at me through the camera, my first thought was, &amp;quot;I look so tired and droopy;\u00A0time for Botox!&amp;quot; And then I realized that at 52, I don&amp;#039;t feel at all like I did when I was young. I don&amp;#039;t even feel like I did when I was in my forties. Let me count the ways: 1. Your recovery time is delayed. I used to do intense flow yoga classes almost every day of the week. Now, my body demands a day or two to recover. I was getting back pains until my yoga teacher asked how much rest in between classes did I give myself? Um, none. I&amp;#039;ve realized that if we do hip openers one day, I need \u00A0the next day to let my hips close back down. The other day I skipped the additional chaturanga (push up) to recover in \u00A0a resting child&amp;#039;s pose. Restorative and gentle yoga classes are starting to look more appealing. 2. You&amp;#039;ve got stubborn body parts. Worse, my body used to change quickly with exercise. In my mid-thirties, I took up weight training. Within a month, I practically transformed into a much leaner me. Now, if I take a break from working out, I get softer more quickly. My stomach has decided it&amp;#039;s going to stick out no matter how much core strength I aspire to. My hip bones want to hide behind a protective layer of fat. Even though I keep going to yoga, I&amp;#039;m not dramatically more flexible. I can&amp;#039;t seem to propel myself into challenging arm balances (but then I was always uncoordinated). 3. You&amp;#039;re tired. I used to be able to stay out all night. I could go to concerts with two opening bands plus the main act plus drinks afterwards. Now, I get sleepy around 11:00 p.m. and, once sleepy, I fade, dissolving into yawns and crankiness like a fussy toddler. My brain starts to shut down and I feel like a zombie. If a great concert comes up my first thought is, &amp;quot;What time will I get home?&amp;quot; 4. Food doesn&amp;#039;t sit the way it used to. I could eat whenever and whatever I wanted or not eat at all. Now, I get hungry around 4:30 or 5:00 p.m. and when I&amp;#039;m hungry, I must eat or,\u00A0again, I start to dissolve. I&amp;#039;ve become the demographic for restaurants with early bird specials. And not too spicy please, it upsets my stomach. Which might then interfere with my sleep pattern, making me a wreck the next day. Age definitely saps resilience. 5. Where did I put my keys, again?\u00A0My mind seems to nod off. Is it getting vaguer? What was I just talking about? There are\u00A0dreaded moments like when I&amp;#039;m gardening and\u00A0realize I want the flower clippers from the kitchen, rush back into the house dripping soil, and wonder, &amp;quot;Why did I come back inside?&amp;quot; I know I used to be sharper. Then again, I&amp;#039;m trying to figure out social media, so I&amp;#039;m attempting to delude myself that I&amp;#039;m not losing focus \u2013 I&amp;#039;m just more distracted like all the other kids online. 6. Your teeth change.\u00A0Even my\u00A0teeth are aging. When I went to the dentist, he pointed out that my gums had receded a bit and my molars\u00A0were a little more worn down, would I like to check it out in his mirror? No, thanks. But it did bring home that my body is succumbing to entropy. Of course I should be flossing more and wearing my night guard (which feels like cramming a rubber duckie into my mouth then trying to sleep \u2013no fun). 7. Your\u00A0face is different. I guess I thought I&amp;#039;d still look the same, just a little older. Not until seeing myself in the video camera did I realize that older meant not looking like me anymore. The actual shape of my face has changed. My cheekbones stick out, but my chin droops down. My eyes look so tired. My mouth seems to tilt down. And where did that forehead furrow come from? People always said I don&amp;#039;t look my age, but now I see that I do. And I&amp;#039;m good with that. Rather than pick myself apart, I&amp;#039;m focusing on what I can do. And how much in life I can enjoy. And what I can experience. Like in yoga, I can&amp;#039;t do it all, but I can try really hard and love the process. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/life/real-women/a54799/sneaky-ways-youre-aging/>