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Gen Xers who feel their age creeping up share 25 wise tips for aging well

"55's the new 35."

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Gen Xers share their healthy aging tips.

Gen X (people born from 1965 to 1980) are currently 45-60 years old. While they're a generation known for living full, happy lives...aging is one thing they can't escape.

In a Reddit subforum of Gen Xers, member ggoptimus posed the question: "What’s your Gen X getting old pro tip?" They went on to add, "I’ll share mine. Make the clock app on your iPhone a widget so you can read the time without grabbing your reading glasses."

Fellow Gen Xers had lots of aging advice to give. These are 25 life hacks from Gen Xers for how to age well.

aging, aging well, aging hacks, aging tips, getting old Aging Matt Damon GIF Giphy

"Don’t make plans when you’re in a good mood." —porkchopespresso

"Put things, especially tools, where they belong when you're done using them. Otherwise, you will never find them now." —freshcoastghost

"This reminded me of Stanley Kubrick’s house rules. Stanley Kubrick’s House Rules at Abbot Mead:

  1. If you open it, CLOSE IT!
  2. If you turn it on, TURN IT OFF!
  3. If you unlock it, LOCK IT!
  4. If you break it, REPAIR IT!
  5. If you can't fix it, CALL IN SOMEONE WHO CAN!
  6. If you borrow it, RETURN IT!
  7. If you use it, TAKE CARE OF IT!
  8. If you make a mess, CLEAN IT UP!
  9. If you move it, PUT IT BACK!
  10. If it belongs to someone else, GET PERMISSION TO USE IT!
  11. If you don't know how to operate it, LEAVE IT ALONE!
  12. If it doesn't concern you, DON'T MESS WITH IT!" —mrbaggy
"I have a list in Apple Notes where I quickly jot down where I put things and other notes to myself. It’s a sea of randomness. But it’s searchable." —wallix

smart, hacks, life hacks, life advice, aging advice Dj Khaled Compliment GIF Giphy

"In my phone contacts there is an entry called 'Me' which is my own phone number. I text myself notes. It's searchable." —ImCaffeinated_Chris
"How many healthy years do we have left? No one knows, so do the thing now while you can. Take the trip. Have the experience. Create memories." —Riffman42
"Squat to pick shit up." —Beliliou74
"Do not stop moving. Exercise, while tedious and lame, is how we prevent sh*t from breaking down (from one who stopped moving...)." —GornoP

exercise, exercising, working out, workout, keep moving the simpsons exercise GIF Giphy

"You should exercise and stay fit, but you’re too old to help a friend move. Help them pack, send them 50 bucks or whatever, but you’re not lifting squat." —TravelerMSY

"Distance yourself from crazy." —xgenerd

"Lose weight now. It gets harder and harder the longer you wait. Don’t put it off. Set a routine. Seriously. Same bed time. Same wake time. Be strict with it. If you have sleep apnea, use the damn CPAP machine. Just get used to it. Throw a hydration tablet or powder with electrolytes in your water in the morning. Walk any time you get the the chance. And get good at getting yourself up off the floor. You would be shocked how many years this will give you." —liquilife

"See live music. Buy the ticket see that show. Have concert pals and a spouse who enjoys the same. This allows you to maintain your social connections and have the enjoyment of live music." —zionzednem

concert, concerts, go to concert, seeing concerts, live shows Excited Hell Yeah GIF Giphy

"Drink water, eat fiber, look at your poop." —Strong_Molasses_6679

"Stretch.....and often." —pcadv

"Get tested for cancer." —RockHopper707

"Never pass up an opportunity to go pee." —rink_raptor

"The wooden backscratcher I bought for $1 at Dollar Tree is one of my best purchases! It hurts to contort to get at the itch in the middle of my back, plus it’s great for retrieving items from under the bed or on the floor. Make the investment!" —MyThrowaway787

back scratcher, back scratch, scratching, scratch, scratch help Dog Pug GIF by The Dodo Giphy

"Stay curious. Keep your GenX youthful outlook on things. I saw a shirt that Johnny Knoxville was wearing that said something like, 'F*ck Politics. Let’s Dance'. Don’t take shit too seriously. Don’t believe the hype. Don’t trust the media. Don’t trust politicians. These were ingrained in us as kids when we realized we couldn’t trust our parents or our teachers or the clergy. Be cool. Help where you can." —Beneficial_Fix_7287

"Forgive those who have wronged you. Family, friends, whomever. Life is short, and bitterness is toxic." —AppropriateQuantity3

"A daily oil self-massage (or at least 3x weekly) is the best anti-aging routine you can have. It keeps the entire body healthy by promoting circulation, creates a positive parasympathetic healing response, makes the mind calm and keeps the joints and connective tissue lubricated and firm. Look up Ayurvedic abhyanga on YouTube for how to do it. Best done with raw sesame oil (messy but really good for bone and muscle)." —ahamasmi

"Now that you have the time, learn to grow, build, create, and fix again. Even if the civilization doesn't fly apart you'll have a bunch of skills that give you a sense of satisfaction and stable control of your own personal 'right now'." —Fulghn

learn, learning, learning gif, study, always learn Learning Studying GIF by Mad Monkey Media Inc. Giphy

"Do LOTS of different kinds of puzzles. Word, memory, number, mazes, jigsaw, Rubik's cube, and etc., NOT just one kind/type. Your brain will only use the connections it needs for that specific puzzle category, and won't use the existing ones nor make new ones. I got a traumatic brain injury from a bad car wreck at 30 where I nearly died (not my fault). Puzzles are the reason I don't have the mentality of a 12 yo, like the doctors told my mom I was going to be. I can't work at a job again, but I can do everything else adults need to do. My short term memory is still not great; however, I also have less of a risk for dementia and Alzheimer's because I keep my brain active. If you don't use it, you lose it has been my motto since high school and it's definitely true." —MsTyped

"It's ok to opt out of everything. You have a choice. Also, get up and get going. Life is a fatal condition." —justpuddingonhairs

"Shoe horn. Changed my life & my shoes!" —1Steelghost1

"I stop, take a few breaths & remind myself 'Go slower.' 'Be mindful.'" —Justify-my-buy

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Wellness

12 unforgettable side-by-side photos of people over 100-years-old with their younger selves

A truly beautiful reminder of how delightful aging can be.

via Jan Langer/Aktualne

Jan Langer's incredible photos are timeless.

Czech photographer Jan Langer's portrait series "Faces of Century" shows them in a different light: as human beings aged by years of experience, but at their deepest level, unchanged by the passing of time. In the series, Langer juxtaposes his portraits with another portrait of the subject from decades earlier. He recreates the original pose and lighting as closely as he can — he wants us to see them not just as they are now, but how they have and haven't changed over time. That is the key to the series.

These are the rare faces of people who have lived through two world wars, a cavalcade of regimes, and the rush of advancements in modern life. These photos, and the stories of the lives lived by the people in them, show not only the beauty of aging, but how even as we age, we still remain essentially ourselves.


All photos by Jan Langer.


1. Prokop Vejdělek, at age 22 and 101


aging, photos, older people with their younger selves, aging process, 100 years old Prokop Vejdělek, at age 22 and 101via Jan Langer/Aktualne

Vejdělek is a former metallurgical engineer who will never forget the taste of warm fresh goat's milk.


2. Bedřiška Köhlerová, at age 26 and 103



via Jan Langer/Aktualne

Originally born in Merano, Italy, Köhlerová wishes to visit Italy one more time.


3. Ludvík Chybík, at age 20 and 102


via Jan Langer/Aktualne

Chybík is a former postal carrier and says he will never forget the route he worked every day.


4. Vincenc Jetelina, at age 30 and 105


via Jan Langer/Aktualne

Jetelina spent eight years in prison after World War II. Now, he just wants to live the rest of his life in peace.


5. Antonín Kovář, at age 25 and 102


via Jan Langer/Aktualne

Kovář is a former musician whose daughter comes to visit him every day. He wishes to play the clarinet once more.


6. Anna Vašinová, at age 22 and 102


via Jan Langer/Aktualne

Vašinová will always remember the day her husband was taken away by the Nazis. She wishes to be reunited with him after death.

7. Stanislav Spáčil, at age 17 and 102


via Jan Langer/Aktualne

Spáčil was an electrical engineer throughout his life and thinks that it's too early in his life to think about the past.


8. Anna Pochobradská, at age 30 and 100

via Jan Langer/Aktualne

Pochobradská was a farmer. She now lives a quiet life and is thankful that her daughter visits her every weekend.


9. Antonín Baldrman, at age 17 and 101


via Jan Langer/Aktualne

Baldrman was a clerk early in life and keeps up with current events by reading the newspaper.


10. Marie Burešová, at age 23 and 101


via Jan Langer/Aktualne

Burešová loves talking to her family and wishes to have them all together again.


11. Vlasta Čížková, at age 23 and 101


aging, photos, older people with their younger selves, aging process, 100 years old via Jan Langer/Aktualne

Čížková cooked in the dining room at the airport in the small village of Vodochody. She'll never forget reciting her own poetry at wedding ceremonies.


12. Ludmila Vysloužilová, at age 23 and 101


aging, photos, older people with their younger selves, aging process, 100 years old via Jan Langer/Aktualne

Vysloužilová stays active every day by chopping wood, shoveling snow, and doing work around her house.


The photographer Langer was initially inspired to document the lives of elderly people because of what he saw as the media's lack of coverage of them. He decided to focus on people over the age of 100 — a very rare demographic indeed. The 2020 U.S. Census recorded 80,139 people aged 100 or older, a 50.2% increase from the 53,364 centenarians counted in 2010. As our aging population continues to increase, and technology evolves along with it, it's likely these incredibly photo essays will become far more common. But for now, they are an incredible reminder of how precious and valuable life is, sometimes especially when we reach our golden years.

“One should live every single moment according to their best knowledge and conscience because one day we will see clearly what has a real value," Langer says of what he learned from his subjects while photographing them.

The series was originally part of a story that Langer did for the Czech news outlet aktuálně.cz. You can see more photos from the portrait sessions by following the link.

This article originally appeared seven years ago.

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Culture

Gen Xers and Boomers discuss the eye-opening aging warning signs no one warned them about

"That eventually you will end up in that CVS aisle you always skipped because it didn’t pertain to you."

Image via Canva

Gen X and Boomers share unexpected signs of aging.

No one can speak on the truths about aging quite like Boomers (those born 1946 to 1964) or Gen X (those born 1965 to 1980). With years of life under their belt, they possess rare wisdom and insight into what it's like to really get old.

Over on Reddit, user @Knightress04 posed the following question to Boomers and Gen Xers on the hilariously named /AskOldPeople channel: "What’s something about aging that no one warned you about, but you wish they had?"

The responses did not hold back. Gen Xers and Boomers opened up about their first-hand experiences and let their opinions flow. These are the best responses to the warning signs about aging from Gen Xers and Boomers, including the good, the bad, and the ugly:

"The slow loss of everything, your abilities, your health, your friends, relatives, places you loved, etc. Just the eroding away of everything." —@ BreadfruitOk6160

"All the loss you endure." —@southerndude42

"I wish they had warned me that it's OKAY 'not to do anything' when you retire. My husband and I have been retired about two years now, and it's been wonderful. But we're not jetting around the world. We are just relaxing, enjoying being home. And that's okay, it doesn't mean we have a worse life now." —@slenderella148

"The invisibility." —@TimeSurround5715

aging, aches, pains, getting old, pain hurting season 3 GIF Giphy

"Aches and pains don’t go away in a day. Sometimes it takes a week." —@OscarTravolta

"Start appreciating the smallest things… like a quiet morning, or when a friend texts u a meme outta nowhere. those tiny moments hit diff now." —@quietswoon

"It’s so much harder to gain muscle once you age." —@GroundAndSound

"That eventually you will end up in that CVS aisle you always skipped because it didn’t pertain to you." —@IntentionAromatic523

time flies, time fly, flying by, time passing, time pass Alarm Clock Time GIF Giphy

"How fast time goes by. I was 21 yesterday. Now I'm 69. Time went by way to quickly." —@Dry-Cause2061

"That I would feel this great. And content. And so much more in love with my SO, decade after decade. That there would be as much joy in walking fast laps as there was in running full court basketball. That for all the travail I've had a wonderful life. That it would become so easy to understand Robinson Jeffers:"

Still the mind smiles at its own rebellions,
Knowing all the while that civilization and the other evils
That make humanity ridiculous, remain
Beautiful in the whole fabric, excesses that balance each other
Like the paired wings of a flying bird."

—@Own-Animator-7526

"All the napping! I've never needed so many naps..." —@Familiar_Collar_78

nap, napping, naps, take a nap, naptime The Blacklist Sleep GIF by NBC Giphy

"Menopause. I knew so little about it beyond hot flashes, but what absolutely NOBODY told me was: after 40+ years of mostly painful, heavy periods, it is a GLORIOUS feeling not to have a period anymore. 🙌 I especially love the freedom of being able to travel without having to calculate whether I’d need to pack extra products and underwear. (Thank God my agony came pretty much like clockwork every 28 days. 🙄)." —@Technical-Bit-4801

"Death, there are fewer & fewer people that know who you really are & where you came from. I've these parts of my life I shared with friends, & they're dead now. It's a strange feeling, when I'm gone it'll be like those moments never happened. The loss of shared experiences, I guess. It's nothing terribly important, or even very impactful, it's just slightly sad." —@Inside_Ad_7162

"How precious time will feel. Every moment matters to me now and I have no patience for squandering it. I consider myself very laid back but if there is anything that will trigger me, it's someone wasting my time. Feels like they're stealing my most precious resource." —@PicoRascar

nose hair, nose hair, hair in nose, waxing hair, nosehairs Waxing Hair Removal GIF Giphy

"As a male. The crazy ear and nose hairs that grow." —@Mikethemechanic00

"Late sixties. ....something about aging no one warned about? sounds like it's gotta be something bad. I wasn't warned about how independent, footloose and fancy free I'd feel once all work and family commitments and obligations were fulfilled. And I can be cantankerous whenever I wanna be. Most folks get warned about long term health consequences but it is difficult to overcome the insidious long-term ill-health consequences of commercial, corporate, processed, fast food pressures and convenience. way too much is spent on consequences of poor health and not enough on prevention and education --- imho." —@Buzzhoops

"The sensitivity. I have always been a very sensitive person who feels things deeply. But I'm also GenX so calloused, but lord a mercy if middle-age hasn't turned me into a crybaby. I swear I never used to cry so much." —@earthgarden

cry, sensitive, feelings, emotional, tears Sad Cry GIF by SpongeBob SquarePants Giphy

"That regularly putting money into savings or a retirement account is as important as brushing your teeth every day." —@InternalAcrobatic216

"When you hear a song or band from your youth that you absolutely hated because they were so cheesy and god-awful bad, but now when you hear it.. it brings back smiles and memories…. that’s the cleansing power of Nostalgia!" —@Hillman314

This article originally appeared in June.

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Millennial woman reveals 'The Shift' she felt at 35, and so many of her generation can relate

She put into words something everyone feels at that age.

via Canva/Photos

A millennial woman has a realization.

There’s something so satisfying when someone can take a phenomenon that many of us feel and, for the first time, put it into words so we can better understand it. A Millennial woman recently coined the term “The Shift” to describe the moment she realized that a growing number of people in positions of responsibility were younger than her, and it struck a chord with many in her generation.

Once one has made “The Shift,” they begin to realize that the people who, ten years before, were teenagers, are now in their late 20s and have responsible positions in life. They are lawyers, police officers, parents of young children, and teachers. It’s like realizing that your besties' younger brother or sister is all grown up and has a family.

What is The Shift?

The woman shared her experience on the Millennials subforum on Reddit, and many of her cohort were in total agreement because they had just made The Shift, too. “Did anyone else experience ‘the Shift’? How old were you when it happened?” she asked before describing her moment.

doctor, young doctor, millennial doctor, doctor with clipboard, smiling doctor, A smiling young dcotor holding a clipboard. via Canva/Photos

“I was a new patient at this particular [doctor’s] office,” she wrote. “The doctor walked in the room. I took one look at him and thought, ‘OK, this guy looks really young. Must be a medical assistant/ intern or something.’ Nope. He was my doctor. Through casual conversation, I would come to find out that he was 33 years old…My doctor was two years younger than me.”

This realization kicked off a shift where she began to see the whole world differently. "I’d be watching the local news and realize how incredibly young everyone looked—the reporters, the meteorologists, etc. I started noticing how young the faces looked on billboards for local attorneys and realtors,” she wrote. “It’s so bizarre and difficult to explain. Logically, I know that people younger than me can be in all of these professions, but my brain just can’t seem to grasp the jarring reality that the cohort of ‘grown-ups’ now includes people who seem so young to me.”

At what age do people realize they're getting old?

millennials, aging, the shift, shocked woman, woman hands over mouth, brunette woman, A woman with hands over her mouth. via Canva/Photos

The post inspired others to explain the moment they experienced The Shift.

"For me, it was one event. I work as a firefighter, we got a new batch of recruits in in their early 20s, doing some on the job training and one of them says 'you know, I remember you, you came to my school for career day in 4th grade!' I felt my body disassemble itself, I looked in the mirror later and just realized that I was older."

"I am a former professor and it was the transition from students not being alive for Clinton’s presidency to not being alive for 9/11 that really did me in. My pop culture references also all died on arrival."

"I’m 38 and my husband is 39. A few weeks ago he commented that cops have gotten so much younger and I had to correct him that they’re starting at the same age they always did were just older. I pushed my husband into the shift but I think it was time."

"When professional sports players started to get younger than me. A 20-year-old kid playing professional hockey, I told my husband that is an actual child not a grown up."

"For me it hit when I wasn’t the youngest in my department at work anymore. Now I’m in the middle to older group."

As people age, they often feel like they are mentally 25, although their body continues to age to the point where they have a hard time even recognizing themselves. When The Shift happens, it's jarring because it’s a reminder that we’re no longer just getting started in life and that we’re now part of the established, older generation. The Shift may hurt a bit, but it’s also a great reminder that life comes at you fast and to get to work on achieving your goals, because time waits for no one.

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