-Source-Business Insider-
When I hit my 40th birthday, someone gave me a coaster that read, "If you haven't grown up by age 40, you don't have to."
Recently, I saw the same coaster, only for age 50.
I think it's imperfect advice at either juncture. We all want to retain our childlike wonder about life, of course.
But there are a lot of "grownup" things that I learned between those two big, round-number birthdays. Here are a few of the most important:
1. You're not old yet.
At 40 I was healthy and active, but that date on the calendar seemed symbolic of my vanishing youth. A decade later, I know that while aging is inevitable, you really are only as old as you act and feel.
You'll almost inevitably start looking a little older in your 40s, but if you stay active and eat healthy, you'll still be able to do almost everything you could do in your 30s.
2. You don’t need to quit playing sports.
I've been playing sports nearly all my life, and I'm still playing softball, football, and hockey in my 50s. Granted, it's flag football and beer-league hockey, but people have been giving me variations of, "When are you going to quit?" and, "Aren't you getting too old for that?" since I turned 30.
I usually tuned it out, but not as much as I should have. Don't stop moving, even if you have to adjust your expectations and activity level down a little. Read more
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