Turning 40 can be scary. I know, because it felt that way for me almost eight years ago. You are not only roughly halfway through your life (depending on your family’s history), but the number 40 doesn’t match at all how you feel on the inside!  

But hang tight, it’s not all that bad! I wish I had talked to other women who have navigated this territory before entering the 40’s world. I am now going to be that person for you and will share with you all you need to know. If you are already in your forties, these will resonate with you. But if you are in your 30’s, about to approach these uncharted waters, I hope to put your mind at ease.

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First, let’s get the NOT SO FUN things out of the way:

You will most likely need reading glasses.  I could read the smallest print but as soon as I turned 41, I almost immediately had to get a pair of reading glasses. The funny thing is, I was also pregnant with my second child while I was shopping for my first readers. Kind of a weird moment!

You will start seeing wrinkles if you haven’t already. I strongly recommend starting a Retinol eye and face cream routine in your mid 30’s to slow down the appearance of wrinkles in your 40’s. Prevention is the key here! I am a huge fan of ROC Facial line. The amount of Retinol used in their product is as close to a prescribed Retinol cream without the high price tag. I will make sure to tag the products I have been using and have been very happy with. The fact that I have minimal wrinkles aside from my laugh lines speaks volumes to the effectiveness of this line.  

You will be prone to dark spots on your face if you don’t take precautions. Again, establishing a great skin routine in your 30’s will make it much easier for you to maintain your skin in your 40’s. One thing I haven’t done and strongly recommend would be keeping the sun away from your face, neck, and decolletage. Get yourself a wide brim fedora and make sure to use a 30+ SPF sunscreen during the day and a rich moisturizing cream on your neck and decolletage at night. I use ROC Moisturizing Cream and ROC daily moisturizer with SPF 30.

You will start losing skin elasticity and bone mass. Your body will start losing muscle and bone mass so you will need to start taking supplements and up your weight training. I added calcium + Vitamin D to my daily multivitamins and started taking a Collagen supplement. I am also getting more disciplined about weight training every other day to increase my muscle mass. Another thing I changed since my younger years is starting all my workouts with a good stretch since we are now more prone to injuries.

You will most likely enter the perimenopause/menopause world in your mid and late 40’s, which can bring on its own challenges such as hot flashes, slower metabolism, brain fog, mood swings, headaches, joint pain, fatigue, forgetfulness, and insomnia. 

I know this might all seem very overwhelming, but don’t fret. Most of these changes are subtle and gradual and with the right care, you can minimize most of these symptoms and still thrive.

Now let’s take a look at some things to look forward to as you enter your forties:

• The pressure of having a baby is behind you, so you can concentrate on other things like getting back in shape.
• Since you are done having babies, or your babies are now older, you can finally get your sleep back! And trust me, you will need more sleep as you pass the 40’s threshold.
• You will have more time to concentrate on your relationship with your love as your kids get older and don’t have to be watched every minute.
• You start taking better care of yourself and will get more diligent about your annual mammogram and other checkups.
• By the time you reach your forties, you know what clothes, hairstyle, and makeup work for you and you have probably found your favorite brands to which you are loyal.
• By now you feel more confident in yourself and confidence is sexy!
• Most women in their 40’s are established at their job or have a pretty clear vision of what they need to do to get where they want to be. Many women in their 40’s get the confidence to start their own company or a little side hustle business.
• Women in their 40’s are some of the best workers. They are adaptable, super-efficient because they are used to multitasking, they know how to find solutions to problems, and how to streamline processes, and they bring a whole new vantage point to a business.
• You appreciate a good night’s sleep so you wake up with more energy and better-looking skin.
• You are not as worried about what others think of you and you have a much easier time saying “no” to events you are not excited about.
• You realize life is too short to keep negative people around. You have no trouble cutting off a relationship that doesn’t work for you anymore. By now you probably established a group of wonderful, dedicated, loyal friends.
• You are not afraid to try a new hobby or to join a class to learn something new.
• You are perfectly fine spending the evening at home with a glass of wine and Netflix. 
• The days when you felt you are missing out on life (FOMO) if you don’t go out are long gone.
• You realize you don’t need a man to validate yourself. You appreciate the man you have in your life but are not clingy. You are perfectly comfortable having your own hobbies and interests. If you are single, you love spending your time with your girlfriends.  
• You don’t feel insecure around other women as you might have in your 20’s. You don’t feel like you have to compete with them and you become much more supportive.
• You have a lot of wisdom and experience to share.
• You feel confident enough to go eat out or see a movie by yourself. Your own company is enough.
• You appreciate and can now afford a good glass of wine or pampering yourself.
• You stop caring as much about the latest trends and choose what makes you comfortable.
• You prefer quality over quantity when it comes to friends, clothes, wine, etc.
• You take care of your body and skin better than when you were in your 20’s. You invest in supplements, facial treatments, quality skincare, and healthy food. And you always remove your makeup before going to bed!
• People respect what you have to say because you have more experiences.
• You have knocked off a few things off your bucket list by now and are fine if not all of them are checked off.
• You are not afraid to admit you are done with camping and prefer a nice, comfortable hotel (sorry hubby).

As you can see, the list of benefits far outweighs the cons. The forties and beyond can be a wonderful and exciting season of your life if you allow it to be. As with anything in your life, you can focus on the things that could go wrong or you can look forward to the next chapter of your life and be grateful you’ve made it this far. As Mark Twain once said “Don’t complain about growing old. It is a privilege denied to many”, so as you blow out the candle with the big 4-0, make a wish for this to be the best season of your life.   

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