They always say that youth is wasted on the young. You never really appreciate the things your body can do when you're a teenager. It's only once you start to age that you realise you might not be able to run that fast, jump that high or drink that much.
While those changes won't be immediately clear in your 20s, they most certainly will start poking their ugly heads in your 30s. I'm a tall, skinny guy and have enjoyed a fast metabolism for pretty much my whole life. I can eat what I want and I have no idea where it goes but it isn't on my body. But once I get past 30, that's when things will change.
According to the Sun, people - mainly women - will notice muscle tone declining and metabolism slowing. That's a result of your body producing less human growth hormones. The American Council on Exercise says that your basal metabolic rate will drop roughly one or two percent per decades.
Credit: PA
Advert
But while your body might be undergoing some changes, it's also due to the majority of people in their late 20s and early 30s having sedentary jobs and burning less calories. The Council says that daily energy expenditure decreases by 150 calories per decade. It's also believed that these jobs, as well as other life factors, will drive up stress, leading to a release of hormones which encourage you to store fat.
Depending on your experiences, sex during your 20s is pretty fucking enjoyable. If you're not sleeping with people, you might be having some handy time with yourself because you can get a boner at any moment. This phase of your life is typically where you get to experiment with what you like and don't like. This is either done with random one-night stands, a committed relationship, or something in-between.
Credit: Pixabay
Advert
But by the time you're 30, you might start to notice that sex might not always be at the forefront of your mind. Once you enter this decade, you'll start to have reduced testosterone. Again, this isn't just because you're in a new age bracket, but because of all the things that are usually associated with being 30 - mainly family and job responsibilities, lifestyle and mental health.
According to Livestrong, you lose your libido by about one percent every year. For women, transitioning from 20s to 30s will result in few periods as well as chances of conceiving a child dropping. For men, the volume of a man's semen and sperm mobility begin to drop.
According to Doctor Narendra Patwardhan, hair loss can begin for men and women who hit the dirty 30. He's told the Indian Express: "The major reasons are iron deficiency, lack of sunlight (vitamin D-3), stress, irregular diets, hormonal changes and related diseases like thyroid and diabetes." Grey hairs can also start to appear once you reach 30, with a 10 to 20 percent chance of more grey hairs with each decade. This is a result of your body producing less melanin as you age. While some people might be devastated at the idea of grey hairs, I would 100 percent welcome a bit of salt and pepper on my head.
Credit: PA
Advert
Luckily it's not all bad news though.
Some people, like Shannon Del Vecchio tells Quora: "I spent most of my 20s exploring my inner world, my creativity, my sexuality, my spirituality, my sense of purpose. Those were intense years for me. Satisfying, but intense.
"When I turned 30, on some level I felt that I was done with all that serious excavation of my psyche, ready to just relax and enjoy my life for a while."
Others report feelings of being settled in themselves, more maturity and a better world view. So don't fear the future, embrace it.
Featured Image Credit: Pixabay