Ask Lemmy

Short answer, no, it is not normal unless you have some kind of illness.

28 years of age is usually too young for your body to fall apart. It is enough time that your bad habits begin to show results, such as muscle loss, muscle imbalances, etc. This is usually caused by your life style. As you get older, its more important for you to do maintenance on your body and watch what you are consuming.

If your life is too stationary, then you will start to see yourself falling apart. The old saying of "If you don't use it, you lose it" starts to hold true with time. How "aged" your body feels really depends on how active you are with it, to an extent. There are people twice your age that are in fantastic shape, that is because they put in work to maintain their bodies.

It is time to introduce some good habits to your routine. Eat a bit better, move around more, more active activities, etc. You will start to feel better again before you know it. Good luck.

I started to develop a gut for the first time around the same age (after being so skinny people would comment about it). I think you’re probably noticing regular aging, but you can probably slow the trend via a healthier lifestyle. Get active, improve your diet, maybe check with a different doc just to be sure.

I was starting to go that way in my late twenties. Started training in the gym. Thirties now, looking and feeling better than at any other point in my life. I beat my high school time for the 1 mile run by 30s recently, I couldn’t believe it.

I’ve seen people much older than you or I totally turn their lives around. I think for most people, it’s not getting older that is the problem, but rather, being sedentary over the long run is just way more destructive than we realize. Even just daily long walks makes a night and day difference

Roughly the same age here. Sure, some minor issues start to accumulate. I broke some stuff that will probably haunt me forever. My teeth had some issues earlier. But everything else? I finally started doing enough sport, and the effects are visible in just weeks. No, you should not fall apart, and if you do, it is high time you fix it.

Do you sit around a lot? Do you play games instead of being active? Do you eat sugary foods and a lot of soft drinks? What sort of exercise are you doing?

I'm 48, I work in computers, but I'm in about the same shape now than I was at 28: I weigh the same if not a little less, I eat well, am active, and when I'm not working, I stay the fuck off of computers, games, and other shit that keeps my ass in a seat.

Exercise increases energy levels, improves mood, and makes you healthier.

Your young enough that everything should be working fine

Change your diet to not be hostile to your health

• remove sugars
• remove alcohol
• keep your blood glucose as low as possible all the time

Get some sunlight exposure everyday, on your bare skin

Do some level of daily exercise, walking, stairs.. anything to get your body moving and the blood flowing

If you want more guidance you can see a functional medicine doctor and get checked out, or explore more extensive eating pattern improvements like a ketogenic diet.

Do you stretch often? I remember feeling like this in my early 20's and my friends suggested I do yoga which helped immensely. My legs will also feel terrible if I don't stretch them or place them above my head every day. Supposedly putting them above your head (like lying on your bed with your legs on the wall) will prevent varicose veins by draining the blood from them and letting them heal. Maybe it'll help a bit with already varicose veins.

Also you're getting to that age where your diet will have a larger effect on how you feel, so try to eat more vegetables or whatever your body needs. I've found that meat does not sit well with me if I eat too much of it, so try to find out what you need.

The 30's are supposed to be the decade where the "check engine" light finally comes on.

Stretch your arms and legs, go take a walk outside for 30-60 minutes nearly every day, and get some steps in. Make that the new thing you do now. Eventually work in some more exercises. You can at least avoid being a heart disease statistic by doing that.

No this doesn't sound normal. Do you have any other symptoms, including things you might think are normal but that other people your age don't deal with, joint pain or fatigue for example?

I thought I was just someone with the knees of an 80 year old, but then I got diagnosed with fibromyalgia, which is almost certainly a misdiagnosis of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Severe varicose veins at a young age is a known symptom of vascular EDS, not something you want to take lightly, I'd suggest trying to rule it out if you do have other symptoms as it's life threatening.

I have no reason to diagnose you, so don't take my suggestion of EDS that way. It's just worth taking things seriously if your quality of life is being impacted because it might save you a lot of pain in the future. Hence be on the lookout for other problems and consider that they may be related. You should also be careful of doctors dismissing your symptoms as it's extremely common for illnesses like this to be dismissed as "all in your head" especially if you're a woman.

Regardless of other symptoms, I'd still suggest you take it seriously and be sure your doctor is doing the same and not just declaring you healthy for no obvious reason.

No it’s not normal.

How are you eating habits affected? Is your skin more pale or yellow? Are you overworking consistently? You ever take a vacation, maybe recently? Do you drink or smoke regularly? Have you been hiking or exposed to a lot of insects lately? Do you eat a lot of sugar and have a family history of diabetes?

It could be a lot of things, but I’m betting you’re doing something wrong habit wise and it’s just starting to catch up with, or a nasty tic bit you.

Keep doing exercise, don't. Ever. Stop.

I've stopped multiple times over the years and it gets progressively harder to get back in shape. Just stay in shape and even then, yes, your body will deteriorate over time, just a lot less

varicose veins

wasn’t as active

lost muscle mass, like significantly.

Find a workout or sport routine you enjoy and commit to it. Be mindful of you diet. You’ve got another 10 years at least before things start to get sore.

No, that doesn't sound normal. If you are dead idle physically, maybe. If so, try increasing your physical activity gradually then exercise.

But if the exhaustion persists, insist on getting screened for diseases, maybe you have something treatable?

I will say my 30s were the WORST and it got better in my 40s and have maintained healthy. Was just thinking the other day about how I feel really good, and weigh 10lb more than I want to but not sure I should try to lose it, maybe healthy just doesn't look exactly like I want it to!

it's the age that rock stars feel is the beginning of the downfall....

I don't know what to say about your personal experience

but I have witnessed positive changes in people who dedicate themselves to improving their own physical form.

yes

you can make your body what you want it to be... but you must be disciplined and focused.

if you're asking me? bicycle workouts are the best leg forming exercises. once you get over the initial hump, it's so liberating and enjoyable.

women who bike have very attractive bodies

Get them to check your thyroid levels, that’s what it was when I was feeling similar at 24. It took years for me to feel normal and have energy again but it’s treatable.

I was losing hair in the shower, I had dry skin on my arms and bad dandruff and I was exhausted all the time even after a large dose of aderall in the mornings. My TSH was 20 when it’s supposed to be below 6.

In my late 20s my doc told me to start resistance exercises to fight off the atrophy, sounds like its coming a little early for you, but not abnormal. I can't recomend enough some basic weight routines that more or less get your whole body. Pilates is great if you dont want to use weights or training machines at the gym.

This is the resource I've been using for free weight exercises https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workout-routines

It's less that "everything goes to shit at 28" and more that "as you age your body becomes worse and worse at recovering from shit it used to shake off like it was nothing"

Allergic reactions, pains from being sedentary or from doing exercise wrong or from overwork, drinking and hangovers, obesity, genetic conditions you were always prone to -- Stuff that as a younger person wasn't so much of a problem even if it was there, start being more and more of a problem. And more and more of a danger.

Breaking a leg as an 18 year old and breaking a leg as a 30 year old are radically different experiences.

The better you take care of your body, the less bad it is. But well. You're aging.

Are you sedentary a lot? If so, that's the issue. Start by just getting on the floor and stretching. Get a feel for your body, what makes you uncomfortable, learn about what you can and can't do. Then start working on addressing stuff by stretching and simple things like planking. Then move into outdoor walks and go from there. But don't get straight into exercise mode without preparing your body and mind first. Then everything else will fall into place.

As someone older. I’ve come to find that it’s part of the cycle. Some days I’m great and feel as good as I did in my teens and other days I get winded walking up a flight of stairs.

The biggest thing now is maintenance. Regular stretching, cardio, and strength training, coupled with better lifestyle choices, less booze, junk food, and smoking. It’s sadly the only thing I’ve found that actually works. I don’t do that stuff enough but when I am disciplined enough to do all that, I usually feel pretty good day to day.

As for the varicose veins, I have some that are super noticeable. Compression socks have been my saving grace there. I wear them pretty much everyday, not so much on the weekends, and every time I travel. You can also get them removed through minor surgical means.

I had to learn that nutrition and sports (cardio) are essential to health

Im 45 and im fine, i do hard physical labour without much stress. No (big) health issues. The trick is to not be overweight, and have a decent lifestyle. And it's not like im some kind of health guru, i smoked until i was 36, i never played any sport, sat around gaming... It honestly doesn't take that much to be healthier. So really all the people complaining that things go downhill after you're thirty are full of shit. There is no reason why you can't grow muscle, endurance, and generally condition yourself way into your 50s. If your body is breaking down after 30 you either have physical problems or you aren't actually living healthy in earnest.

When you're younger, all it takes to be healthy is just to not do a lot of unhealthy stuff. Around 30, health becomes something to upkeep. You need to eat healthier and exercise regularly. Good enough is no longer enough.

You said the doctors cleared you, but.... I'd get a second opinion

I’d say everything slowly goes down hill starting at 25 but drastically worse by 28 means you need to see a doctor. You’re either not okay or living a bad life style.

Had my first major injury at 27, that's how it starts...

10 years older than you and just got a thrombosis in my arm from doing pull ups. Take care of yourself, take it easy or your body just desinegrates.

No that's not till you're older. Did you have covid? That can cause lingering issues like that. That can improve over time but maybe not completely.

Body starts aging at around 20 if I recall correctly.

Doctors said I’m fine btw.

One thing you might want to do is see another doctor and get another opinion of your physical condition? I almost lost my eyesight because of an incomp, I mean, with a doctor that was not that well informed. Had I not decided to check with another doctor...

That’s not really normal, but it’s common. Make sure you get enough exercise and eat right and you’ll look and feel better.

Most people age more between 25 and 35 than they do between 35 and 55.