{"id":21,"date":"2025-12-08T02:02:43","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T02:02:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/victoriainvegas.com\/?p=21"},"modified":"2025-12-08T17:22:50","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T17:22:50","slug":"how-to-write-10000-words-a-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/victoriainvegas.com\/?p=21","title":{"rendered":"Three Months From 40 \u2014 Am I \u201cGetting Old\u201d?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I\u2019m just at three months away from turning 40, and suddenly life feels like it walked into the room and flipped on a bright overhead light. You know<\/em> it\u2019s coming, but you don\u2019t actually feel<\/strong> it until one day you look in the mirror and the wrinkles that used to come and go are just\u2026 there. Permanent residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s bizarre because you don\u2019t see the aging happening year to year. It sneaks up on you. My older photos look smoother, tighter, more na\u00efve. But at the time, I never thought, \u201cOh, I look young.\u201d I just existed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Health wasn\u2019t a priority in my younger years. I was always chubby or fat growing up, so my \u201chealthcare\u201d in my 20s was basically just dieting. Then in my late 20s I got weight-loss surgery. I lost 100 lbs and suddenly \u201cfelt\u201d healthier \u2014 not because I was living well, but because thinness tricks you into believing you\u2019re healthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then in my early 30s I wrecked my body a bit with drinking, but since I was still skinny, no one questioned it. Including me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I never worried about skin care. I rarely wore makeup. I could bleach my hair 20 times, live off Hot Pockets and Dr. Pepper, pull all-nighters, and bounce back like a feral raccoon with good metabolism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But these last few months?
I\u2019m leaning into \u201chealthy\u201d ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still lazy, obviously \u2014 but trying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I\u2019ve been focusing on weight, food, and skin. Mostly skin and wrinkles. Exercise will come later\u2026 maybe. I did<\/em> buy workout clothes, mostly because they\u2019re comfy at home and socially acceptable at Target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skin care has become a whole new game I didn\u2019t even know existed. Now I\u2019m deep into ingredients, routines, and hacks \u2014 and doing it cheaply, because 90% of these serums overlap anyway. Seeing fast results made it kind of addictive, so now I document it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weight-wise, between GLP-1s and having weight-loss surgery ten years ago in Mexico after a lifetime of crash dieting, I have a ton of perspectives. And being 125 lbs at 39 \u2014 my lowest adult weight \u2014 is a weird milestone. I\u2019m happy to be here, but I also know I need actual health, not just a number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, I\u2019ve learned it\u2019s time to start doing things.
Learning things.
Maintaining things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skin, hair, nails, digestion, body, habits \u2014 the whole \u201cmaintenance mode\u201d no one tells you starts around 40.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s wild how much advice is out there, and how little we actually do<\/em> for our health despite all the tools available. Everything\u2019s changed \u2014 from GLP-1s to telehealth to wellness tech \u2014 and honestly? It\u2019s fascinating watching the options expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And here\u2019s the part that hit me the hardest:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m probably going to live way longer than I originally thought.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was never a vain person \u2014 hard to be when you grew up heavier and teased. But now I\u2019m realizing that health, and even a little<\/em> healthy vanity, actually matters. Not for looking hot, but for longevity, job market competitiveness, mobility, social life, confidence, and overall well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medical advances.
Technology.
AI replacing half the risky jobs.
Better prevention.
Better treatments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Future humans might live to 100 like it\u2019s normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which means\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am not halfway through anything.<\/strong>
I\u2019m not even at the 50% mark.
I\u2019m barely entering the long-term maintenance phase that older people do. And I\u2019m realizing I should\u2019ve started sooner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I used to think 40 was old.
Now I see it like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n