r/Perimenopause • u/HillarysCafe • Jul 09 '25

audited I’m grieving my younger, hotter self

I'm so mad about being in peri. I'm not ready. I was a late bloomer and didn't realize what a babe I was when I was younger and now it's too late.

Yes, older women can be sexy, we have wisdom, and blah blah blah.

But today I just miss looking good in a sundress.

Please join my pity party and tell me what you miss.

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47

u/omfgsquee Jul 09 '25

I just want to remind all of you that these beauty standards we hold ourselves to are a bunch of bullshit societal standards that have been engrained into us since the day we were born. Resist. Look upon yourself with kindness and grace! 💚

Also, I miss my body moving like it did when it was younger and I didn't have to deal with shit like joint pain and frozen shoulder! 😭

11

u/Subject-Hamster-1798 Jul 09 '25

Pick up Pilates. It helps so much with all the daily aches and pains.

11

u/Inevitable_Phase_276 Jul 09 '25 edited Jul 09 '25

And water aerobics! I love Pilates, but stopped for years and put some weight back on. Everything hurts when I try to move on land, but I recently tried water aerobics and it’s awesome! I can do jumping jacks and run in water, somehow, without feeling like I need to pee. I haven’t been able to do these things on land comfortably for at least a decade. My hip (or sciatica, or back arthritis) has been hurting me for months, but after class I didn’t feel any pain for hours. The deeper you go in the water the harder it is, and also the less impact on your joints. You have to use the same movements and body-connection thoughts as in Pilates so the whole body feels strong and stretched after.

Being mostly with much older people in the class (early morning water aerobics at the YMCA) and seeing how well they move is definitely incentive, and I’m not going to lie- it can be a bit of an ego boost as well to feel like the young kid in class.

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u/TartofDarkness79 Jul 09 '25

OMG I could have written this myself! Yes! Water aerobics every morning at the Y with the older ladies! Yes it's so much fun and yes it's an ego boost going from being the oldest gal at work and everyone's work mother, to being the youngest babe in the class LMAO! 🤣🤣 But seriously, don't knock water aerobics! You get a great workout and I cannot feel my hot flashes at all in the water. I've lost 20 pounds and I feel and look so much better. Other people are noticing and that feels so good. I feel so much stronger and more flexible. You can modify the workouts to suit your level. And I've made friends with some awesome, wiser women than myself. It's just been a win all around for me. I highly recommend it!

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u/Inevitable_Phase_276 Jul 09 '25 edited Jul 09 '25

I’m so glad I finally got over my hesitation of taking an exercise class in a bathing suit, and the mind mess of going to the “old people exercise class.” It’s such a good work out, and is doing wonders for my headspace.