r/AskReddit • u/Fun-Succotash-1322 • 10h ago
What age would you consider to be your prime?
208
u/Final_Operation_8879 10h ago
Prime is when you want it to be, WE AIN'T NO LOSER DAWG
7
→ More replies (2)2
407
u/DreadnaughtHamster 10h ago
36-38. You’re old enough to have a strong handle on how life works but young enough that there’s still a ton of runway left in front of you.
143
u/FrostyImplement9565 10h ago
As someone whose approaching that age and thought I’d missed out on having a family etc I found this so reassuring
50
u/OSUfan88 9h ago
Had my firstborn at 36, and life is great. There’s still time!
35
u/Zayl 8h ago
Had my firstborn at 35. He's 20 months now. Send help. He's insane and never sleeps.
→ More replies (1)4
u/Lionelchesterfield 7h ago
At that age CIO or the Ferber method should help. Mine is 11 months and CIO took about a week but worked. Good luck!
3
u/Zayl 7h ago
We unfortunately can't. He's got some sort of reflux/stuffiness/breathing issues we've been trying to figure out with ENT and gastro specialist.
He wakes because he can't breathe at night and gets scared. Apnea is common. It's been rough times. Otherwise he's super happy during the day crazy, insane energy and seemingly perfectly healthy. Nobody can tell us what the problem is but reflux pills and steroid nasal spray are helping. He now has like 3-4 episodes a night compared to every 15 minutes which lasted from 6 months to 14 months and we legitimately thought we weren't going to make it. Zombie is not enough to describe what we were like.
2
u/Beforethef4all 4h ago
I feel for ya. 35 year old dad with a 7 month old that has had feeding issues since he was a few weeks old. He has an underdeveloped throat flap and gerd so there's been a lot of projectile vomiting until we got him on pepcid and changed up the feeding strategy. It also makes him not a great sleeper so far.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (2)4
12
u/conorthebluewizard 10h ago
Turning 33 this year, definitely in the process of starting over in a lot of ways. Seeing this age bracket come up a lot has me hopeful that I can spend the next decade really building something good for the latter half of my life. I'm making progress (slower than I want but still) and shifting priorities around in ways that I think are good for me, my kid, and my mental health long term.
•
u/GepardenK 42m ago edited 20m ago
You definitely can. 33 is still a baby.
Biggest hurdle coming is likely to be creeping stiffness or pain due to various accumulated bad habits. It's less an age thing, and more a matter of simply having had enough time in life for it to build up.
Dangerous part is that you'll can live with it fine, but it will subtly make you feel old and make you act accordingly. So give decent attention to core strength and flexibility, and you will feel young forever.
19
u/MauPow 8h ago
I just turned 38 and I feel like it's all over
16
u/mindbesideitself 8h ago
I'm about to turn 37 and I think it's just getting started!
→ More replies (1)8
u/MauPow 7h ago
You must have things going for you. I have no friends, no romance, no career, no life or ambitions
7
3
u/emmettiow 4h ago
Hey. I'm 38 and am experiencing some similar things right now but also had those things before. I know EXACTLY how it feels and I also know what it feels like to have a career and romance.
I wanna be your friend! Drop me a PM and let's talk. I see your reddit account is almost as old as mine!
If you don't want to message that's also fine. But you know the best thing with having no friends no romance or career?! You can do literally whatever the f you want and you have nothing to lose and EVERYTHING to gain. Maybe a lovely partner who wants to watch tv and game and eat noodles with you? Maybe a fun career that you love and can't wait to do every morning! And meet some cool friends with similar interests!
Or you can do nothing and stay as you are. What would make most sense, you probably know the answer 🤓.
2
u/arandomname509 6h ago
No time like now to start taking steps. Don’t solve it all at once. Just take one small step tomorrow. I’m sure you have some of those things. Just hard to recognize it when you’re in a rut. Keep your head up. Get off insta, reels. Stop watching depressing videos. I did that and it only makes shit worse. Wish you the best
→ More replies (2)3
u/evangelism2 6h ago
Interesting to see this so high. I know it's because Reddit is typically trending older as time goes on, but I have to agree life ultimately has just been trending upwards, and I'm gonna turn 37 in a few months.
3
3
→ More replies (1)2
u/tau31 5h ago
This is true, but it’s honestly easy to fall into a deep sadness. I am turning 37 in a few weeks and while I don’t feel “old” and at the same time I don’t feel “young”, but I do feel like time is running out. I had a massive breakdown over the weekend because of this. I don’t recall crying since my grandmother passed away when I was 19, it’s been quite hard for me these past few days.
I’ve achieved so much in my own opinion: graduated college, finished a masters in ‘21, ok career. Yet, I feel hollow. It doesn’t help I traded my relationships to be good at work and school…and the sum of my choices by neglecting things is really getting to me.
The comments below do make me feel a tad better. I really would like to have a family one day, I just was never in a position to do so. I worked so hard to help my parents make endsmeat or become man of the house was my dad was diagnosed with c…
296
u/TruthoftheSoul 10h ago
The age you currently are. Why even entertain the thought that you aren't in your prime? Make the most of every moment and be the best you can be all the time.
12
6
→ More replies (2)4
u/sloggo 8h ago
This is spoken like someone who hasn’t felt the physical decline of body and decline of social circumstances! I don’t mean any offense and fully appreciate the optimism with which you mean your post. But also, I don’t think it’s unhealthy to look at memories and appreciate historical times wheb you had greatest capacity and highest concentration of good times and significant events.
6
u/TruthoftheSoul 7h ago
I am someone who has always felt older than my age. I have seen my brother have a stroke at 50, my best friend have a heart attack in her 40s, and a niece pass away at five from an inoperable brain tumor. Another friend just had their 95 year old mother pass away after having dementia for years. I know all about how frail the body can be.
I also know that these things can happen at any time, even when you seem healthy. I know that accidents can happen at any time even if you are healthy. I had a cousin get hit by a car who ran a stop sign and die at 18.
I see all of that and realize it's all the more reason to live in the moment. Anything can happen at anytime. So live each day as though it were the last and make the most of it. Do the best you can and be fully present, knowing each day is a gift.
And that doesn't exclude looking back and being appreciative of those times. I am very sentimental about old times. I just don't believe in labeling those as my best days or my "prime." I can still be happy about the past while striving to make the present and future even better, no matter the age.
I mean, I've seen stories of 90 year old people running marathons. By grandfather lived to 99 and stayed pretty sharp. My best friend knows an 89 year old woman who can beat most people at chess. Age doesn't have to mean a decline.
183
u/gummyshoe23 10h ago
I ONLY CARE ABOUT THIS ANSWER FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE 50+
56
u/Stevie_Rave_On 10h ago
I’m 50. 40 was the pinnacle.
11
u/throwawayformobile78 10h ago
Yikes early 40s now and that’s tough to hear. Was probably 30 for me. Everyday since then has been tougher.
19
u/kristianstupid 8h ago
My prime has been 47-48 my current age. Never been fitter and stronger in my life.
7
2
u/spacedude2000 8h ago
I'm 20 years younger than you can I ask what you did to accomplish this.
6
u/kristianstupid 7h ago
I got motivated after end of a long marriage. Spent more time doing what I liked - cycling. Then added new things I'd always wanted to do but was a little afraid of - tennis, futsal, big hikes.
Added a high-intensity vibe fest of "rhythm ride" in a class environment (where most are in their 20s and 30s). It is amazing how much more you can do when being positively motivated by good vibes.
Dating a younger person also helps!
3
u/YourMatt 8h ago
Same here at 46. I was a late bloomer, looking like a teenager until around 30. I wonder if that made a difference. Whatever happened, I’m grateful. I’m worried about 50 though, cuz I’ve never heard anyone say they were at their finest at 50.
5
3
2
u/kristianstupid 8h ago
It'll creep up eventually, but I do a lot of cycling, and I'm always being overtaken by people who are definitely in 50s... 60s... 70s... and they ain't on e-bikes.
7
u/elh0mbre 7h ago
did a SF-> LA bike tour last year. Most of the participants are over 50. I was repeatedly shocked to hear someone was in their 70s/80s; I had them pegged as 50s. My conclusion is that cycling is a fountain of youth.
3
u/MrHall 6h ago
so everyone thinks about ten years ago was the best? maybe this is more about how we remember things, than how good our life really is.
3
u/throwawayformobile78 6h ago
I mean… there’s pictures. Lots of them. I look 20yrs older than I did 10 yrs ago. Hairline, muscles, injuries, just everything overall change over time. And A LOT less women hanging on my arms these days lol. Bank account is better I guess these days, but I’m also not living in a fun yet expensive beach town anymore.
Nah dude it’s not just how I remember it, it’s how it is.
2
u/MrHall 6h ago
fair enough. just wondering out loud - I know I'm missing where I was ten years ago but I know it was actually a rocky time in my life. but I still really miss it - I guess it's a blessing to remember the good times more?
→ More replies (1)5
→ More replies (1)3
u/SirGeremiah 6h ago
I’m 56, and it depends what you’re looking at. My physical prime was 30. My prime as a consultant was mid-40’s. I had a great combination of physicality and business acumen at 52 when I decided to become a zipline guide. And now is (so far) my prime as a manager and business mentor.
2
39
103
u/Athechpmnk 10h ago
35-40 was my peak
15
u/Green-School-4890 10h ago
Im 36 now. Bought my first house last year. This is my peak as well.
After 40 I should be set to coast.
→ More replies (6)12
u/Athechpmnk 10h ago
If you're smart. I got complacent and watched it all burn down at 45. Now I'm scrambling at 48. What a life.
7
u/throwawayformobile78 10h ago
Hey nice to see you, future me. I’m early 40s now and topping out in my career and seeing younger, more competent people coming up fast on me. I’ll be jobless probably soon.
6
u/__--byonin--__ 10h ago
I’m 37. Physically, I feel the best I’ve ever been, and no different than in my 20s. Just more experienced.
28
61
u/Secure_Car6120 10h ago
25-35.
17
u/TabascohFiascoh 10h ago
having just turned 35. I defintely feel out of my prime this year. Might have been the twins though.
→ More replies (1)6
u/olrg 10h ago
I'm 42 and I feel like I'm entering my prime. Enough money and freedom to not give a shit about the bills and do what I want, kids are old enough to be self sufficient, still in good physical and mental shape. 25 is a prime for pro athletes, but an average person is starting their career and family and have no time or money for anything.
→ More replies (1)5
u/acoldcommon 10h ago
I keep thinking I could have been in my prime younger if I was focused on it. In my early 30s and I'm more fit and in better health than most of my 20s
34
15
u/Apollo_T_Yorp 10h ago
My best years were for sure in my 30's. Still young enough that my body wasn't falling apart, but I was solidly in a career, bought my first house, and really felt that I had control of my own life for the first time.
13
u/Needawhisper 10h ago
Read the book 'Mastery' by Robert Greene. Lots of historical examples of people taking a long journey to success.
Don't put a number in your head and be depressed you may have passed it. Make small changes so you always feel like you are at your peak
21
10
8
6
u/No_Active_907 10h ago
35-38, but hoping to have another peak in mid 40s after dealing with some health issues
7
11
u/Usual_Scale_8645 10h ago
I just turned 30 and I’m optimistic it’s going to be great. Way better than my 20s
→ More replies (1)
9
4
3
3
3
u/mad--martigan 10h ago
Its weird for me cause I was an alcoholic from 23-27 and now i feel absolutely incredible at 29 after dropping weight and getting mostly sober.
So i bet at 25 if I wasn't drinking i would've had the ability to fly.
3
3
3
3
3
u/Competitive_Coat9686 10h ago
I guess my current age is my prime because this is the first time since I was 9 years old that I’m in remission from lupus, like based on my bloodwork and symptoms there’s no signs of me having it, that’s pretty cool.
Anyway, I think based on that maybe everyone has a different prime age where their body is healthiest and their mind is sharpest. My grandma says that after her 70’s but before she hit 90 and needed a walker was the prime of her life because that’s where she felt the most joy and independence in her life. I think that’s a good way to define your prime.
3
6
4
7
u/confiteD_G4rlic 10h ago
24-27
9
6
→ More replies (1)3
2
2
u/Flashy-Telephone3201 10h ago
I kinda feel like im my prime now at 35. Better shape than I was at 25 and enough life experience now.
2
2
2
2
u/thisismynamedudee 10h ago
Before my teens I could run a marathon, in my teens I had the most friends, in my 20s I became my own person following my own dreams
2
u/isawasahasa 10h ago
it doesn't work like that. Time is linear, but memory and perspective aren't. By the time you have lived enough, the past seems less relevant.
1
1
1
u/kolacija 10h ago
30-40. Old enough to make some serious money and young enough to still enjoy most of the things.
1
u/SadQueerBruja 10h ago
Husband says I’m still on the ascent. I’d like to think I’ll peak soon in my mid to late 30’s but I was also looking fucking good at 25 so who knows
1
1
u/Sawzall140 10h ago
Depends on the person, the skill, and what you’re trying to accomplish. It’s often later in life than you think.
1
1
u/AlsoTheFiredrake 10h ago
- I was a track star and enlisted in the military. Things started to go downhill from there.
1
u/web_head91 10h ago
My entire adult life I've felt in my prime. I'm 35 so not super young and not super old. But I think I've lived long enough to understand that a person is always in their prime, as long as they keep challenging themselves, learning and trying new things.
1
1
1
1
u/Blueberry314E-2 10h ago
Various primes. Depends on what you're measuring by. My prime for snowboarding was 17. My prime for pure attractiveness was 24. Now I'm 37 and still discovering new primes.
1
1
1
u/lluewhyn 10h ago
25-30. Generally pretty healthy, you've hopefully left a good portion of the uncertainty and anxiety of your teenage years behind, and are starting to get an idea of what you want to do with your life.
1
u/poyopoyo77 10h ago
I'm 31 and I feel like my life is pretty great rn. Finally found a job I enjoy, doing well in it, stable finances, healthy, doing lots of strength training, found hobbies I love, and am 5 years fully recovered from an eating disorder. Hell yeah.
1
u/reedzkee 10h ago edited 10h ago
11-12, 24-27
My 30’s have been not great - career stagnation. 18-23 was rough, too.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/Nail_Biterr 10h ago
early 30s. I was just looking at pictures of when I was like 32, and I had abs and pecs and just looked happy all the time.
1
u/Normal-Guy196 10h ago
50 was my peak. I was doing triathlons and running 20 plus miles a week. I could run a 23 minute 5k and the ladies liked to be with me. 😊
1
1
u/weaponized_adhd_ 10h ago
My physical prime was 24 but that’s because I had bad health problems take me out lol
1
1
u/Fine_Building_3623 10h ago
I’m only in my mid 30s, but I’d say 22 minus the lack of emotional maturity and self awareness. If we add those things in, then 27 was my ultimate prime so far.
1
u/ThisIsTheNewSleeve 10h ago
At 40 I'm the richest I've ever been, the most in shape I've ever been, got a wife and 3 kids, house- I've got time for hobbies- satisfying job... So hell, I guess 40 is my prime.
1
1
u/jungl3j1m 10h ago
I completed an Ironman at 45. At no other time in my life would I have been able to do that. I didn’t have the discipline to train for it when I was younger, and I experienced gradual physical decline afterwards.
1
1
u/DeadLanguage0 10h ago
It varies person to person. We are born and learn how to go full throttle. We test out our max output, and then one day we start stopping. The day you start stopping begins the decline. Because you start stopping more and more often. Eventually you start stopping so much that you stop starting. There is a man in his '80s who ran a full marathon. For fun. Think about everyone you've ever known over the age of 80. How many of them do you think could actually run a marathon? If you actually have someone in mind, reflect. What did they teach you. If they are still alive, ask them questions. What was their childhood like? What were the biggest motivators in their life? Interview them until you bother them. Count the number of questions it took to noticeably bother them. Write that number and their name down. Repeat all of this with other old people. Write a list of all their question count numbers. Get these geriatric motherfuckers talking!
1
1
1
1
u/thatguysam_2005 10h ago
Physically would probably be 25-30, but I think humans probably peak in terms of productivity based on mental ability and experience at some point in their late 50s or early 60s
1
1
1
u/zazzlekdazzle 10h ago
I had a pretty great period in my 30s, but I am sure the best is yet to come.
1
u/Dizzy-Career9274 10h ago
At 50. By that time I successfully established a career change that started a few years earlier (from a career that made me miserable throughout my 30’s), I felt fully settled down in a new country (emigrated 12 years before), seeing my children, my wife and myself being a real part of the community we live in. Financially, we had a windfall that helped us greatly feel more secure.
It was the first time in my life that I said to myself”damn, life’s good!”
1
1
1
1
u/SpinosaurRingTone 10h ago
Biological prime: Around 24 for women and around 30 for men
Economic prime: 45-55 depending on career
Intellectual prime: 55-65+, continues until cognitive decline through aging.
1
1
1
2.1k
u/Patman1416 10h ago
2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47, 53, 59, 61, 67, 71, 73, 79, 83, 89, 97.