“At 45, I’m quite active with minimal pain, whereas some of my friends have had to give up most activities due to herniated discs, blown-out knees...”

I’m an award-winning writer and editor living in New York City, where I currently work at BuzzFeed as the Senior Lifestyle Editor.

"Let your freak flag fly. Trying to fit in is boring. Find people who love building Legos, hiking, talking about comic books, or baking. Whatever makes you happy, don’t suppress it because you are embarrassed. You’ll regret it when you are older."

And think about your physical activities. I traded squash for badminton and road running for the elliptical. At 45, I'm quite active with minimal pain, whereas some of my friends have had to give up most activities due to herniated discs, blown-out knees..."

"So many people, especially on Reddit, take some pride in things like 'I'm 29 and already feel ooold, lol. My back is done, I can't run, you'll see.' Like holy hell, train a little and eat a little better, I swear. You can be 60 and still physically fine.

Shouldn't try to normalize this; this isn't normal. Unless you obviously have particular issues or whatever."