[custom_adv] Homeira Riazi is an actress, known for Zir-e poost-e shahr (2001), Queen of Jijankooh (2017) and Sharafnaz (2016). omething dramatic has happened to middle age – it has suddenly got a lot older than it used to be. [custom_adv] For while we once believed that the landmark began at 41, we now think that middle age does not start until you are 53. [custom_adv] Rising life expectancy and healthier lifestyles are credited with pushing the milestone back by a comforting 12 years. And the lines between young and old are increasingly blurred, a survey shows. [custom_adv] You are seen as middle aged if you enjoy afternoon naps, choose comfort over style and groan when you bend down, according to a survey of 2,000 adults. Other supposed signs of middle age cited by those questioned included going on cruise holidays and preferring a quiet night in to a night out. [custom_adv] Eight in ten thought the term ‘middle age’ was much harder to define than it used to be and the same number said it was a state of mind now, rather than a physical milestone. [custom_adv] Reassuringly for the Saga generation, more than half of respondents even said there was no such thing any longer as a ‘middle age’ stage of life. When asked to describe signs of impending middle age, Britons cited a frustration with modern technology, forgetting people’s names, and thinking that teachers, doctors and policemen look very young. [custom_adv] Losing touch with everyday technology such as tablets and TVs was another feature of turning middle-aged, according to the study. [custom_adv] Buying travel sweets for car journeys and taking a flask of tea on day trips are also seen as signs of middle age, as are listening to The Archers, watching The Antiques Road Show and joining The National Trust. [custom_adv] So today is my birthday. Yesterday I was 52. Today I am 53. Logically, I know that I am not “a year older” – just 24 hours older, and I don’t feel better or worse than yesterday. [custom_adv] Well… perhaps a little worse because I went to dinner with a friend last night and enjoyed a bit too much red wine and a bit too much red meat, and spent the wee hours simultaneously battling the bed spins and the meat sweats.