I think the worst thing about turning fifty is that's when the AARP comes after you.
I went ahead and joined when I started getting the "invitations". For $12.50 a year, you get a decent magazine and discounts similar to AAA. AARP is a very powerful lobby in Washington DC. We should be glad they are there fighting for us.

And I am happy to say that I am in better shape now than I was at 21.
I'll be 55 soon and I have to second the above. I'm not as thin as I was way back when, but I'm a h*ll of a lot fitter and healthier. To me, that is so much more important.