Over the Hill Birthday Means Downhill

"Over the Hill" birthday is a term commonly used to describe someone who has passed their prime. In life, each person has a "mountain" or "hill" to climb, and as soon as they reach their peak, it's all down hill from there. Shouldn't it be that you would pick up speed and momentum on your way down? Most things go down a hill pretty easily without resistance. It seems whoever coined this phrase had it backwards. Isn't entering old age an uphill battle, requiring a lot more energy than youth? Since I'm not "Over the Hill" yet this is all speculation...

"Over the Hill" is frequently used to describe someone who has just had an important birthday, like 50th, 60th, or 70th. It's said with humor, and means the person is transitioning from youth to old age. This phrase is used on a lot of birthday cards and gag gifts to jab someone at the expense of their age. There are tiaras, hats, banners, mugs, over the hill party buttons, books, retro candy, and jokes all available for this special day.