Forty something fit - the best time to get serious about exercie

[Mark]

I'm amazed just how many people I know who are forty plus and right into their exercise/fitness.

Many of these people have only became serious about personal fitness in their 40's and some have made awesome achievements in their body shape and overall health in a relatively short period of time.

So why this sudden "need" to become fit and healthy at 40? I try to work this question out in my blog article, Forty Something Fit - The Recreational Nearly Middle Aged Fitness Craze

 

[DTK]

Mark, I thought when I left Army after 48 years I would maintain some degree of fitness. Two years later, almost, and I am now trying to drop weight and improve shape. Reason: 1. Ego/pride. 2. Health Slow process and long way back.

 

[ClissAT]

And if we don't get off the bloody couch inside, our numbers will swell the ranks of those who succumbed to CV.
Apart from completely and utterly devistating life as we know it now, enforced indoors existence from CV will kill us anyway.
We'll all get so fat and so unfit, the older generations will drop off sooner.
If they ever wanted a health crisis on their hands they are well on the way to creating one right now!
Fresh food has been so expensive people have not been buying it. Instead, they buy crap. We only have to look at pre-CV USA and Britain to see what crap food does to your body.
If the govt was serious about keeping people alive and healthy, they should have been flattening the curve on the price of fresh food!

Oh and Dan, getting back to the name of this thread....if you think it's hard keeping fitness into your 50s, wait til you hit your 60s! Be thankful for any form of fitness and wellness you currently have and don't put too much pressure on yourself to be better!

 

[DTK]

Hi ClissAT. Thanks, very kind, but I am 67 and enjoying every moment - well almost every moment.

 

[GrdnCritter]

I'm 45 and have run for thirteen years now and although it never made me skinny or anything I've had opportunities to see a lot of interesting nature, wildlife, sunrises and sunsets and meet a few people. It has really been rewarding. It also made me interested in eating healthier. I really want to learn how to ride a bike again and lift some weights. I need more hours in the day.

-Cheers from Oregon Coast US

 

[DTK]

Well GrdnCritter, you have done the right thing. I used to run each day and then knees/ankles/hips aged gracefully and sent me messages that pounding the pavement was over for me. Then I transitioned to walking...I used to walk 5-10 km each morning, sometimes more depending on what was happening at work. I have been slack since I retired and now my exercise is jumping to conclusions. I need to get back into it but I have been mastering procrastination. I also want ti repair my pushbike and start riding that again. 60's is the new 40's and pretty soon I will amend that to 70's is the new 40's. Have a great day all!

 

[Jnel]

I'm 56 and enjoy the gym (not at the moment). The aerobic classes are getting a bit too enthusiastic for me these days, but I still plod along at my own pace, and have weights set up at home. Also member of a Womens Fitness Adventure Group - where we go on arranged hikes. Love the outdoors, and the feeling you have after exercise. Use it or lose it!

 

[Ray Speed]

im 54 and rock hard hahaha
best shape of my life, CV has changed nothing for us, other than make me more active than ever,
life is awesome, great girl, fast bike, another new toy coming (Watch this space) great house garden, fish, 2 ragdolls and a soon to be maine coon, some morayeels,
living grand!!!!!!
omg n nearly forgot, my huge vegie patch

 

[Jimmy]

I hit 40 in march this year and thought I needed to fill the void of fitness after I retired from being a drummer. I had never realised how fit drumming was keeping me until I stopped. I have knee and ankle issues, but I find being on the bike helps a lot. I'm not a gym person so I guess I'll stick to the bike and the home workouts me and the missus do.

 

[Ray Speed]

I just lift stuff,
hate GYMS

 

[Clara]

40's is about the time where all the neglect comes back to haunt you. It often spurs people onto a health kick as they suddenly realise they aren't immortal and the aging thing is happening to them, even though they never thought it would.

 

[DThille]

My fortieth was a big birthday for me psychologically. It was a time of introspection and reflection on what I’d done, what I hadn’t done, and what I ought to be doing. Perhaps that is why a lot of folks in their 40s and 50s start taking health and fitness a bit more seriously. It may also be a time when we see our parent’s health deteriorating and see we may be in the same path.

Now 53, a little over a year ago I made some tweaks to my diet, becoming more plant strong, cutting down on meat a bit, and making a point of avoiding processed foods and sprayed fruit and veggies as much as possible. I dropped about 25 lbs in the first 6 months, then we got a puppy and starting in the winter we got into a walking routine. We are now 15 months into this change, it’s become a habit, and I’m down over 30 lbs, basically the lightest my wife has ever known me.

This started in part with being cooped up at home with the lockdowns…I started watching more YouTube and came across the Self Sufficient Me channel…I started watching more gardening and some cooking that was more health-focused. We purchased and set up a couple raised beds (inspired by the Birdie’s beds Mark uses) in the Hugelkultur style. We told the farmer working about 3 acres of our rural land that we were going to take it back so there’s a little bit less chemical use in the world. We’ve increased how much food we are growing, become more conscious / mindful of what we’re eating and our activity levels, and getting a lot more fresh air to boot.

2013 for the original post…I had no idea Mark’s been going at this for this long…kudos.