Men Over 45+ ... Support and Motivation!

CrankyGoatBC

Seeking a few fitness pal 'friends' to help support and motivate. Would like friendly support; dedication to your own personal goals and food diary; no exercise crazies or fitness gurus - just a few fellow middle aged married guys looking to get back in shape. Please friend me with message of where your at with your health / fitness goals.

Ask any family doctor and he or she will tell you: Until they cruise into their 40s, men are notorious for their disregard of their own health.

“Typically, men who come to see me in their 40s start with an apology,” says Dr. Kingsley Watts, a Toronto family physician. “They say they haven’t seen a doctor in 10 or 15 years and the reason they are here is because their wives made them come.”

Indeed, between ages 20 and 40, the main reason men visit doctors is for trauma, says Dr. Ross Upshur, a staff physician in the family practice at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.

“When I see a man below the age of 40, it is usually because he has been doing something foolhardy,” he says. “He has been cycling without a helmet or has been driving without a seat belt or has fallen off a ladder.”

But at around age 45, all the bad habits and excesses of youth begin catching up with men.

Two decades of smoking, drinking to excess, chowing down on unhealthy diets and avoiding regular exercise now start to take their toll.

“Age 40 to 60 is when men finally begin to see the results of all those bad habits,” says Dr. Walter Owsianik, a Hamilton family doctor. “It is usually their wives or a serious illness or the death of a friend or relative that makes them realize they are not invulnerable and should start paying attention to their health.”

The first and most important step men can take in their 40s is to have a complete check-up with their family doctor, say all the doctors.
The goal is to set a baseline of overall health and then to start focusing on what can be done to reduce the chances of serious health problems in the future and start to manage effectively those that might have already taken root.

So what should men, at age 46, be concerned with? What health problems should be on their radar screens?

The list is long but there are elements that connect most of them. The conditions and diseases most likely to kill us or make us miserable, in large part, reflect lifestyle. Diets low in fruit and vegetables, too much weight around the middle, too little exercise, too little sleep and too much stress are the common threads running though all of them:

Change your lifestyle and you take control of your health, the doctors say.

jkquinn13

hey there. 49 here and have a goal of losing 50 lbs by my 50th b-day next April...currently at 243 so have a lot of hard work cut out for me but ready to accept challenge...good luck with your goals!

mezmgr

Hey. I'm also 49 and my goal is to lose 25 lbs. I'm at 200 right now and just started using this app a few days ago. I'm in...

steuartcj

64 here, at 221 down from 234 two months ago. Was always over weight (225 in HS, 69') . Heading for 200. Read labels, get a good scale (to weigh food portions) use the MFP app, drink lots of water (8-10 cups per day). Get some exercise regularly. Joint a gym, some are very reasonable (insurance may cover some of the $). Easy to gain it, hard to lose it.. There will be ups and downs but hang in there! You can do it.

CrankyGoatBC

Thanks for the replies and words of support - I've tried the gym a few times, just doesn't work for me. I LOVE the outdoors, so my wife and I mountain hike with our dog regularly; I'm trying to get into cycling, but need to develop a habit of it; just starting a home based workout routine - we shall see if that 'sticks'...

steuartcj

I have a 2300 dollar treadmill/cloths rack down stairs. Not until I joined a gym and started getting sweaty around others did it work. But that's me. I'd rather not have to do the work, but there is no silver bullet.

GTRguy

Hey all,

Been at this since January and have been successful using the app.

Add me

August2054

I am way over 50 wishing to lose 15 to 20 lbs, drop body fat by 5-10 %, and generally tone and tighten in sustainable and realistic ways. Income is limited so I am doing this outside of a gym.

mevans7165

Hi, I'm 46 and I'm struggling to shed the pounds. Feel free to add me, I'll be delighted to offer mutual support and motivation.

avjets

Hi All, 212 lbs here, and I will be 46 in less than a month and so glad to find this thread. The original description suited me to a t up until last year, with the exception of a couple successes. I smoked., drank too much, and really didn't care about health. Since Oct 24, 2016 I have quit smoking lost 15 lbs and really motivated. Over the last few months I have plateaued so looking for motivation as next birthday approaches. Activity is not my issue as I work out a bunch and I am an avid cyclist, which is a great workout and fun, but the late night eating and blowing off tracking. Really looking to dedicate myself and get down in weight. Old guys rule!!!!

Tacklewasher

I'm 52. Started at 330+ last August. Down to ~223 as of this morning, but yeah, have not seen a doctor in decades except for when I dropped something on my toe. I know I need to but it is tough finding a doctor taking patients around here and the walk-ins do a decent job.

Other than that, I don't quite get the friends thing so I don't do that.

Joined the Y in August as the local smoke made it hard to run outdoors. Have done a 10K race (1:06:31) and trying to get my 5K time under 30 mins. Lift a couple times a week and started swimming lessons (they're hard). Still run outside as much as possible but may have to move that back to the Y as well as it gets cold up here in BC.