What does it take to be athletic again after 40?

Your situation sounds familiar! I'm also a mom of a teen boy, dealing with work, life, stress, etc. I don't know if I'm athletic, but I'm over 40 (just turned cough - 48 - cough). I'm new-ish here -- been at this for 40 days. But here's what motivated me to make a daily commitment. I had to change mindset. As a woman, a mom and a business owner, I've always put everyone else's needs ahead of my own. I would say I was going to work out or take the time to plan a healthy meal, and then someone would need something (a ride, a report, or just some extra time) and I'd put off that hour a day I scheduled for a workout or that time to eat healthy...

And then I realized, many male executives I know always make the time to work out. Skipping that time is not negotiable. Guys with bigger, more important jobs than me. And I know they have wives to help with kids, but I thought, is my health less important than theirs? And that thought helped me make a shift to include a daily workout into my life as a non negotiable hour. I get up early to do it or I leave my teenage son at home in the evening to work it in. I'm 40 days in. I feel so much better than I have in the last few years.

I think you can get healthy and strong and feel so much better in 4 to 5 hours a week at the gym and eating healthy 20% of the time. I don't know if you'll get to your definition of athletic right away, but you'll sure be on the right road! Best of luck!

Hi, yobby,
To begin with . . . good for you for NOT giving up! If you did it before you can do it again. : )
Sounds like you have a lot going on. But I agree with another poster that said she had to start thinking about herself. That is not egocentric, it's simply smart . . . and crucial! We have to care about ourselves first . . . then we can take care of everybody else we need to.

I am 57 (gonna be 58 next month!), also used to be an athlete in HS and college. But have kept up exercise and playing sports. Though my weight has fluctuated as well. I, too, am a single mom (my daughter is in college now), and middle school teacher, so exercise is my therapy!

Okay, to make yourself a priority you need to do a few things. First off, that knee thing. Get it checked out. If you need physical therapy, do it.

Next, put yourself on a schedule. For example, mine goes a little like this:
5:30 Get up, take vitamins, eat breakfast, read positive affirmations, do 10 minute online meditation (love it!)
6:00 Exercise, drink 3 glasses of water
6:30 Shower, dress, etc., get ready for school
7:10 Leave for work
9:30 Eat snack (apple with cinnamon or something similar)
11:00 Eat lunch
2:15 Eat snack
3:15 Get home, check emails, relax
4:00 Prep lunch for next day (sometimes I do this for the whole week on Sunday, makes it SO easy!)
4:30 Eat dinner
5-8:30 Read, chat with friends, etc., drink 6 more glasses of water
8:30 Maybe a good protein snack, if I need it, check in with my mind & body to make sure all is well, 2nd 10 min. meditation
8:45 Prep for bed, stretches
9:00 TV for 1/2-1 hour
10:00 Lights out!

I don't mean to make this sound simplistic, but there comes a point where we just have to stop making excuses and do it. The more structure we have in our lives, the easier things are. I still have my challenges, believe me! But, they make me stronger. : ) I am not at the exact weight I want, but I refuse to give up!

Here are five ways to help you succeed in your weight loss journey:
1. Plan/Prepare
2. Eat Breakfast
3. Exercise
4. Support ~ you are doing the right thing by engaging with this community!
5. Set goals ~ one big goal, then break it down into smaller chunks

If you are interested in talking further, please feel free to friend me, or however it works on here! I am new here!
Good luck, yobby!

The main thing about being athletic in your 40's and beyond is your recovery time. Twenty-somethings can workout to exhaustion and be ready the next day to do it again. Older bodies need a little more time to recover. Allow for that and you can still set aggressive goals. For example, give yourself two days between weight lifting workouts instead of one.

Nutrition is also a lot more important since most people don't absorb all of our nutrients as well as we age and anti-oxidants are more important now than ever. Eat clean with fresh fruit and vegetables, adequate protein, good fats and stay well hydrated.

You need to figure out if you would do better to ease into exercise and add more as you become used to the schedule, or if you would do better to go all in. I kind of suspect that you are an "all in/all out" person, and largely "all out" due to injury or some outside force (as opposed to being bored and quitting). Given that you get injured, and if the "all in/all out" is true for you, do you think you might do better to acclimate your body and time gradually? Like maybe 3 or 4 hours a week for 2-4 weeks, then add another 1-2 hours every couple weeks?

I wonder if you need to work with a trainer of some sort so that you can prevent injury anywhere on your body, but especially on your knees?

I personally didn't feel "athletic" until I went over 6 hours of exercise a week. Once I averaged at least 1.5 hours a day, I was finally able to permanently get my diet under control enough - because I didn't want to negate what I had spent all that time doing. When I was working out 3-5 hours a week, it just didn't hit me the same.

I do cross train, and I think you definitely need to do that when you are over 40 - to prevent injury. I feel better now than I ever did in my 20s.

It has taken me a long time to get where I am today, and I'm glad that it has. I know I'm not going back. NOW I am finally able to help my family and be the example for my kids that I need to be.

I love working out, and I always have. It has never been a chore for me - as in, something I was "supposed" to do - although many years it was hard to fit it into the schedule. What it takes after 40 - and at any age once you have a "real job and responsibilities" to get in the way - is commitment.

I am 42 and disabled now for almost 10 years. Took me a long time to get back to the gym. Mentally i wasn't ready. I was a powerlifter in the past 15 years to be exact. Work related incident resulted in me not being able to walk hardly at all. Most days the pain is almost too intense to handle but when i got my mind set to "go for broke" i signed up at the Y and took in my first day which was about 22mins long. I might no longer be able to grow tree trunk legs like before but i am pretty happy with being over 40 and still getting the looks from the 20 year olds. If you want something bad enough you take it. Only 5 months in but I am a long way from where i began. From not touching the gym in almost 5 years until today.

I am 41 and I can relate. Just do it seems simple but that is how you approach it. Try to find a fitness buddy if you can. I started out walking with a friend for half hour a day. It got difficult when my friends would cancel. The best thing I ever did is sign up for a martial arts class (Kung fu) with my two little girl. It was difficult at first but now I am keeping up (been going twice a week for 6 months). I now attend with my girls and take an additional class because I love it so much. Now my husband and 21 year old son want to attend because they see me getting into shape. If you can find an exercise class that you enjoy that might be helpful. The people in my Kung fu class really motivate me and they push me to be at every class. Good luck! Believe me...if I can do it you can do it. I know it's hard. I work full time and have 4 kids. Make time for yourself and take care of yourself. You deserve it and it makes you a better mom.

Thank you so much, but my battle is not won until i see those abs hiding somewhere in my stomach to show themselves :P

Yes can do it with out living at the gym! About 5 years ago I joined a group and trained for sprint triathalons. I was in the best shape of my life yet my personal life at home suffered. I gave it up and packed the lbs back on. Finally this spring, I decided no more. I'm not going to do this battle any more. I'm done and it's over.

I was concerned it would take me forever to loose the weight because I had trained so hard and thought I had to do the same. NOT true. I found what I needed was encouragement and encouraging others, by logging on MFP, reading success stories, making friends and sharing food diaries and watching every body do all kinds of different excersise...it was the motivation I needed just to keep going.

It is truly a one day at time journey. I am a tortoise and the tortoise always wins the race! It's one day at a time for the rest of my life.

I started in May and have lost 10 lbs and have 10 more to go to my first goal.

I'm active now! And I love it! My most favorite thing to do is walk. I've started slogging some (a slow jog!) I bike with my kids, shoot baskets, and even have weighted hula hoop, play the wii fit...have exercise videos, weights, etc.

I pretty much do what exercise I feel like doing that day. I truly love to walk.

I also have counted calories and cleaned up my eating. I still have my scooters coffee most of the time!

You can do this! Feel free to friend me and we can encourage each other!

Blessings,
Carla

I am just starting to combine watching my diet and exercising at the same time. I have gone periods of working out before but never watched my calories. I had it easy growing up and could eat anything without gaining a pound and it has caught up to me now in my 40's. I weigh more now than I did with either pregnancy.

I am able to work out but need to watch the intensity due to health issues. I really love my treadmill because I can vary the speed according to what I can handle that day.

I need to work on eating a clean diet. I am a junk food/dessert junkie. My kids laugh and say the only reason I have Pinterest is so that I can pin dessert recipes. I now have various exercises and "real foods" pinned too. This is major for me.