Turning 40 - thoughts on weight loss and aging?
SanDiegofitmom
Posts: 303 Member
I’m turning 40 this spring. In general I’m pretty fit and love to exercise but gained a few extra lbs with lots of travel - work and fun this year and not watching portions. I joined MFP because unlike in the past I was having trouble dropping the extra few pounds easily like I normally have. I’m sort of attributing it to getting older. I’d like to enter my 40’s as fit and healthy as possible. For those in mid 40s and late 40s what changes have you noticed in fitness and ability to lose weight? Any tips?
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Replies
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I'm almost 41 so I am also interested in the answers to these questions.
Happy New Year!0 -
I've found my physique responds even better than ever before. Only thing i will say we do become more prone to little niggles and injuries into our 40's but just listen to your body and you'll be fine.43 years young and still kicking *kitten*! Best of Luck Fit Mom x1
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Hi. I'm 45, and I find that the weight control side of things just keeps getting harder as time goes on. last year was the worst ever!
As for the fitness side? The only issue I have there is that I do seem to have more issues with high impact activities. I get really terrible neck pain... Endurance is fine.
I try to maintain weight lifting to keep my muscles strong, and hopefully help my metabolism.3 -
Seems like I am more prone to injury lately and my metabolism has slowed down so it makes it tougher to lose weight. I can't push myself like I used to, and I have to concentrate more on stretching and proper form than before. And I now care more about waking up without back pain than I do about losing a few lbs or gaining some muscle.
Basically for me it is now more about feeling better while in my 20s and 30s it was more about looking better.2 -
I'm turning 50 this year
, and I feel better today than I have in the last 20 years. The main change for me is that it has to be a lifestyle now, and a conscience effort everyday to make healthy choices. In my 20's and 30's, I could go on a temp diet, lose a few pounds, and it was easy. Now, I've been at it for 2 years, lost 46 pounds slowly, the right way, and look better than I did in my 30's. I had to give myself permission to make myself a priority, and not feel guilty about it. Like others have said, proper form and sensible exercise is all it takes. Metabolism slows with age, so I log every day, and will continue to do this even in maintenance. Aches and pains go with the territory, but I would be hurting more in my sedentary lifestyle than I do in my active one. 5 -
I turn 46 this March, and started to notice changes around age 43. Compared to my 20s and 30s, I definitely have to pay much more attention to what I eat now. Prior to 43ish, I could get away with eating whatever I wanted; granted, I would regularly cycle to work back then (new job, can't now), which burned a good amount of calories. I do cardio 3-4 times these days (Spinning, BodyCombat, or running), and can't quite push the performance I used to, but with age comes mental toughness, and I'm now used to dealing with some pain--the gains don't come as fast as they used to, and are more difficult, but are also more rewarding in a way. Diet is extremely important, but this almost goes without saying.
A strange consequence--prior to my 40s, I failed miserably at strength training (former, and still, somewhat, current, Scrawny Guy Syndrome). I didn't really know what I was doing, and lost patience and interest quickly every time I would try and put on some muscle. For years I sat around 135lbs, and was never able to bench press my own weight. It is easier to gain weight now; I'm sitting around 150, and can easily bench, squat, and deadlift well over my weight. This is likely due in part to more mental determination and dedication on my part, which comes with age, but I suspect the natural tendency to gain when growing older may play a role as well. That may also be a crazy fantasy, though, and I have found no research to back it up.
So, with age comes wisdom and patience (we hope), both of which help immensely when caring for ourselves.2 -
Also, forgot to add that consistent sleep habits are much more important now. Functioning both physically and mentally is extremely difficult for me now if I sleep under 5 hours.3
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44 here - 3 things I have noticed
(1) I have to even eat less to maintain and lose weight despite seemingly having a more active lifestyle
(2) Body parts get injured easier, little niggles after lifting heavy or sore knee after an intense ride
(3) Family and work take up waaaay more time that was spent exercising
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