Did your body change a lot after 40????

I will be the big 4-0 this July and I must admit I am a bit depressed about the whole thing. I think mostly because it makes you realize how fast time goes.

My body started changing at 20. I was a toothpick as a child, super skinny as a teenager and started getting hips around 20. As each year goes by I have to eat less and less at each meal and have in recent years cut out dinner all together. I usually have a protein bar or raw vegetables and salsa for an evening snack. It's also critical for me not to eat a morsel past 7:00 p.m.

As for exercise, I have been working out for 20 years but have had to adjust my cardio down as a couple previous posters stated. I have to really work the weights now, which is fine because I love both forms of exercise.

I am hoping my 40's will be the greatest decade ever. So far nothing has come remotely close to beating my 20's. 30's have been rather dull.

Here's to the 40's!:D

Rhonda
 
My body did not change after 40 or 45 even it began to change at around 49 when I went into menopause. I gained weight very rapidly and all of it was around my belly and back. But, I was not working out at all. I was very sedentary. On the bright side though, I can tell you that at 52 I am stronger, healthier, leaner and have great muscle definition. I am in the best shape of my life. When I gained the weight during menopause, it was a wake up call for me and I knew I had to do something beside diet. So I changed my eating and started working out regularly with weights and cardio. I have done the FIRM for over a year and have just recently started with Cathe. So if you continue to workout and eat right you should sail through your 50's with flying colors and no weight gain. I have also heard people say that you just cannot lose the weight gained through menopause, but that is so untrue. I went from 182 Lb.s and a size 16-18 to 136 Lbs. and a size 4-6 in around 7 months. So do not worry girls you can keep it under control!!!!
Kathy
 
I'm 45 and I am in the best shape of my life. However, as Carole said, I do find that I am more prone to overuse injuries after turning 40. In my 20's, I took aerobic/step classes 6-7 days a week and never had an injury. I am also a runner, so I have probably punished my joints over the years.
 
Hi,
After reading all the posts. I must say that
it is a little unnerving to realize that because we age, that our bodies may head South or maybe North, East and West as well.
Marsha:7
I am 56 now and was terrified because of the stories and articles I had read about menopause, weight gain,our metabolism slowing down, belly fat..none of it sounded like fun.
Further proof that God must be a Man with a very bad sense of humor.
(Sorry God You know I love you, but you could have had the MEN go through this stuff ))
But, on the bright and positive side, I feel fit and strong. My
Body did NOT change as much as I feared, my metabolism may have slowed a bit which is what I feared the most because as someone on the post said, "there are only so many hours in a day and the thought of maybe having to add more time to workouts scarred me".
But I just added more weight training, more muscle toning and changed my cardio to more low impact, not becasue of the joints and pain, I never did like a lot of jumping. But ladies, do not fear the 50's, I am told I look better than a lot of younger women and that is becasue I kept the exercise going and added Cathe Tapes to my Muscle workouts.
In regards to gaining weight, I will admit that I have not given up my love for some junk food or chocolate, I have just learned how to incorporate them to a better way of eating. I like my deserts to much, so I execise, not necessarily longer...just wiser and stronger.
We can keep our bodies firm and toned and we can age with grace and beauty...
PS...Does anyone take anything for joints or to keep your muscle s
from aching? Okay..I am serious, I said being 50 was not a bad thing, I did not say that you don't occassionally have a few aches...but the younger ladies have them too and ours mean more, becasue we have spent years earning them.
:7
 
Great topic! Thanks for starting this thread. I'm nearly 46 and I'm in the best shape of my life. Have been aerobically fit for ages, but adding weights made a major difference for me. I weigh what I did in high school. It's great to hear also from folks at 50+ who are still in great shape--you're inspiration for the rest of us.
 
I turned 40 this past year, in June. I must admit I hated it. But, I'm slowly becoming okay with it. I noticed a metabolism slow-down at 35 and have had to up my cardio and watch my eating more since then. Before that I never really had to watch what I ate, although I've always done cardio and weights. I love weight work and if I didn't force myself to do cardio I'd probabaly look like a sumo wrestler at this point, but I force myself to pull out that cardio along with the weight work.

I can't say the sex is better for me, because I always feel sexier and more like having sex when I'm fitter... but that's just me. When I give it a chance it's always great. It's my own self-image that limits me right now.

Yes, it's been harder for me to lose weight, and stay in shape, by by golly I'm not giving up!

One thing I am glad is that I'm just here and alive at forty and able to work out! Man, what a blessing that is!!

Lynn
 
I will be 38 in May and I have to say....Thank God for Cathe!!!!! I have never been in better shape in my life. I look better, feel better and I am stronger than ever. I agree with the statement that we are in better shape than some younger girls who wear the mid-drift shirts and lowrise pants with pudgy stomachs. I was turning 37, looked in the mirror at my naked body and went....I have to do something....and quick! I started during cardio, but didn't see results like I was told, or expecting. Then I started to do Cathe workouts around last July, and it seemed like the weight just melted off!!!!!:7

I would have to agree with those that say you can stay fit and healthy....it's a matter of choice and determination!

Thanks again Cathe!

Marianne;)
 
Just had to chime in on this one!!

I'm 42 and have had no problem with my weight as of yet.
I am in as good as shape now as I was when I was in my early 20's. My weight has fluctuated over the years; but, only by a few pounds and right now I'm happy to say is about at the 'just right' point.

I'm looking forward to being fit in my fifties!!! I think health and exercise is a lifestlye of choice....and if you choose....your body doesn't have to "go to pot" as you age. Look at all of the posters on this forum!! We have great motivation and proof that it's true!

and of course I too must add....that sex only gets better with age!!:7
 
I'll be 42 in April and so far, no problems. I think my metabolism went to heck when I had children in my twenties. After I had kids, I had to watch what I ate or else I would gain (and I did gain ALOT). I think as long as you lift weights and eat healthy, you can have a good body at any age.
 
I'm 45 and in the best shape of my life. I am more prone to overuse injuries, but I cross train to prevent that. It's also encouraged my to integrate more weight training which really does wonders for your body. I do watch what I eat, but I always have. Age is a number and I'm finding the 40s to be extremely rewarding. It's not what happens to you in life, but how you deal with it.

Tracy
 
I just looked at my post and realized I forgot to mention some facts:

I'm 48 (soon to be 49) years old, and I still have regular periods and normal FSH levels. My big fear is that when periomenopause finally hits (and it's got to be soon, right?:-( ) my midsection will thicken. It's nice to read the posts here from women who are surviving menopause with their waistlines intact. I'm just hoping that my healthy eating and moderate exercise will help me get through it.

As for the forties, though, my body didn't change much, and what changed was for the better (okay, not counting lines on my face and neck). Also, my life got A LOT better. So I don't see any reason to fear the forties. Quite the contrary. I say it is highly likely to be your best decade yet!
 
My wasteline never really grew that much. It was 25 inches in my 30's and now in my 40's it's 26" but I think that's because I've added weights to my ab regimen.

I'll be 50 in a couple of weeks and I'm going to make that my best decade ever :7
 
Candi,

Happy Birthday when it gets here! I'm with you girlfriend, I'm going to make the fifties my best decade yet too.

I've found that the older I get, the easier life gets. I'd rather have an extra inch around my waist then have less experience at my career or go back to being single or have less money. Anyway, I'm ready to fight that inch. Just let it try to find me. }( }( }( }(

I take it your birthday is in February?

-Nancy
 
I will be 44 years young in May and I am in the best shape of my life! Most of it is due to a Cathe regimen and attempts at healthy eating, but alot is a state of mind. You really are as young as you feel! Some days I just don't want to do some vids ( like MIC ), but once I do I feel so empowered that I am ready to tackle anything that comes at me!

40s' are fabulous!

:7 :7 :7 :7 :7 :7 :7 :7 :7 :7 :7
 
Nancy,

Yes, the 15th. Day after Valentine's day. So appropriate...Valentine's day...Candi. :+
 
Wow - Lynn, your experiences are so identical to mine. I'll turn 40 this June but I definitely had to start watching what I ate after turning 38, before then, as long as I worked out consistently, I could eat whatever. I have to eat cleaner or the pounds creep on. I guess in all, since 38, I've put on 4-5 pounds that are really stubborn. I'd really like to weigh 112, what I weighed when I graduated high school, but the scale has been pretty stubbornly staying at 116 - I'm sure its the scales fault and not mine ;-)

I also feel sexier when I'm fit, which is one reason I try to stay consistent with my workouts. This is my one ploy I use with DH. He'll watch the girls a couple times a week or help with homework so that I can get a good workout in. Other days, the girls are downstairs playing and I do have to stop occasionally - not a pretty sight}(

I'm not giving up either Lynn, in fact, this month I really picked things up and am hoping to dissolve those last pounds before we go to Florida in late May. We'll see. I've ate more apples this past month than all of last year! Health snacks - healthy snacks - healthy snacks...my new mantra.

Sam
 
Candi,

I love rebounding. I've only been doing it for 2 weeks and my heart rate definitely gets up there, but I consider myself intermediate level. I'm using the Urban Rebounding workouts and I love them. It actually took me 3 tries before I was able to get through the Beginner's workout without a break. There is a sports conditioning segment after the cardio segment with jogging mixed with sprints, and they wore me out every time, but I did make it last time. I've done Resistance Bound twice which is easier than the Beginner's workout, but also has sprints at the end. No problem on this workout as I wasn't as tired. I ordered all the DVDs and I'm going to try a different workout today.
 
Kelley,
I am 56 and just got my rebounder and glad to hear someone else has tried it.
I thought I was a wimp becasue I tried the Basics and then the biginner video and had to stop a few times. It is a great cardio.
I am trying the intermediate tomorrow, but I know it will be harder.
Did your feet ache a little while you were doing it?
Mine did.
I also hope i am doing it correct becasue he keeps saying bounce down, not up.
But it is fun...let me know how you do.
Marsha
 
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