Those of us 40+...

darla723

darla723

Cathlete
Just wondering how many of us there are. I'm 46 and noticing a slight decrease in stamina, strength, etc. Maybe I just need to be more consistent, but then I worry about injury.

Would love to hear from more of you and how your exercise routines have changed over the years.

Doreen :)
 
I'm 45, and thanks to Cathe and a couple other instructors, have actually increased my stamina and strength... but I did very little exercise in my 20s, and only did Nordictrak 3 days a week/20 min a day (remember that advice???) in the beginning of my 30s. Then when I had my babies, well, didn't workout at all until my next door neighbor opened my eyes to the benefits of working out.

I have, though, noticed an increase in my middle to both acquire and hang on to fat... very frustrating. I'm doing my best to eat clean, but have a feeling that I'm going to have to start cutting back on my food intact to really cut down that belly. That's difficult when you're doing workouts that burn so many calories, and you wind up so hungry.

All in all, feeling great... knees and lower back remind me that I'm not a teenager, from time to time.
 
44 (well very soon anyway)..
Always been cardio addict (20+ years) In past year endurance much greater (since Cathe) + started lifting again for first time in 14 years.. thats making the diff. Have reduced cardio to 3 days a week and lift 3 days (currently in final phase of P90X) and see that my body sheds fat this way. I feel stronger, look and am leaner than ever before.
 
I'm 45, will be 46 in July. I am in the best shape of my life in the way my body looks, the way I feel, cardiovascular. I started all this in 2003, April will be four years. I've exercised off and on during my life (mostly off). Cathe has taken me to fitness levels I never knew I could achieve.
 
well, currently 43, going on 44 in less than a month. some things arent easy. martial arts training isnt the same. i cant spar as well, but i love the look on the faces of those "younger ones" when i get a good solid kick in! the same goes for running. i am no where near as fast as i used to be, but i still can cover the same distance. that to me is what counts.

injuries play a part in all our lives and you just have to listen to your body and adjust what you do when you hurt. there are certain moves that are hard for me because of a back injury. i do variations so that i dont have pain. i dont believe in cutting down or doing easier workouts. i have tried it and got nothing out of it. i know for me, i am in much better shape than i was in my 20's.
again, the key is adjusting the workouts if you need to so as to prevent any or further injury.

lets hear it for the fit and 40!

suri
 
Hi Doreen
I am 48. I walk 3 to 5 miles daily and do Cathe 5x a week. Some moves I have to modify but in general I am doing great! I also quit smoking 6 months ago and feel 100% better. I gained a few pounds and I am trying to take it off. Other than that I intend on not slowing down.
Some days I am a little off but I listen to my body.

Susan G.
PS I got certified to teach Turbo Kick In October. I don't know if I will teach or not it was a personal challege for me;-)
 
I'll be 40 later this year. I do think that I'm in better shape now than I've ever been before (although I did put on a pesky 10 pounds last year that I'm working hard to assassinate). I try to listen to my body and take rest days when I think I need them (even though I really really really don't want to). I have found that the most important thing for me is eating clean. I can work out 20 hours a week but if I'm not watching what I eat, it makes no difference in how I look or feel. Plus it really stinks to have really strong muscles that no one can see!

Besides, ladies, didn't you know? 40 is the new 30!

Marie
:)
 
I'm 42 and I've noticed a few things in the last year especially - I don't recover as well as I did in the past from my day-to-day training. When I wake up, the first ten minutes or so are a bit tough as the body warms up, but I'm also finding that I'm smarter in my training, so while I have a bit of joint and muscle stiffness in the morning, I recover much faster after an endurance event like my Half Marathon last year. I really can't say that I've slowed down any, and to be honest, I don't think I will. I plan on climbing another 14,000 foot peak in Colorado this year as well, and my climbing partner is 54 years old and has been doing climbs and other assorted endurance sports for most of her life. My first climb with her 10 years ago left me hobbling for days. The day after the last climb 2 years ago, we hiked to the restaurant at the top of Vail mountain and had a nice lunch. The second mountain was longer and tougher than the first but I had trained for it.
 
My recovery time is more important to me over the years. My consistancy doesn't change until I get burnt out. Right now, I'm doing 4-5 days of working out and pushing myself more than I did when I first began back in the late 80s. Although, I'm guilty of plateauing and not moving forward on and off through the years.
I turned 45 just before Christmas. I'm the oldest one in my dept. at work, and I'm the best shape of them all and there's one a Naval Reservist. Cathe has been a great motivator and as well as instructor, plus you all here.
 
Just turned 50 in Oct! It was great, actually! Have been exercising since high school, but truthfully, Cathe is the best! Still swim and inline skate, some elliptical for cardio (in addition to Cathe), but I do Cathe exclusively for strength. My DH says I am in the best shape I have ever been! My dr. says I have the body of a 30 yr old. :) I wish I had fewer wrinkles ;-) and the joints aren't quite the same, but, well, even if 50 IS the new 30, it is still old, I mean, 1/2 century...:eek: :eek:
 
I will be 40 2 weeks from today...and I am definitely in the best shape of my life. I never exercised much as a younger adult and could pretty much eat what I wanted...but that changed a few years ago and now I have to be careful what I eat and I still have to exercise to keep the weight off. I am in the best cardio shape of my life and I have recently spotted some muscles that have been hiding for my entire life!! I am proud of the way I look (most days) and I feel much better and have more energy than ever before!

I started on my fitness journey about 4 years ago...I was 35 pounds overweight, could barely walk for 30 minutes on the treadmill and had no flexibilty or coordination whatsoever. After starting with pilates and walking...I found Cathe 2 years ago and I can't describe to you the change she made in my attitude and my physique. I am forever in her debt. I am currently doing P90X, and have seen great results, but I am really looking forward to taking the things I have learned about fitness from this program and using my Cathe videos to implement it. Last week my BF measured at 18% WOO-HOO!!!! I am glad to be the age I am with the fitness level I have acheived.

Debra

Bite off more than you can chew. Then chew it---Ella Williams
 
I am mid 50s. Exercise is great for body, mind, and mood. The biggest difference between now and teens/20s is flexibility and recovery time. But consistent exercise improves both my strength and endurance from what it was previously. I do my best to avoid injury, since injury keeps me from exercising. I think the older you get, the more important movement and exercise become. Hopefully, we'll all still be doing Cathe in our 80s. Do you suppose Cathe will still be beating us all up on DVD in her 80s?
 
I'm 43 and the only difference between how I feel now verses when I was 30 is that my energy level isn't always there, and it takes longer to recover from high impact workouts. To combat these two issues I'm cleaning up my diet and doing more yoga. So far, so good. :)
 
I'll be 50 next summer. Have been working out since my early twenties, and I've never been overweight. One child.

Some of my body parts have never looked better. Arms and abs. My legs carry some jigglies, always have no matter what, but the muscles are larger than ever. That's the good part.

The bad part is that in spite of all the endurance miles I put in on my bike, or running or swimming, and all the Cathe I do, I just don't have the wind I used to have. Less aerobic capacity. And it takes me longer to recover from impact workouts. And when I do injure something, it takes longer to heal.

Make sure to get enough rest and keep your diet clean.

Liane
 
I'm 47 (soon to be 48), and the 1st thing I noticed turning 40's was injuries!! I am a distance runner and had my 1st bad injury 2 weeks after turning 40. So it was just a matter of being more careful and not trying to push so much when you feel pain.

Also I feel it is alot harder to keep my shape. I really have to eat clean to have good definition.

My stamina or endurance has really not decreased, I ran my 1st 50K in my 40's and have also run a few marathons. I will admit to being a slower runner now. I am hoping to cope with some perimenopause issues and maybe get a bit faster....:)
 
Thanks for this timely thread. I will be 40 in 9 days. Marie essentially wrote my response, as well as parts of others. My belly tries to hang on to fat more and I could exercise 4 hours a day for nothing if I don't watch what I eat. It's all about staying away from refined carbohydrates for me--sweets and white flour based breads/crackers and noodles. I eat whole grains almost exclusively for carbs, along with fruits and vegetables for my carbs. The closer I stay to this, the better I do.

I ran a 10 mile race in October. The distance was not an issue. The time per mile was much slower than when I ran a half marathon 14 years ago, and I trained for both. We're talking 90 seconds per mile slower! Oh well, I guess I should be happy I can run that far without walking.

Physical part aside, I'm so much more confident now, particularly at work. I wouldn't want to go back.
 
45 here; will be 46 in July (just like Luvtorun). I'm in better shape than I've ever been; in fact, just last Sunday I traded up 1.25-lbs on my lightest dumbbell weight loads for my upper body set (am now up to 26.25-lb dumbbells and 60-lb barbell for other pec and back work). Also, I got bounced from my Saturday a.m. aqua class back in August (a fitness chain bought my club chain lock, stock and barrel and closed down the facility where I taught), and in its stead I've been getting together with a couple of long-time friends for some private aqua workouts on Saturdays with amazing results; we're doing interval work like no tomorrow.

I also have noticed just a bit of thickening in the midsection; not really noticeable to anyone but myself (and trust me, I'm surrounded by females who keep a sharp eye out on every other woman's figure) but it is a tad irritating. I'm too lazy to retool my diet, so I'll just have to live with it.

I still believe my strongest days are ahead of me. For me, the thing about getting older is that I have to be absolutely consistent with my workout schedule or I get really, really sluggish.

A-Jock
 
I'm 45 and have been working out seriously for the last 8 years. I have never looked or felt better. I have very few injuries and don't have any aches or pains except for DOMS every once in while. I work out 6 days a week for a total of 8 hours a week. I go to a fitness boot camp 3 days a week and love it when the younger participants say that I'm one of the tough ones. It feels great to be able to do more pushups and situps than the twentysomethings. In fact someone just recently thought I was 28!! I never think or worry about my age and the thought of slowing down is not an option to me. It's all about positive thoughts and the mind over body.
 
I'm 48 and am in the best physical health as I've ever been. However, looking at me with my clothes off I don't anyone would think that LOL. My skin is not near as tight as it was in my 20's or 30's and I've started to notice a thickening around my waist since entering perimenopause. However, strangers do come up to me occasionally and ask me if I am an aerobics instructor or ask what I do to keep in shape so I guess all the work shows in some way or another.

Since getting older I do have to take it easy on my back. I've developed a herniated disc and also have some degree of arthritis in my feet and ankles. I might run a lot slower than those younger than me but my endurance still just as good as it was in my 20's. I've been seriously toying with the idea of running a half or full marathon to celebrate my 50th birthday next year and in a few weeks I'll be going to Aruba with the plan to take windsurfing lessons (needless to say I've been doubling up my upper body conditioning lately LOL). I hope to never use age as an excuse to not do something.

I might not look as good as I did when I was younger but I feel great. To me that's all that really matters. Health is much more important to me than vanity.
 
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