How to stay active when you're getting older and things are starting to hurt

[Anonymous]

My body doesn't recover like it used to, and I now wake up with random aches and pains that weren't there yesterday. I guess I'm officially middle aged at 43.

But I love being active! How do you work to stay active while you get older and things begin to randomly hurt and tighten up?

I already: rarely drink alcohol, eat plenty of vegetables, get enough sleep most nights.

Do I need to start taking supplements? Which one? Give up sugar entirely? Devote entire days to stretching? What did you change, and your body started reacting positively?

Or is this it? Is it downhill from here?

[Anonymous]

Not entire days to stretching but I added 10 mins of daily stretching to my routine and feel worlds better.

[Anonymous]

I'm 45 and things started going to hell for me in my early 40s as well. I started pilates last year when I had an injury just to stay active and now I go almost daily -- I'm not any good at it but it keeps me moving and I can do it even when slightly injured from other activities (running, HIIT, etc)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My body doesn't recover like it used to, and I now wake up with random aches and pains that weren't there yesterday. I guess I'm officially middle aged at 43.

But I love being active! How do you work to stay active while you get older and things begin to randomly hurt and tighten up?

I already: rarely drink alcohol, eat plenty of vegetables, get enough sleep most nights.

Do I need to start taking supplements? Which one? Give up sugar entirely? Devote entire days to stretching? What did you change, and your body started reacting positively?

Or is this it? Is it downhill from here?

I am 47 and still am running 5-6 miles five days a week. I do 10-20 minutes of yoga daily, and that seems to keep the achiness and soreness at bay.

[Anonymous]

Magnesium was helpful for general muscle aches. Drink lots of water. Walk every day -- super gentle, keeps things moving and loose.

[Anonymous]

Use it or lose it. Yes, devote maybe not entire days but a good amount of time semi regularly to stretching. Figure out what body part hurts and how to target it. Came to find out my psoas hurt. Had no idea what psoas are. Walking, cardio, and weightlifting helps too.

[Anonymous]

Are you in a woman? If so, inflammation increases in Perimenopause. I had to start juicing with fresh ginger and turmeric, foam roll nightly, and use a sauna blanket to deal with my aches and pains in my mid-40s. I’m now early 50s and seem to have less inflammation.

[Anonymous]

Incorporate yoga and stretching. I'm mid 50's and am active, including stretching which is often overlooked as being boring and waste of time. It's not, it's a critical component to your overall health and mobility.

[Anonymous]

I’m 37 and noticing this too! My yoga practice helps a lot. And of course, accepting that our bodies change over time, giving myself grace and a lot of sleep

[Anonymous]

Lots of great suggestions here.

Also, if you are engaging in mostly repetitive exercise such as running or cycling, some strength training might help you. My experience has always been that active things such as strength training or stretching and mobility were way more effective than anything passive.

That said, I have found dry sauna effective for me after a heavy workout. I also like to soak in a hot tub, but that is more for the feels at the time for me it seems.

And, ultimately, if you aren't breaking anything, I would just carry on.

[Anonymous]

I'm 50 and run 2-3 times a week, do Orangetheory and F45. Yes, things are a bit more creaky but working out makes me feel so much better. I have recently started doing a few stretches (1-2min max) immediately when I wake up which seems to help but just working out makes me feel less creaky. I have always done mobility before a workout and stretches after so maybe that has helped.

[Anonymous]

Good tips above - but the thing that helped me the most is to really get in a solid warmup and cooldown (this may be what people were talking about with stretching, but really focusing on dynamic stretching beforehand). If I don’t “grease the wheels” (get the blood moving in a joint) before lifting I can really feel it the next day. I try to focus much more on joint mobility as well as stability moves rather than just trying to improve my strength in lifting or speed in running. The warmup/cooldown is something I ignored until I was in my early 40s and couldn’t recover as easily. I also take 2 days off a week even if I feel fine. And sometimes take Advil and use a heating pad 😂

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the tips -- and the reassurance that this just happens as you get older!

Ugh, I hate stretching. I do a few mins here and there a few days a week, but I likely need more dedicated time each day. I loathe yoga - I just get so bored. 60 minutes is an eternity! I'm going to aim for 10 good minutes every day.

My upper body is ok, but my lower body is just so stiff and tight lately. I regularly strength train 1-2x a week, give myself 1 (sometimes 2) rest days that only involve walking. But the others are run or high energy cardio. I LOVE it, but my body's been speaking negatively to me afterwards, lately :-\

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good tips above - but the thing that helped me the most is to really get in a solid warmup and cooldown (this may be what people were talking about with stretching, but really focusing on dynamic stretching beforehand). If I don’t “grease the wheels” (get the blood moving in a joint) before lifting I can really feel it the next day. I try to focus much more on joint mobility as well as stability moves rather than just trying to improve my strength in lifting or speed in running. The warmup/cooldown is something I ignored until I was in my early 40s and couldn’t recover as easily. I also take 2 days off a week even if I feel fine. And sometimes take Advil and use a heating pad 😂

Mobility exercises before any workout are a game changer. I do at least 3-4 min of mobility (mainly hip because that's my problem spot) moves before any workout, especially running.

[Anonymous]

I am turning 63 in a week. I make it a point to do hard workouts three or more times a week. Heavy lifting (like 150 pound deadlifts 60 times in 20 minutes), kettlebell training, lots of workouts that involve getting on and off the floor repeatedly, aerobic activity and the like. I have a seriously messed up knee and I keep problems and pain at bay by never jumping or doing lunges and concentrating on form for everything - age means that mistakes arent so forgiving. Pain is probably inevitable but there are lots of things you can do to avoid it if you commit and follow through.