Realistic fitness in your 30s

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP again.

Speaking of my DH, I wanted to add: if you're not currently in a relationship, the BIGGEST thing you can do is find a significant other who is into fitness and health. It becomes really hard to find the time and effort as you get older (and have kids) and I think I wouldn't be where I am now if my DH didn't respect health/fitness as a major priority in our lives, for me and for him.

I agree.

OP, don’t be a b*tch about your older friends who are “making excuses.” I am a 38 YO former D-1 athlete and I have always maintained a rigorous fitness routine and gone on to compete regionally in road racing. Age is likely going to bite you in the ass so cut the sh*t talking on your friends. You will get cellulite. You will get injured more easily. You will have to fight muscle loss. For me after 34, even the 6 day a week routine wasn’t having great effects. I was running 5 days, including hill work and track interval workouts and continuing to lift twice too. Don’t think you’re above the aging process.

Hey, I'm not sh*t talking my friends, I'm simply asking. You may very well be right, but in some cases I think people are making excuses... or they do accept changes and stop trying altogether. As I said before, you don't have to spend your free time on the couch, and I think some people who say they are "just too tired from a long day at work" to do a workout or cook a healthy meal, ARE making excuses or not trying hard enough. YES it's hard but life is hard.

I have a partner who does workout but is more moderate about it than me and that is fine. Some of his friends though are still addicted to video games....after 30...

OP

You sound horrible. Everyone is different. Some people just don’t have the time, money, or good health to work out. Your body may be great but your mind is ugly. Fix it

Jesus Effing Christ. I said "some people." Not all. I didn't feel the need to state the obvious. I wouldn't deny that some people have conditions or other things (kids, multiple jobs) that prevent working out but you can't deny that some people actually do let themselves go and spend their free time on the couch.
Virtue signal much?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP again.

Speaking of my DH, I wanted to add: if you're not currently in a relationship, the BIGGEST thing you can do is find a significant other who is into fitness and health. It becomes really hard to find the time and effort as you get older (and have kids) and I think I wouldn't be where I am now if my DH didn't respect health/fitness as a major priority in our lives, for me and for him.

I agree.

OP, don’t be a b*tch about your older friends who are “making excuses.” I am a 38 YO former D-1 athlete and I have always maintained a rigorous fitness routine and gone on to compete regionally in road racing. Age is likely going to bite you in the ass so cut the sh*t talking on your friends. You will get cellulite. You will get injured more easily. You will have to fight muscle loss. For me after 34, even the 6 day a week routine wasn’t having great effects. I was running 5 days, including hill work and track interval workouts and continuing to lift twice too. Don’t think you’re above the aging process.

Hey, I'm not sh*t talking my friends, I'm simply asking. You may very well be right, but in some cases I think people are making excuses... or they do accept changes and stop trying altogether. As I said before, you don't have to spend your free time on the couch, and I think some people who say they are "just too tired from a long day at work" to do a workout or cook a healthy meal, ARE making excuses or not trying hard enough. YES it's hard but life is hard.

I have a partner who does workout but is more moderate about it than me and that is fine. Some of his friends though are still addicted to video games....after 30...

OP

You sound horrible. Everyone is different. Some people just don’t have the time, money, or good health to work out. Your body may be great but your mind is ugly. Fix it

Jesus Effing Christ. I said "some people." Not all. I didn't feel the need to state the obvious. I wouldn't deny that some people have conditions or other things (kids, multiple jobs) that prevent working out but you can't deny that some people actually do let themselves go and spend their free time on the couch.
Virtue signal much?

DP, but so what if people let themselves go? it's not your business. If you had stuck to how you can stay fit later in life, without bringing in what other people do, you wouldn't be getting this push-back. Also, try thanking those of us who have offered reasonable suggestions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP again.

Speaking of my DH, I wanted to add: if you're not currently in a relationship, the BIGGEST thing you can do is find a significant other who is into fitness and health. It becomes really hard to find the time and effort as you get older (and have kids) and I think I wouldn't be where I am now if my DH didn't respect health/fitness as a major priority in our lives, for me and for him.

I agree.

OP, don’t be a b*tch about your older friends who are “making excuses.” I am a 38 YO former D-1 athlete and I have always maintained a rigorous fitness routine and gone on to compete regionally in road racing. Age is likely going to bite you in the ass so cut the sh*t talking on your friends. You will get cellulite. You will get injured more easily. You will have to fight muscle loss. For me after 34, even the 6 day a week routine wasn’t having great effects. I was running 5 days, including hill work and track interval workouts and continuing to lift twice too. Don’t think you’re above the aging process.

Hey, I'm not sh*t talking my friends, I'm simply asking. You may very well be right, but in some cases I think people are making excuses... or they do accept changes and stop trying altogether. As I said before, you don't have to spend your free time on the couch, and I think some people who say they are "just too tired from a long day at work" to do a workout or cook a healthy meal, ARE making excuses or not trying hard enough. YES it's hard but life is hard.

I have a partner who does workout but is more moderate about it than me and that is fine. Some of his friends though are still addicted to video games....after 30...

OP

You sound horrible. Everyone is different. Some people just don’t have the time, money, or good health to work out. Your body may be great but your mind is ugly. Fix it

Jesus Effing Christ. I said "some people." Not all. I didn't feel the need to state the obvious. I wouldn't deny that some people have conditions or other things (kids, multiple jobs) that prevent working out but you can't deny that some people actually do let themselves go and spend their free time on the couch.
Virtue signal much?

DP, but so what if people let themselves go? it's not your business. If you had stuck to how you can stay fit later in life, without bringing in what other people do, you wouldn't be getting this push-back. Also, try thanking those of us who have offered reasonable suggestions.

I intended to do so because there are some great suggestions here but got distracted by this unnecessary negative comment. My overall point, which has been adequately addressed I think, was that I wanted to find out what physical changes are avoidable and what changes are not avoidable. The fact of the matter is, some people, who I do not judge for their lives or personal decisions and can respect them in any other way, tend to let themselves go and just say that it is unavoidable. Maybe it's because fitness matters less to them and that's perfectly fine, but sometimes I think it's a frame of mind. For example, my sister used to say that I would not be into running or fitness once I got older and had a full time job. I was in high school and she told me something like "when you are an adult and have a full time job you aren't going to want to get up that early and work out. Your friends will want to gather for pizza and beer and you won't want to turn that down," that sort of thing, and I accepted it as a challenge.

There is a reason why over 60% of Americans are overweight and not all of them have genetic conditions. You don't need to assume that I think less of people for being overweight, I am merely saying that in some cases it's avoidable and is a result of decisions people make. I don't care what decisions other people make, I care about what decisions I can make for myself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

If by lifting weights, you mean 5-pounders...then yes, you will suffer bone density loss. I think it's possible to be fit and age gracefully. Just look at J. Lo, Angela Bassett and Halle Berry...these women show that it's totally possible.

Yes, if you’re a small woman who weighs less than most you may very well experience bone density loss even if you lift heavier weights, especially if you have a family history. It’s easy to have hubris when you’re younger and think that you can avoid a bunch of things you associate with people who “don’t take as good care of themselves” as you. But aging and genetics are a bitch and there are plenty of things you won’t be able to control as you age.

That doesn’t mean one is not fit or aging well. I’m fit look and feel great, weigh the same as when I was 18, and am aging very well. Still, some changes have come with menopause that I have had to make peace with.

And, of course, the Hollywood women who have oodles of time and money to maintain their looks are not realistic role models for most women. Plus, we don’t know if any of these women you name have osteopenia. They may very well have some bone density loss, for all we know.

[Anonymous]

Rowing. You get a full-body workout but don't get pounding or twisting. I'm in my 60s and I love the workout I get and the friendships I've made in my rowing club. However, it's not cheap and if you're rowing sweep (8 or 4 rowers), it's not flexible cuz you got to row with your club. But you could also learn to scull by yourself.

I don't know where you live but check out US Rowing's "Find a Club" page: http://www.usrowing.org/find-club/ Many clubs offer lessons and have early morning workouts. I row with Capital Rowing Club over in Hill East on the Anacostia but there's lots of clubs in the area.

On another note, you sound like you push yourself hard to be the best you can be and there's nothing wrong with that but when you get to a point in your life that you can't do that to that extent, you could end up being unnecessarily hard on yourself - which might make it harder to keep up with your workouts. So my suggestion if you want to hang in there for the long run, is to go easier on yourself. When things get complicated (as they do with small children and careers and commutes), focus on getting your workouts when you can and don't be too hard or yourself.

That's how I made it through my 40s when my kid was young and I was stressed out at work and driving long distances. (I'm so glad I did because I feel great today.) So think about the long haul and hang in there!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have worked hard too and maintained my strength and fitness level in my mid 40s. Our bodies are strong and can do more than we think, though there are adjustments.

. But your focus on keeping your figure and your stats...is this really a question about fitness or vanity?

My question as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP again.

Speaking of my DH, I wanted to add: if you're not currently in a relationship, the BIGGEST thing you can do is find a significant other who is into fitness and health. It becomes really hard to find the time and effort as you get older (and have kids) and I think I wouldn't be where I am now if my DH didn't respect health/fitness as a major priority in our lives, for me and for him.

Oh yes. Rower here again. Dh decided to try it and then got really involved and now we both go to bed early so we can get up and work out. Makes life sooooo much easier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Basically I want to know how far hard work can get me and what is inevitable with age.

Hard work and a lifetime of fitness will get you far, but what is inevitable is that you will have to accept changes - to your body, your looks, your performance. It is also inevitable that you will be more injury prone eventually and will have to adapt your workouts and expectations. What is also inevitable is that things will happen to your body that your lifestyle and fitness level will not be able to control. Eventually your skin will get saggier and flabbier even if you maintain weight and muscle tone, especially if you have kids and then again after menopause. Your joints will have wear and tear, so you will have to be smarter about how you maintain your fitness level. You may end up with osteopenia or osteoporosis even if you lift weights. You may develop high blood pressure unrelated to lifestyle factors by a certain age.

These are all things that I've seen or experienced in either myself or others who have been fit, lifelong exercisers. In my experience, however, the biggest changes come in your forties. Aside from some luck-of-the-draw pregnancy and child bearing effects, you can probably maintain your level through most of your thirties.

I think best way to maintain fitness as you age is to workout smarter - more HIIT and low impact work, more careful weight training, greater variety of workouts, incorporating things like yoga/pilates/barre in which there is strong emphasis on good form and control, instead of long sessions of highly repetitive explosive exercises.

This happened to me, who has done weight-bearing exercise for 45 years. I was so pissed!!!! I guess it runs in the family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP again.

Speaking of my DH, I wanted to add: if you're not currently in a relationship, the BIGGEST thing you can do is find a significant other who is into fitness and health. It becomes really hard to find the time and effort as you get older (and have kids) and I think I wouldn't be where I am now if my DH didn't respect health/fitness as a major priority in our lives, for me and for him.

Oh yes. Rower here again. Dh decided to try it and then got really involved and now we both go to bed early so we can get up and work out. Makes life sooooo much easier.

DP, who rowed competitively for years (and also with CRC): it's a great sport, but not remotely family friendly. You'd have to live on a lake and take out a single for it to be so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
There is a reason why over 60% of Americans are overweight and not all of them have genetic conditions. You don't need to assume that I think less of people for being overweight, I am merely saying that in some cases it's avoidable and is a result of decisions people make. I don't care what decisions other people make, I care about what decisions I can make for myself.

This.
Sure she sounds harsh and politically incorrect but it IS the truth. I get what OP is asking - given that we age, there are some aspects of physical decline that ARE avoidable and we like to sugar coat it.

Look at women (and men for that matter) from some other countries. French and Japanese women for example. They walk, take public transit, have more active and clean lifestyles, eat more natural foods and eat LESS. And they stay thin and tight well into their 40s and 50s and after having children.

The problem is not only everyday choices from laziness but the American WAY OF LIFE. Too many hours in the office, too much driving, too many convenience food options, natural food too expensive. In other countries natural food is the default. It is possible to live like Japanese or French women in America but it is much more difficult, inconvenient, and expensive. And for some it might be near impossible. You could argue that socialist countries like Norway and Sweden are also more conducive to healthy aging, because they have free healthcare and better work/life balance.

So, in short, OP, it is possible to keep your figure or close to it while you age, but you have to opt out of the standard American lifestyle. The best way to do that is move abroad.

[Anonymous]

And also, Americans are generally overmedicated. It's the prescription-industrial complex. Every ache and pain gets a pill for it. This in addition to all the hormones in the food. The average American body is a seething cesspool of toxins and even with your body as it looks right now it's a ticking time bomb biohazard. All the pollution you breathe in too, you basically can't win.

I've read publications that say cellulite was not a thing in pre-industrial societies. Because people did physical work for a living. Now people accept it as a fact of life, so I agree with OP that we are collectively making excuses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rowing. You get a full-body workout but don't get pounding or twisting. I'm in my 60s and I love the workout I get and the friendships I've made in my rowing club. However, it's not cheap and if you're rowing sweep (8 or 4 rowers), it's not flexible cuz you got to row with your club. But you could also learn to scull by yourself.

I don't know where you live but check out US Rowing's "Find a Club" page: http://www.usrowing.org/find-club/ Many clubs offer lessons and have early morning workouts. I row with Capital Rowing Club over in Hill East on the Anacostia but there's lots of clubs in the area.

On another note, you sound like you push yourself hard to be the best you can be and there's nothing wrong with that but when you get to a point in your life that you can't do that to that extent, you could end up being unnecessarily hard on yourself - which might make it harder to keep up with your workouts. So my suggestion if you want to hang in there for the long run, is to go easier on yourself. When things get complicated (as they do with small children and careers and commutes), focus on getting your workouts when you can and don't be too hard or yourself.

That's how I made it through my 40s when my kid was young and I was stressed out at work and driving long distances. (I'm so glad I did because I feel great today.) So think about the long haul and hang in there!

Pp again. OP, I've been thinking about your original post and how much you focus on having control over your destiny. And you do, obviously, I'm not denying that. But you're so focused on an ideal of being able to control your outcomes (with the underlying assumption that all individuals are fully responsible for and able to control their own outcomes), I think you might undercut yourself by not learning to accept that some things are out of your control. The big trick of course is figuring out which things we can control and accepting those things that we can't - and I don' t have that figured out myself. But I suggest you work on that as well as finding the right workout for your body as you age.

So cool that you are thinking about these things. I've watched friends and family members decline before their time because they were sedentary and didn't take care of themselves. Sad and unnecessary, that, and so I try to encourage everyone to get in a little exercise even if it's an extra 10 minute walk every day. You obviously won't have that problem! Go, OP!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And also, Americans are generally overmedicated. It's the prescription-industrial complex. Every ache and pain gets a pill for it. This in addition to all the hormones in the food. The average American body is a seething cesspool of toxins and even with your body as it looks right now it's a ticking time bomb biohazard. All the pollution you breathe in too, you basically can't win.

I've read publications that say cellulite was not a thing in pre-industrial societies. Because people did physical work for a living. Now people accept it as a fact of life, so I agree with OP that we are collectively making excuses.

I don't know. I know that I'm a sample of one - so take what I say with a grain of salt - but I feel like I was born with cellulite. I've worked out my whole life and I have had "saddle bags" since I was in high school. Not sure that working out prevents cellulite. But it certainly doesn't make it go away!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

If by lifting weights, you mean 5-pounders...then yes, you will suffer bone density loss. I think it's possible to be fit and age gracefully. Just look at J. Lo, Angela Bassett and Halle Berry...these women show that it's totally possible.

Yes, if you’re a small woman who weighs less than most you may very well experience bone density loss even if you lift heavier weights, especially if you have a family history. It’s easy to have hubris when you’re younger and think that you can avoid a bunch of things you associate with people who “don’t take as good care of themselves” as you. But aging and genetics are a bitch and there are plenty of things you won’t be able to control as you age.

That doesn’t mean one is not fit or aging well. I’m fit look and feel great, weigh the same as when I was 18, and am aging very well. Still, some changes have come with menopause that I have had to make peace with.

And, of course, the Hollywood women who have oodles of time and money to maintain their looks are not realistic role models for most women. Plus, we don’t know if any of these women you name have osteopenia. They may very well have some bone density loss, for all we know.

How recent has weight training been a trend for women? Very recent in human history. You're the one with hubris talking down at others on this forum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
There is a reason why over 60% of Americans are overweight and not all of them have genetic conditions. You don't need to assume that I think less of people for being overweight, I am merely saying that in some cases it's avoidable and is a result of decisions people make. I don't care what decisions other people make, I care about what decisions I can make for myself.

This.
Sure she sounds harsh and politically incorrect but it IS the truth. I get what OP is asking - given that we age, there are some aspects of physical decline that ARE avoidable and we like to sugar coat it.

Look at women (and men for that matter) from some other countries. French and Japanese women for example. They walk, take public transit, have more active and clean lifestyles, eat more natural foods and eat LESS. And they stay thin and tight well into their 40s and 50s and after having children.

The problem is not only everyday choices from laziness but the American WAY OF LIFE. Too many hours in the office, too much driving, too many convenience food options, natural food too expensive. In other countries natural food is the default. It is possible to live like Japanese or French women in America but it is much more difficult, inconvenient, and expensive. And for some it might be near impossible. You could argue that socialist countries like Norway and Sweden are also more conducive to healthy aging, because they have free healthcare and better work/life balance.

So, in short, OP, it is possible to keep your figure or close to it while you age, but you have to opt out of the standard American lifestyle. The best way to do that is move abroad.

Ok, I can’t speak to Japanese women, but French women stay thin, in part, because they smoke. There’s a French woman on this board who denies it, but I’ve been to France multiple times in the past few years, and to my right and left, every time, French women are puffing away. So it’s not all about having a “clean” lifestyle, it’s also about appetite reduction through nicotine.