Too far gone for fitness? Sedentary former college athlete

[Anonymous]

Former college athlete (35 years old now) who let himself settle into a sedentary life and stressful office job. I used to be in great shape but now @ 285 lbs with 6'3" height. I don't actually look that bad because I have a very large frame (and kept some muscle mass from my old glory days), but I'm discouraged that I can't get in shape now as I have let myself go so much, particularly over the last 5 years. Would be great to hear if any of you have been able to improve things a little later in life. I have to admit that I am often discouraged . . .

[Anonymous]

You know the answer: You certainly can get in better shape. In fact, at 35, assuming no injuries, you could get in as good shape as you were at your peak, if you are willing to spend the time and effort. Bad news: the results are going to come slower than they did when you were younger and chances are you don't have the time and/or don't want to put in the effort to get to that level. The good news: If you're really out of shape, even a minimal amount of increased exercise will make a huge difference.

Personally, at 40, with 20-30 minutes of exercise 4-5 days a week, I'm about as fit as I was in my 20s. I either do a short but relatively hard run or do calisthenics at home.

More inspirational stories here: http://my.menshealth.com/bellyoff/success-stories.php

[Anonymous]

Yes.

[Anonymous]

My brother was 38 years old, 6'5" and 298 pounds. 2 years later, he was 180 lbs and running his 2nd marathon on his 40th birthday. 10 years past that and he's still around 180. yes, it can be done.

Watch your diet. (First thing he did was cut out all sodas and replaced with water. Then he worked on other refined sugars.)

Exercise. (He joined a running group, as it was actually watching a marathon go by in front of his house that made him realize he needed to lose the weight. )

Set a realistic goal.

Oh, and here's a story for you:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/outdoors/baltimore-marathon/bs-sp-marathon-petitjean-running-weight-loss-1012-20131011-story.html

[Anonymous]

Please ignore the previous d-bag poster. Good for you for wanting to get back to a healthy lifestyle ! That's the first step.

A trainer told me: "You can't out exercise poor nutrition." Focus on eating clean, nutrient rich foods- no need for protein shakes or supplements at this point. Simple foods (vegetables, proteins, fruit)- minimal sweet/sugar and you'll see weight drop if that is your goal.

Getting back to fitness: no need to join a gym initially unless that is supermotivational to you.

YouTube is excellent for home strength workouts. If you are pressed for time, the Live Strong functional fitness videos are 35 minutes, challenging and you only need your body weight: http://www.livestrong.com/myplate/dashboard/workouts/

If you want to run again, download the Couch to 5k app. Can get you back to road running, injury free. As a former athlete, resist the urge to push too hard in the first month. You'll just end up injured and sidelined.

Sign up for a 5k that is fun- the Wipeout 5k is in June and had running plus ridiculous obstacle challenges that you can train for but don't need to kill yourself to train for. I did a Tough Mudder and it was great, but I had to do 3 hours of daily training on the weekends to get to a decent performance level. As a previous poster said, when you get older, results take longer. (I'm 41 and a parent- time is definitely at a premium).

Enjoy the Spring weather and good luck to you- you can totally do this!

[Anonymous]

Never too late but at 35 you can still completely kick ass. You are so YOUNG.
I am a Biggest Loser fan and the quickest most impressive transformations are the young men (20-45). They start working out a little and muscle builds and they get stronger and leaner very quickly. The last season was a bunch of former athletes (men and women, olympics, nfl, college, hs etc) who let themselves go. Major successes, they all found their old selves. google it, worth seeing the before and after pix. Good luck, go kick some ass, young man!

[Anonymous]

I was 34 when I decided to get in shape. I was living a very sedentary, very unhealthy lifestyle. I was about 193 lbs (at 5 foot 4.) I had NEVER been athletic at all-not even in my high school/college years.
It's been almost 6 years now and I am in great shape, and weigh about 120. I do a lot of running and strength training. In the past 2 years I have run 4 marathons, 14 half marathons, and several smaller distance races (10ks, 10 milers, etc.) and typically finished in the top 10% of my age group each time. I am currently training for my first triathalon.

35 is not "too far gone" at all!