I'm over 40 and began excersizing two years ago because my health was declining rapidly because of inactivity and a bad diet.
Have been doing some research about food and quickly found out that prepackaged foods and beverages with added sugar are to be avoided at all costs, or at least minimize consumption of it.
Lost 10kg weight in the mean time and feeling a lot healthier physically but also mentally.
I'm not really a social or sports person and don't like excersizing indoors so I've taken up jogging and I used to cycle 200km a week to my work, but now I work closer to home so I jog more often now.

eyeopener

I'm closer to 50 than 40 and have changed my diet and been working out for a few years now. Cut out all soda, 80% sugar and gluten, and regularly take some pretty amazing health supplements. Because of this I was able to eliminate blood pressure medication. My weight is the same as it was in high school and upper body strength is greater than it was back then. Because I'm so introverted, I do not like going to gyms, so my exercise consists of mostly push ups and chin ups in the house. I can do 15 chin ups consecutively and 60-70 push ups (60 more typical, but I've been able to reach 70 a couple of times). I still need to work more on cardio, so I plan to start easing my way into a short jog around the neighborhood a few evenings a week. I have some sports injuries that I never addressed (bad knee, shoulder and elbow), so there are many sports that I cannot participate in, or am very limited in. We owe it to ourselves and those who love us to take care of our bodies.

High school physical education instilled in me a rather powerful distaste for organized sport. It was several years later that I developed a great enthusiasm for group aerobics classes, particularly Step. See, there are no famous Step celebrities competing for the Step championships who are endorsing Step equipment that people can use to make YouTube Step videos. You go to a Step class because you choose to, and you do what everyone else does, and really you're the only person who cares what you're doing. There is something powerfully, existentially liberating about the whole business.

I'm still in pretty great shape these days; I consider it very important to compensate for sitting in front of a computer most of the day. I switched to gymnastics recently in the hopes of improving my strength and flexibility, but it seems to me sooner or later something horrible happens to everyone's knees no matter what they are doing (or not doing). I eat an uninspired high-protein diet mostly because I don't really like cooking.

Procyon wrote:

I'm over 40 and began excersizing two years ago because my health was declining rapidly because of inactivity and a bad diet.
Have been doing some research about food and quickly found out that prepackaged foods and beverages with added sugar are to be avoided at all costs, or at least minimize consumption of it.
Lost 10kg weight in the mean time and feeling a lot healthier physically but also mentally.

Absolutely agreed. Mostly, few people care about their health and would rather take it for granted, i.e. unless faced with a condition. As you said, packaged foods are one of the main culprits leading to decline in health, gradually, hence less visible & rarely alarming. Once you realize this and take a step towards healthy living by avoiding junk & overtly sweet/salty intakes, healthy weight loss is a given for sure.

Procyon wrote:

I'm not really a social or sports person and don't like excersizing indoors so I've taken up jogging and I used to cycle 200km a week to my work, but now I work closer to home so I jog more often now.

Personally, sports serve me well as there is a double benefit of physical activity as well as enjoyment(also helps in venting out job frustrations by means of smashes 🤣) in doing it. Ultimately, exercise or sports, whichever it is, what matters most (apart from convenience) is:
a) Stimulation of ample blood flow to all parts of the body ensuring the nutrients reach all the nooks & corners(i.e. if the nutrients are there in the first place 🤣 )
b) Aiding in removal of old/damaged cells and paving way for the new ones, yay, rejuventated feeling.
c) Trigger a sound sleep in the night which is absolutely essential(hugely overlooked by me before).

clueless1 wrote:

I'm closer to 50 than 40 and have changed my diet and been working out for a few years now. Cut out all soda, 80% sugar and gluten, and regularly take some pretty amazing health supplements. Because of this I was able to eliminate blood pressure medication. My weight is the same as it was in high school and upper body strength is greater than it was back then.

Great to hear that you got rid of medication and not put on extra weight even when nearing 50. Hope to be like that, without a visit to doctor, as long as possible, like now. Supplements, not so sure, as you may be aware, it depends on certain conditions.

clueless1 wrote:

Because I'm so introverted, I do not like going to gyms, so my exercise consists of mostly push ups and chin ups in the house. I can do 15 chin ups consecutively and 60-70 push ups (60 more typical, but I've been able to reach 70 a couple of times).

Is that 70 continuous, in which case, hats-off to you.

Jorpho wrote:

High school physical education instilled in me a rather powerful distaste for organized sport. It was several years later that I developed a great enthusiasm for group aerobics classes, particularly Step. See, there are no famous Step celebrities competing for the Step championships who are endorsing Step equipment that people can use to make YouTube Step videos. You go to a Step class because you choose to, and you do what everyone else does, and really you're the only person who cares what you're doing.

As there was no 'meaningful' & 'disciplined' physical education during my school days, it was quite the reverse for me. We used to play all sorts of sports just for the fun of it and hence the enthusiasm. Glad that you found your calling in Step.

Jorpho wrote:

There is something powerfully, existentially liberating about the whole business.

Don't we all need that, time to time 🤣.

Jorpho wrote:

it seems to me sooner or later something horrible happens to everyone's knees no matter what they are doing (or not doing). I eat an uninspired high-protein diet mostly because I don't really like cooking.

Atleast you can postpone the knee issues to late 60's or 70's on a healthy and active lifestyle imo. Anything more than needed, protein, carb or fat, is extra work for the body and probably not useful as a whole.

I'm not too serious about it, but I run about 3 miles 3-4 times a week and sometimes cycle to work. I did notice that staying of sugar had much more of an impact than just running around and otherwise eating healthy. I do wish I had my six-pack from -97, but on the other hand I'm now in better shape than I was in the army back in -99. I tend to like beer and pizza too much these days. 😊 I also strongly recommend anyone not exercising to begin doing so today. 15-20 years ago I could still see (young) people running or jogging, but these days it's quite rare which really worries me. 😢

It's not difficult to find people who are rabidly insistent that running is the Worst Exercise Ever, as well as other people who insist that you need to pay for their Secret Inside Information about how to run properly. It gets quite discouraging trying to read fitness advice after a while as there are so many people proclaiming that there is only One True Way and that everyone else is Absolutely Wrong.

Correct me if wrong. Aren't running, jogging & cycling in a way 'incomplete' from fitness point of view in that they stimulate only certain parts of the body & monotonous as well? Swimming though monotonous, does work the whole package.

Going to gym, nope, not for me. However it may be ok for others taking into account the convenience & availability factors provided that there is no 'over-abusing' involved in it. A big upvote to 'everything in moderation', however the catch is in identifying the right amount/balance.

Seeing where this thread may go potentially, i.e. a trend of mine's better vs yours' worse, let's step back a bit. As long as it is 'something', which is definitely better than 'nothing', it is ok really. However if you are not seeing much improvement in your late 30's or further up, then it may be wise to rethink whatever it is that you are doing.

In a way everyone's body is different(not phsyiologically) due to its exposure to variety of things (food/earth, air, water, heat & (ether/unknown/whatever)) and accordingly the reactions to the same 'thing' may be different for different persons. In a world cluttered with so much unwanted noise, it would pay to listen to your body's trivial signs and symptoms, i.e. if you put in honest efforts. The signs of improvement can vary from person to person, but you will know it for sure.

Physical activity alone is not going to cut it. Combine that with good natural food, one without any artificial chemicals(so called 'organic food') and you will hit the bull's eye. Now you may not be able to regrow hair in your 40's like it was in your 20's, but hey, they are dead cells anyway 🤣. Surely the whole feeling of 'light'ness and the 'spring' in your steps does make it definitely worthy, trust me.

gandhig wrote:

Correct me if wrong. Isn't running, jogging & cycling in a way monotonous from fitness point of view in that they stimulate only certain parts of the body? Swimming though monotonous, does work the whole package.

Swimming, climbing, rowing, and cross country skiing are examples of exercise which use both upper and lower body muscle groups. Distance running and endurance cycling are very focused on cardiovascular efficiency.

Jorpho wrote:

It's not difficult to find people who are rabidly insistent that running is the Worst Exercise Ever

You found one and I have proof! Look at the faces of the folks exercising on your local walking track - the joggers are all grimacing and the cyclists aren't 🤣

At the end of the day though you just gotta do what you can in these busy modern times - I'm lucky enough to be able to ride to work (good distance, decent bike tracks on route, and end of trip facilities provided by my employer). But without that option I'd have to consider jogging at lunch time, excersise bike while watching telly, etc.

gandhig wrote:

Correct me if wrong. Aren't running, jogging & cycling in a way monotonous from fitness point of view in that they stimulate only certain parts of the body? Swimming though monotonous, does work the whole package.

Indeed, but you can't start swimming from your driveway. 😀 To me it's about being efficient and doing it as an everyday routine. I would like to do some bouldering to strengthen my back and arms, but I'm not really there yet.

Physical activity alone is not going to cut it. Combine that with good natural food, one without any chemicals(so called 'organic') and you will hit the bull's eye. Now you may not be able to regrow hair in your 40's like it was in your 20's, but hey, they are dead cells anyway 🤣. Surely the whole feeling of 'light'ness and the 'spring' in your steps does make it definitely worthy, trust me.

Yeah, it all sounds good, but wouldn't you rather have some large pint of fine porter and a nice steak instead? 😜 I mean you can't have it each day, but damn if I wasn't dreaming of this ice cold beer waiting in my fridge through my whole run last Saturday.

sf78 wrote:

Indeed, but you can't start swimming from your driveway. 😀

Agreed. Please consider the inclusion of my 'exit clause' mentioned in the second para to the first para as well of my previous post, i.e. not withstanding the 'convenience and availability factors'

sf78 wrote:

To me it's about being efficient and doing it as an everyday routine. I would like to do some bouldering to strengthen my back and arms, but I'm not really there yet.

Understood, from your point of view. To me it is about 'passion' (which a sport has better chance of igniting it in me), so that it continues as long as it can, like that of many vogoners' passion for retro. Don't mistake me that my viewpoint is something like, "Are you kidding? You can't be serious. Passionate about running, jogging, cycling, exercising..., huh?". It is completely understood that everyone is different and so are their passions, especially cycling among the above. Generally speaking, as long as you are passionate about your routine and able to see improvements in your health (after mid-30's) by doing whatever it is you are doing, then it is good for you. BTW, good luck on 'bouldering'.

sf78 wrote:

Yeah, it all sounds good, but wouldn't you rather have some large pint of fine porter and a nice steak instead? 😜

🤣 🤣 🤣
Somehow the mention of steak in this thread seems to be an invitation for derailment 🤣 . And sorry, your inviting offer had to be passed on, as it has to be, to a teetotaller/converted vegetarian. There are many inviting counter-offers available from my side and pretty sure no one would like to hear about it 😊

Edit: Yep, it completely stopped it for dead 🤣 . As on 12.06.17, NOT a single soul (mid-30's & above) could be found, playing 'sports' in this forum 😊 .