Getting fit in your 40's

I've been a undsiciplined b****d all my life essentially, drinking too much, eating rubbish, but doing a fair amount of cardio with minimal effect, but for the last 6 months i've lifted weights and totally changed my diet cut out the alcohol , i feel like an 18 year old physically, and it's like the person before me was an impersonation of me, like a poor copy or a damaged copy, i'm ***ed off i didn't do it sooner or understand the waste of time cardio is with poor diet and no weight training, the level of clarity being lean and healhty and sleeping like a king has brought me is staggering, has anybody else suddenly just 'clicked' and got a grip of themselves in their 40's?

Be interesting to hear other posters views and if they done a similiar Thing, it's life changing, i seriously recommened you do it, it takes about 6 months if your a fat stodgy ****, 6 months isn't that long, change your diet, get a gym plan, and i mean a plan, not turn up and do it intuitively, work on different muscle groups every time, you can do cardio once a week but lifting weights is the true way to get fit, people who are not happy in life should seriously do it, the one thing you need though is motivation, without that your totally screwed as we are all wired to be lazy to conserve calories
 
I've been a undsiciplined b****d all my life essentially, drinking too much, eating rubbish, but doing a fair amount of cardio with minimal effect, but for the last 6 months i've lifted weights and totally changed my diet cut out the alcohol , i feel like an 18 year old physically, and it's like the person before me was an impersonation of me, like a poor copy or a damaged copy, i'm p****d off i didn't do it sooner or understand the waste of time cardio is with poor diet and no weight training, the level of clarity being lean and healhty and sleeping like a king has brought me is staggering, has anybody else suddenly just 'clicked' and got a grip of themselves in their 40's?

Be interesting to hear other posters views and if they done a similiar Thing, it's life changing, i seriously recommened you do it, it takes about 6 months if your a fat stodgy ****, 6 months isn't that long, change your diet, get a gym plan, and i mean a plan, not turn up and do it intuitively, work on different muscle groups every time, you can do cardio once a week but lifting weights is the true way to get fit, people who are not happy in life should seriously do it, the one thing you need though is motivation, without that your totally screwed as we are all wired to be lazy to conserve calories
Its great you have got fit and feel the benefits of this.

The hardest part is staying fit and not going back to your old ways, and I mean in the next 1,2,5 years etc.

Ive always trained, but always cycled in and out of fitness.

I get fit and look and feel great, then something comes up like xmas and I just end up going 3-4 months of eating rubbish and getting fat again.
Ive done this for years, and find it the hardest part.

You need structure and things to train for, ie a holiday. An event like a race or even to be able to lift a certain weight.
I think without structure when you are not a natural athlete type person then you will fall back into old habits.
 
I'm 42 and used to do a lot of cardio by way of playing football but that pretty much stopped when I had kids five years ago.

Started doing weights five times a week about four years ago as there is a gym at my work. It was ideal, went at lunch with a couple of mates so it was a good laugh and the results were pretty good.

Sadly, as I've been working from home since March all that has gone out the window and I can't see me joining a local gym. The beauty with the work one was that it was right there and it didn't interfere with time before or after work.

So now there's no weights and little cardio! Sad times!

I was doing 100 press ups a night a few months back just to do something, but even that has gone out the window. 🙁
 
I'm 42 and used to do a lot of cardio by way of playing football but that pretty much stopped when I had kids five years ago.

Started doing weights five times a week about four years ago as there is a gym at my work. It was ideal, went at lunch with a couple of mates so it was a good laugh and the results were pretty good.

Sadly, as I've been working from home since March all that has gone out the window and I can't see me joining a local gym. The beauty with the work one was that it was right there and it didn't interfere with time before or after work.

So now there's no weights and little cardio! Sad times!

I was doing 100 press ups a night a few months back just to do something, but even that has gone out the window. 🙁
Wow 100 press ups a night, that is some doing, I couldnt do 3, I've got no upper body strength at all
 
I've been a undsiciplined b****d all my life essentially, drinking too much, eating rubbish, but doing a fair amount of cardio with minimal effect, but for the last 6 months i've lifted weights and totally changed my diet cut out the alcohol , i feel like an 18 year old physically, and it's like the person before me was an impersonation of me, like a poor copy or a damaged copy, i'm p****d off i didn't do it sooner or understand the waste of time cardio is with poor diet and no weight training, the level of clarity being lean and healhty and sleeping like a king has brought me is staggering, has anybody else suddenly just 'clicked' and got a grip of themselves in their 40's?

Be interesting to hear other posters views and if they done a similiar Thing, it's life changing, i seriously recommened you do it, it takes about 6 months if your a fat stodgy ****, 6 months isn't that long, change your diet, get a gym plan, and i mean a plan, not turn up and do it intuitively, work on different muscle groups every time, you can do cardio once a week but lifting weights is the true way to get fit, people who are not happy in life should seriously do it, the one thing you need though is motivation, without that your totally screwed as we are all wired to be lazy to conserve calories

I need to do this. I’m 47 and sick of feeling crap and lardy
 
A few things happened in my 40s, including the death of my creative partner and a spell working on a show called Big Body Squad, that prompted me to change the way I live. I realised that I might leave my son fatherless by the time he was a teenager if I didn't alter. I was 17 stone and pretty unfit. I was a decent athlete when younger and my young lad looked to have potential, so I took him to the local athletics club and started on the path to becoming a coach. I started fell running, cut out the booze for 3 months and had a low carb diet. After about 3 months I was 14 stone ... a few months later I'd got to 13.5 stone and was pretty quick again, but Mrs 259 objected to my being that skinny. I have maintained a regime of fell running and coaching ever since .... aside from a recent period dealing with an ankle injury caused by a car crash (which led to weight gain to 16 stone again). I'm now getting back towards 14.5 stone and intend to maintain at about 14 when I get there.
I love the running and long walks on the hills. It isn't a chore. And I actually prefer a low carb diet. The only thing I struggle with giving up entirely is red wine ... so now I run miles over the hills just so that I can enjoy a tipple.
Like the OP, I was pretty angry with myself for succumbing to a rocknroll lifestyle for 2 decades and going from an athlete to "big lad".
I still maintain upper body strength through body weight work and some light weights.

This week I will probably end up having run over 30 miles and over 4000 ft of climb on rough terrain. I'll love every second of it, even in shyte weather. My son is now 18 and I am fitter than I was at 35. I am 58 now. I won't go back.
 
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Forgive me is this is an obvious question, but does that mean you have to knock all bread in-take on the head?

Pretty much. I might, occasionally, have a slice or two of brown toast. I don't have pasta or rice. Definitely no white bread. Occasional spud. I eat fruit and some root veg ... and for breakfast I have greek yoghurt with a bit of honey and a sprinkling of M&S Grain Free Granola (which is awesome). I eat a lot of salad. And eggs are a big part of my diet (I have chickens).
 
This post is very fitting towards me recently. I have done the exact same as the opening poster. 18 stone in March and 3 stone lighter now, I am about to embark on the equivalent of 4 marathons in 30 days with 100 Burpees and push-ups each day from Monday
 
This post is very fitting towards me recently. I have done the exact same as the opening poster. 18 stone in March and 3 stone lighter now, I am about to embark on the equivalent of 4 marathons in 30 days with 100 Burpees and push-ups each day from Monday
You should keep us all posted on that - would be great to hear how you progress!
 
Keyton diet,couch to 5k. Lost 4 stone, dropped dress size 18 to 10 aged 52. Not me like the wife. Feeling much better. She swears by it,weight loss helped her motivate to excercise.
 
Great to hear all these success stories, it truly inspires me.

I play for a vets footy team and I think I’m doing ok then I see some of the other fellas turning up every week and turning back the clock, we have a few guys in their late fifties and I just have the utmost respect for them.

obviously the older you get the more ailments and niglles you get so it’s even more impressive to be getting out there and staying active - personally if I didn’t exercise I think my mental health would seriously suffer, so whilst I can I will!

Keep up the good work fellas - long may it continue!
 
Pretty much. I might, occasionally, have a slice or two of brown toast. I don't have pasta or rice. Definitely no white bread. Occasional spud. I eat fruit and some root veg ... and for breakfast I have greek yoghurt with a bit of honey and a sprinkling of M&S Grain Free Granola (which is awesome). I eat a lot of salad. And eggs are a big part of my diet (I have chickens).
I think carbs must be my weak spot.
I don't eat junk food, don't eat meat, never get takeaways, etc. But, I would find it very difficult to avoid pasta, rice and spuds as they make up the 'base' of many of the meals I cook. Oh, and I do love a bit of brown bread :)
 
I think carbs must be my weak spot.
I don't eat junk food, don't eat meat, never get takeaways, etc. But, I would find it very difficult to avoid pasta, rice and spuds as they make up the 'base' of many of the meals I cook. Oh, and I do love a bit of brown bread :)
Good news is you don’t have to. You can eat all of those things and lose weight!
could try substituting a bean or chickpea or something for pasta here and there. You can usually do so without much change to a recipe. And the additional fibre and protein will keep you feeling full that bit longer
 
I started gym in my mid 40’s, just doing weights and the machines. I found that my body change was rapid based on a healthy diet (lots of chicken & vegetables) and regular training. I did find it difficult to put muscle on though, so I used protein shakes as supplement for muscle gain. I’m sure these products did help me but not sure how much.

In my early fifties now and I have been circuit training three times a week with BMF (Be Military Fit) for over a year now. BMF has really transformed me by greatly improving my core strength/fitness, to levels I never thought I could reach at my age. I also stopped smoking and have been curbing my drinking habits. I must admit at first I thought I was going to have a heart attack as haven’t ran since my early twenties. I do find running is my thing these days and absolutely love it. I still do weights with a combination of circuits and a long Sunday morning run.

Most of all, being fit and active has given me a sense of wellbeing and I can still do things I’d could do in my twenty’s 🙂
 
Getting fits in your 50s - took up cycling and in the last 8 years have cycled London to Paris 5 times, Venice to Rome twice Geneva to Milan, Carcassonne to Barcelona and Vienna to Prague. I feel so much better now than I ever did in my 30s never mind 40s. There is hope for you. Never to old.
 
Interestng to read that ther older you get you get pains and niggles etc

I found the opposite with weight training, all my painful wrists, aching backs, feeling old and aching etc all dissapeared as i strengthened the muscles that support my joints as well as minimizing sugar which is a very toxic substance in terms of F***ing up your insulin and causing inflammatory processes, as long as you don't try to be a hero, learnt the right technique first , how to perform the lifts, and concentrate almost exclusivley on compound movements, squads, deadlifts , incline bench press if poss, and pull ups

Say it again, first thing is your diet, i'd go as far to say it's 75%, millions of people make the mistake of eating **** and training, it's a staggering waste of time, just take into account with diet, 500 calories of protein is not the same as 500 calories of fat or carbs, as protein needs a thermogenic effect to break it down so in reality 500 cals of protein is more like 350 cals converted to energy use by the body, do not get any calories at all from drinks if possible and focus on volume of food for satiety instead of just calories, google satiety index and focus on those foods as they fill you up for longer, spend time researching what you eat, its absolutely critical, they should teach kids that in school instead of religion or other b***ks
 
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