To ask if you feel physically fit in 40s or older how you achieve this?

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Evening. Just that really.

I am consistently 2 stone overweight. Am early 40s. Have some peri symptoms (think 3am wake ups, anxiety, heart palpitations etc)

I play a team sport (think an hour game plus an hour and a half training once a week).

I am also trying to do the gym twice a week (but ends up being once really and it’s using machines at a weight that seems about right so no real method there).

I tend to think my diet is ok- I am prone to a little bit of evening eating and my portion sizes are probably too much.

I might drink a couple of glasses of something every two weeks (drink really doesn’t agree with me nowadays).

I would love to be a healthy weight, have more energy and feel fitter when playing my team sport (this is low level- local sport). Plus just look a bit better and feel better in myself.

Has anyone achieved this? If so how?

Thank you!

I think it would be possible to be fit to a good level with 2 x hour-long full body / compound weights sessions per week, a few 30 mins of yoga or Pilates sessions (using videos at home) and a load of walking.

I really prioritise exercise now and everything in my diary gets booked in around it or I’d never do it. I do weights for an hour 3 times a week, plus an hour’s yoga class and an hour’s Pilates class. That leaves me with virtually no time to do anything else so I try to get steps in whenever I can. If I can, I cram in anything from 5-20 mins on a treadmill after the yoga or Pilates.

It’s the steps that make the difference. I’m very strong and flexible but if I cut the steps I gain weight.

Your hour in the gym could be a lot more productive for you if you had a plan of what to do and knew the weights / reps etc to do. Could a trainer create a plan for you?

I only achieve this when I go to the gym 6 times a week (3 days swimming, 3 days weights). I do follow a method with the weights though. I am the same age as you.

I am a healthy weight, mid 40s. I probably exercise about the same amount as you though I do lots of walking. I do moderate how much I eat though I don't really restrict anything. I think your exercise is ok so might be worth looking at diet.

You probably need smaller portions/carbs than you're used to.
I got into youtube workouts as you can do as long as you feel like and don't have to go anywhere. But some prefer the discipline/accountability of going to the gym or a class! But tbh you're probably getting more exercise than me with your sport!

One stretch two stretch three stretch ugggghh__

I've found tracking my intake makes me much more aware and able to eat in a deficit. I use an app called lose it and track everything as honestly as I can.

I also use weight loss injections, after losing the same 7lbs over and over. Tracking has helped me see where I was making small but costly mistakes with my diet previously that hopefully I've correct.

I exercise. I walk a lot, cycle to work, do weights 4 times a week and also some HIIT and yoga. I stay in the healthy weight range. I limit my eating window a bit but otherwise eat what I want, although I generally want to keep my diet fairly balanced.

In my 50s. Run every day 10k and go for an hour's walk 5k or a bit more. Do weights and body weight exercises/stretches 4 days a week. My BMI is the low end of healthy. Fat percentage in the fitness range.

I would suggest if you want to lose weight a good start is to cut portions literally by half (easy for the simplicity) and then add non starchy veg / salad to fill up plate. That should work.

I have found exercising everyday (unless a special occasion and you really can't) is great as it builds such a habit up you miss it if you don't do it. And then you look forward to getting back to the normal routine. 🙂

That’s still unhealthy

I’m nearly 60 and have seen my fitness and strength increase dramatically recently because I got a younger bigger stronger dog and had to double my step count. I’m now averaging 15000 steps a day, more some days, have lost weight and am much more toned. On the downside the house is filthy from the extra mud and I have plantar fasciitis from the extra walking.

@SharpMintJoker what is? I am healthier now than when I was overweight with sciatica and cancer a few years ago!

@TarnishedMoonstone Dr Berg on YouTube has a nice stretchy cure for plantar fasciitis that ended mine

I’m really sorry about that

I’m 43 and go to the gym 4 or 5 times a week and do a yoga class once a week. I follow a functional bodybuilding programme which incorporates some cardio as well as heavy weights.

I don’t eat before around 11am Monday to Friday. I’ve been a vegetarian my entire life and don’t really drink at all. I make sure I eat plenty of protein, and 6+ portions fruit and veg a day. I don’t eat any meat substitutes.

I also walk the dogs for an hour every day.

I would say I’m fit, I have defined abs etc and am generally happy with how I feel and look physically.

I think the trick is to not make the gym optional. I go at 6.30am, and when my alarm goes off I treat going to the gym the same way I would treat brushing my teeth, I do it without thinking really. Training early is lovely because it’s an endorphin hit for the day and it’s done and dusted by 7.30am.

I did up until I went back to work full time. Since them (1.5yrs), I've put on a stone which has thrown me into the overweight bmi. My exercise has become sporadic due to fitting everything work and family related in and I feel stressed, perimenopausal and have lots of new aches and pains. I don't know how to fix it but I am trying to make small changes like going for a walk in my lunchbreak and I've joined a gym.

@SharpMintJoker seriously fitness can be a real life line. Both physically and mentally. It was a big part of my recovery after cancer treatment.

Youch plantar is horrid

Thank you so much. These are really helpful.
I think you’re all telling me what I already know. I work hybrid and clearly need to make more of this but also not let it be too sedentary .

Add in exercise snacks through the day but really it needs a long hard look at diet and then really consistent exercise.

I'm way overweight but getting fitter with better body composition in my 50s.

When I go to the gym, I take a notebook to record what I did- exercise, reps, sets.
I then use it to see how to move forwards, stabilise or dial back for a recovery week, because I can refer to previous weeks.

Some targeted strength, some cardio and general movement is a good combination for healthy living going forwards.

Diet is a seperate issue. Generally increasing protien and veg, and reducing carbs (especially refined starchy carbs) sugar and alcohol is a good, managable strategy for women hitting mid-life hormones.

I'm in my 70s, and much fitter now than I was in my 40s. I lost nearly four stone in my early 50s through calorie counting, and have managed to keep it off by looking at my 'diet' as a life style change. For the past few years I've been using My Fitness Pal for monitoring. I also started running in my 50s and although mild arthritis has stopped me doing that for several years now I do walk a lot. When I was working I used to try to walk little and often - to the shops, one less stop on the bus etc - but now I'm retired I walk 5-10 miles a day and enjoy listening to podcasts. Making these changes into a regular habit made all the difference to me.

I'm 47 and feel fit and in good shape.

I exercise most days from home. I do youtube videos - a mix of HIIT, strength work and weighted cardio.

The sessions last between 20 and 40 mins, so I can often be finished in the time it would have taken me to get to a gym. There is never any reason not to exercise - weather, traffic, DH having the car, someone needing to be home with the DC etc.

I don't always look forward to exercising, but I like how I feel when I'm finished a tough tababta or full body dumbell session.

I think consistency is key for me. Doing it almost every day turns it into a routine/habit, so I miss it if I don't do it. It's just become part of my day.

In my 40s and fitter than I've ever been. Abs, toned muscles, most importantly I feel strong and mentally as well as physically healthy.

It's all exercise, I eat and drink what I want without feeling guilty, though I don't really eat processed foods much. Cakes, cheese and booze are all on the table and a decadent tasting menu is one of the joys of my life. I refuse to even think about calories and diets.

The exercise isn't complicated. I started in my late 20s from a base of being very skinny but with no actual fitness. Started running and doing basic resistance exercises at home. Now I run 15-20km twice a week and have a simple weights/sit-ups/planks home routine on alternate days. My body now is the result of just doing that consistently, and increasing the distance (running) and reps (resistance) when they got easier, for over a decade. I also play tennis quite frequently but I don't think of it as exercise in the same way (I just like hitting the ball as hard as I can which means I don't play that many long points), though it must be doing some good.

Basically you just need to get started in something you enjoy enough to build into your routine and then stick to it, every week, without fail. You need a bit of self-knowledge - some people (like me) prefer solo exercise without being watched; others need the motivation of group exercise or a personal trainer. I hate gyms, and would never have kept up a class in one. I chose running because it was easy, gets me out into nature, I can listen to music while doing it and I can do it on my own timetable.

The improvements will come quicker than you think and before you know it you're doing it at a higher standard than you could have dreamed.

Do your stretches and get the right shoes to prevent injuries, and invest in a proper sports bra!