Did anyone transform their fitness at 40?

[sorepaw1]

I'm 40, fatter and unfitter than I have ever been (size 20) and do not recognise myself. I've never been fit, but i was slim in my younger years. Looking for people to inspire me, tell me how you turned it all around later in life and give me hope that i can do the same! Is it possible?

Sadly not me, I'm 40 and bigger than I've ever been, so hoping someone comes along to give me the motivation I need to do something about it!

I’m 46 and started weight lifting with a personal trainer about 6 months ago. I’d done some weights at home with YouTube videos but they weren’t heavy enough really. I’m doing big barbell squats and deadlifts and stuff - it’s awesome!

Yes, I started going to the gym when I was 40, doing quite a few classes a week and dropped two dress sizes. I put some weight on in early covid, took up cycling, took up weightlifting…..I’m fit from a cardiovascular pov, more so than ever.

I'm 40, at 39 I stated couch25k and a strength training series of videos on. YouTube (Caroline Girvan). Can't say I've exactly transformed my fitness yet but have lost nearly 2 stone (from 14st-ish to 12st-ish) so far and gone from using 3kg dumbells to 5kg to 7kg now starting with 10kg.

Am trying but it's like my weight/body is stuck. In my 20s and 30s it was easier and faster to get results. I am training with PT now so hopefully I am starting to get results. 🤞🏼

Yes, i had an op age 38 and was immobile for 18 months. I started with that 7m app, just little bit here and there, then cycling gradually building up distances. At 40 i cycled 50 mile event. Id dropped from a size 18 to a 12.

When i had a baby at 41 and put on (arghs) 6 stone, I knew I could do it again and so set to work. I'm 5 stone down now and 42, sie 14-16, and this morning I ran a 5k for charity.

The keys for me are:
Keep at it. Wind, rain, sun. You may skip training here or there but get straight back at it or you'll slep back into bad habits!

Treats only at weekend and low ish carb diet.

Start low, stupidly low, build up slow. I have fibro so it's an enforced regime to keep the pain down.

Keeping fit keeps me sane!

Me!

I got divorced at 42. The day I left him I started walking on the treadmill for an hour a day. I did that for 14 months losing 15lb. I then started running. One song run, one song walk. I then quickly managed to run a mile, then 5 miles and after 2 years of starting to walk an hour a day, I was running 20 miles a week. I had lost another 25lbs, so I’m down 40lbs in total. I’ve continued my fitness journey and added basic strength training (squats, lunges, deadbugs, press and pull and hip thrusts) daily to my morning routine.

Find what you enjoy, eat a tonne of protein (120-150g) and if you are going to run, run slowly. I run an 11min mile for the vast majority of my running. My pushing it pace is 7:15 - 7:50min mile. I think a lot of people hate running because they go too fast and it’s very quickly uncomfortable.

I'm 40 this year and started weight training 3 x a week about 7 months ago. I've only lost 10lbs (haven't focused much on diet to be honest) but my body shape has noticably changed. I've gone from a size 16 to a 14. Aiming to get back into a 12 by the big day!

No, but I did at age 50. Joined a gym, got fit, dropped a couple of stones without dieting.

I’ve transformed my fitness, along with my body, my strength and - perhaps most importantly - my mental health over the last year. I started working with a super supportive PT first. Our sessions were booked and I had to go. He inspired me to keep at it and the diet changes and weight loss came second to that. I’ve now lost over 15kg, dropped 2 dress sizes and as my fitness has increased I’ve come to genuinely love exercise. To start with it was all about making appointments and having to show up, then being disciplined to keep showing up for myself. Now I just do it because I enjoy it and it’s part of my life and who I am. You really do just have to start showing up for yourself and keep going, even when it feels hard - if I can do it, anyone can!

I did, too. I had no regime as such, just decided I wanted to be a bit more toned. I won't diet because ex-anorexic, but I did alter my diet slightly away from cream & butter in everything, more baked potatoes than dauphinoise iyswim.

I recognised that being toned creeps up you - you do exercise for months, thinking nothing's happening, then all of a sudden you see yourself in the mirror and think "Oooh, look at that! I'm toned!"

I did bits of anything, really, as long as I had to push myself for the last few minutes: longer or faster walks, assorted videos, swimming, dancing, some yoga, some weights, tried out various classes. I ended up needing something else for that final few minutes' push, so that's when I joined a gym and learned how to use the machines properly.

As I rarely weigh myself, other people noticed before I did that my clothes were sitting better (I wish people didn't feel so free to comment on your body size & shape, but that's another thread!) I eventually dropped two dress sizes and it's definitely true, clothes hung a lot better. It took maybe 18 months in all. I just kept on doing much the same for the next ten years. Stayed the same size, had excellent CV stats.

Am now shapelessly squishy again 😂 Can't repeat my non-programme due to ME-CFS ... so I would add a caution to limit "pushing yourself" if it's becoming an obsession. That feeling of physical mastery can be addictive! Worry about that later, though - for now, just enjoy yourself 💃

I'm 45 and really struggling with weight gain and my mental health.

Seriously considering joining the gym, but petrified about it!

Age 44, same shorts, from August last year to today. I do intermittent fasting, prioritised protein and whole foods (cut down on UPF) and most importantly, do Caroline Girvan workouts at home. Down 2 stone and in so much better shape!

Yes! I'm 44 and have lost 2.5st in the last year and gone from a size 16 to a 12.

I joined David Lloyd and go to 5 classes per week, I absolutely love them! Along with that I've just eaten sensibly and stopped eating silly things like large bars of chocolate every night etc.

I've stuck with I think because DL is nice to go to and almost feels a bit of a treat, that definitely helps!

I did it at 40. Now doing it again at older than that as shit happened and I fell off the wagon . Better late than never

I did. Started going to the gym three times a week. Took me three years to get down from 15st 4 to 10st 12. (I'm 5ft9.)

Unfortunately, life got in the way - significant family illness, etc and I put it all back on.

I'm now 64, have had a few operations and have started back at the gym. Weight's only down a couple of pounds, but I've started to build muscle tone again and I can once again get out of seat by pushing up with my thighs alone.

You need to find exercise that you enjoy. That is essential or you will not keep it going.

I did at 47. Joined Karate early last year and archery this year. Lost the fat around tummy area and huge benefits for my mental health. Bonus is that I do Karate with my 13yr old daughter, so it's also fun! I still eat and drink as normal. 😊

I have been having swimming lessons... Last week I swam my first length

Yes and no. I’ve never been much overweight but was a lifelong exercise avoider and as my metabolism slowed over my 30s the pudge was creeping up. I was having to eat less and less to stay the same size. I also couldn’t run for a bus without huffing and puffing.

A few years ago I started regular Pilates which is a great place to start IMO - building core muscles helped me avoid injury when I moved on to other types of exercise later. I’ve since added in c25k, Barre and weights, and a little bit of tennis and cycling.

I haven’t lost any weight (but I’m eating a lot more than I was, without getting larger). More importantly however, I feel so much better, I’m way more toned and can do all sorts of active things with the kids and with friends that I wouldn’t have considered previously.

Next step: stop grazing… the muscles are there now but hidden under a bit of a layer!

Yes, started swimming lessons at 42. I could swim but knew I was inefficient and the lessons were amazing. I started swimming more to practise what I was learning and then had the fitness to start other things.
Just make one change and then be open to other opportunities as they come along.

Yes, me. I was a total non-exerciser and I thought runners and gym-goers were all show-offs. Then I realised that most people I knew took some sort of regular exercise and I began to feel a bit embarrassed about my lack of movement. I started going to fitness classes in my thirties. Then I got really into lifting weights, then I got into yoga. In fact I got so into them that I trained to become an instructor and I started teaching my own classes in my early 40s.

To be fair, I was never large or overweight but I was definitely over fat! I was small but carrying too much body fat. And I was unfit. I’d pant and sweat if I ever had to break into a run for any reason.

So now I do lots of weights and lots of yoga every week (I don’t do any pure cardio). My body fat is 18-20% and I have good muscle mass. I am strong, with decent stamina and am way more flexible than I used to be. Even better, it all helps keep my mental health on an even keel. I’m 46 now and exercise is a huge part of my life- I can’t imagine not doing it and can’t believe I used to take such pride in being lazy. (Though I’m still lazy at heart and will happily spend many hours loafing when I can!)

In my 40s I did Couch to 5K & ran/walked a half marathon. At 50 I took up weightlifting.

You can do it!

And a pic just to show that good muscle tone is achievable for us middle-aged women. Though it’s a shame my skin is that much baggier than it used to be 😂

I need something I can do at home as with DC logistics I can’t go out.

I have basically accepted that if I eat anything I get fatter. I have completely cut out sweet stuff and massively reduced portion sizes, but can’t see any changes at all, which is very dispiriting.

I am trying to fit in a tiny amount more exercise each week, but it is HARD. I am currently doing 10 minutes of ballet/Pilates in the morning while deodorant dries etc, and started trying to skip a few days ago.

any recommendations for things I can do in bitesized chunks would be very gratefully received.