Getting Fit In Your 40s

I’m in my late 40s.  Did I really just type that?  If you are anything like me, you know that age is just a number because it sneaks up on you so very fast.  I remember being a kid and thinking people in their 40s were OLD.  Now, I refuse to go gently into that good night.

But, I will be honest, I had a hard time when I turned 40 with my fitness. I “tried” a whole lot – and by tried, I mean, I did a lot of different things to get my youthful figure back on track. I tried those home fitness DVDs, CrossFit, pretty much any diet that came across my screen, and I would do really well for MOST of the day or week and then, I would break whatever I was doing (NO wheat, or no carbs or no alcohol) and then by the weekend…well I would just have “one” of something, which would lead to one of something else.  And it would really blow the whole deal.

So I realized after years of nothing really working, that I needed some GOOD exercise and some reasonable sound nutrition that didn’t leave me wanting to chew my arm off. I needed to find something that would work with my mediocre discipline and consistency. Sound familiar? Good – stick with me.

I have always done well with reading about nutrition, learning about biology and new information. I listen to podcasts constantly and I came across Ben Greenfield on one of my regular shows.

So much of what he said made sense to me. He helped me understand why I was struggling with my weight (insulin levels, hormone imbalance and gut biome.) Listening to him, I also learned about new supplements that I could take and what types of exercise might work best for me (pre-breakfast walks, strength training). And voila! The weight started coming off. I lost ten pounds without even thinking about it and then second ten came off in a couple of months after that.

Now I feel better than I ever have before and I’m so glad that I put the focus on my health. I’m back to racing and next year my big goal is to do a half ironman. (Possibly this one.) Either way, it is great to feel great again. In my quest to find the best methods to achieve the ultimate life, I view myself as a curator of information. I spend my time reading, listening, and learning all of the latest information on health, wellness, and high performance so you don’t have to. If you want some inspiration, here is a great podcast Ben Greenfield did: “Kettlebell Yoga, The Best 5 Cardio Machines You Can Use, How To “Reset” Your Body With An Adventure & Much More!”

Let me know what you think!