Getting into fitness over 40, is it too late to start your fitness journey?

The short and long answers to both questions are NO!

Fitness over 40 is a must! As I delve into this idea, I’ll share my experience and, in turn, I’ll share with you why starting to exercise, if you didn’t start in your younger years, right now, is an excellent time to begin!

Our bodies are miracles.

We heal ourselves without doing a thing, and we can become healthier and live longer with the actions we take in our everyday lives, that is amazing. Actively engaging in a fitness and nutrition lifestyle at a young age is so important and is especially crucial is maintaining the lifestyle as we get older will help to achieve healthy bodies inside and out for an independent life as we grow older.

3 and a half years ago, before I worked out, my back was always stiff. When I woke up in the morning, getting up off a chair or getting out of my truck. I’d have to slowly stand up to straighten my back just like you’d think I was 100 years old.

I started to work out when I was 53; no one is ever too old to start!

Far too often, I hear from people that they can’t work out because their knees or back hurt or I can’t do what you do or whatever the reason is. Some reasons are legitimate, but in my opinion, most are rooted in fear of something new and failure. I do get that. I was once there!

[the_ad id=”564″] Probably, the hardest thing I did when beginning my fitness and nutrition journey was placing myself out there, becoming vulnerable. It was a crazy uncomfortable feeling. Click To Tweet

From conversations I’ve had, the view from some was as people get older, they shouldn’t exercise. “I’ll hurt myself,” “I’m too old,” “I’m too stiff,” “that’s for young people,” and there were more reasons like “I have osteoarthritis so I can’t” or “rheumatoid arthritis so I can’t.”  I can tell you from my own experience fitness over 40 has added to my life in so many ways.

I have rheumatoid arthritis in my left foot and osteoarthritis in both my shoulders and knees when I work out with weights and am moving my body as I workout, the workout takes a lot of the pain away.

I often find it’s when I don’t work out the pain is worse. I do understand that both rheumatoid and osteoarthritis can be debilitating diseases, and some can’t work out.  For full disclosure, I do take a daily dose of Voltaren, but even with the pill, and when I don’t work out, the pain sometimes is much worse.

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Before being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in my foot

Specifically, the big toe of my left foot, I had noticed pain in my toe when I flexed the toe joint when walking, running or performing many movements within Crossfit. I thought I tweaked it, but it would better in time. It didn’t.

Thinking it was gout, I made an appointment with my doctor, had an Xray and a blood test. It wasn’t gout, but the blood test did find the markers for rheumatoid arthritis. The doctor referred me to a specialist who wiggled and looked at my toe. Through some conversation, I mentioned I run and workout often. His words were, “Well, no point in doing that anymore,” then suggested orthotics and walked out. The appointment was over.

I was devasted. How could it be that I can't run or work out anymore? Am I to accept this, take a seat in a rocking chair and wait to die. NOT ME! Click To Tweet

As you probably know, if you have been keeping up with my social media posts and reading my blog posts, I wasn’t going to sit in a rocking chair and wait to die. I modified my workouts where I needed to. I also started to add turmeric powder ( helps to reduce inflammation ) to my post-workout shakes and added hydrolyzed collagen ( helps with joint health and many other benefits ) to my BCAA I’d drink during my workouts.

The pain in my foot lessened to the point where I was able to run

and run I did. I continued to run 10 km on Sundays and ran the 10 km obstacle Mud Hero in Red Deer, and was able to work with my regular CrossFit routines out with some simple modifications to some movements! 

I am a believer in the less you do, the less you want to do, the less you do, the less you’re able to do Click To Tweet

There are a host of benefits for joining the movement of over 40 crowd to begin a fitness over 40 programs. The least of which is being able to move and lift without pain. What about reducing hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers. There is no downside to exercising! Let’s not forget mood, people who exercise regularly, are happier, and live longer, science* says so!

Want strong bones? My last DEXA scan showed I have bones of an elite athlete half my age, remember I started working out at 53!

Well, I’m sure you get my point by now. Get active now! Your life depends on it!

TIME Secrets of Living Longer: The Science of Aging Well – Foods That Keep You Fit – 23 Surprising Ways to Stay Young

*https://pmj.bmj.com/content/90/1059/26

 

That’s it for this blog post. I’ll get started on another post right away, so please sign up for my newsletter to be notified when I publish a new post!

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Augustin
I started on my fitness and nutrition journey when I was 53, and along the way, I became passionate about sharing my journey in hopes of inspiring others to begin their journey.

 

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