I’m 54 and I work out religiously. In many ways I’m in better shape than when I was in my 20s; I certainly can do more cardio without getting tired/winded than I could back then. My figure has certainly in some ways succumbed to age and flagging hormones, but I haven’t given up and can’t imagine ever doing so unless forced to by illness.
Well, that would be my last gossip.
I was 35 and just had my second child. I was working construction until then, so I was strong and, while a little overweight, I was pretty muscular. I gained 60 lbs. the first year, and about 20 every year after. She’s six now. Until last year I just didn’t care anymore. NOW I’m paying for it.
So I’m back to caring again at 41.
RrruuuuH?
I never cared about my physique.
With my compliments.
Age 3. Maybe sooner.
Yeah, with that clarification, I think that a very, very small proportion of people were ever into that. Fitness competitors and bodybuilders; basically no one else. An extreme focus on appearance or an idealized form over simple fitness isn’t a particularly popular or sustainable behavior. It’s one of the more functional manifestations of body dysmorphia, but I’d say it’s still somewhere on that continuum.
The vast majority of people exercise in order to be “in shape,” or with some other vague objective. People who have a sport or event they’re training for have better focus and a higher rates of compliance with a fitness plan.
I personally set multiple small goals in all areas of fitness, so I’m always working on or toward something, and improving my weaknesses and skills. It’s how I keep myself motivated. Sometimes it’s pretty hard to deliberately go out and do something I know I suck at just so I’ll suck less at it in the future, but I’ve learned that in all aspects of my life I’ve gotten the highest rewards for doing the things that scare me the most.
41YO male here. I mostly gave up at around 30.
In high school, college and grad school, I rode my bicycle everywhere. As fast as I fucking could. I either lived on campus or close to it, so riding always made sense instead of driving - no matter what the weather was like. When the weather was decent, I also went for recreational rides - again, as fast as I fucking could. Uphill sprints, drag-racing myself when the light turned green, trying to keep up with traffic, and so on. I also did longer aerobic rides. In my late 20’s, my resting pulse was under 40.
In grad school I also started weightlifting. The university’s gym was conveniently close to the lab where I worked, and it was free. A friend and I went three times a week, for a solid 90 minutes each time, cutting out of work an hour early to do it. I gained a lot of muscle; at my best I was able to bench-press 235 pounds.
At about 29 I finished grad school, moved to a new city and joined the professional world. I now live farther from work than I did as a student. Moreover, whereas a university lab will tolerate a sweaty or rain-soaked grad student arriving in shorts and a tank top, that doesn’t go over so well in a “real” job. I now drive to work.
I also bought a motorcycle shortly after leaving grad school. Instead of recreational bicycle rides, I transitioned to recreational motorcycle rides. Much less aerobic activity.
When I started my job I signed up with a gym a few miles away, but driving there and back always seemed like such a drag, and lifting weights somehow wasn’t fun anymore, so I let my membership lapse after a year or two. Now at 41, I still have more muscle mass than I did when I started grad school, but I’m a lot less chiseled than I was at 29.
My resting pulse these days is closer to 60.
Appearance-wise, I still look fairly decent. Not much fat on my stomach but more than 10 years ago.
I’m 54 and it never occurred to me to “give up.” I’m not an underwear model but I have always tried to stay in shape since my dad held a stopwatch while I ran 440’s at 12 years old.
I never quite had my weight where I wanted it and at 50 I started thinking that it was a lost cause but then something clicked in how I approach eating and I lost 20 pounds over a few months, getting down to my target weight. (I am 5’10", 170 right now and in my adult life have been anywhere from 165 to 195.)
I have done weight training for almost 30 years, and am a fair-weather biker. Nothing hard core, but consistent.
- Kids and work took up my life. No more time for lifting weights, playing raquetball, canoeing, softball, pretty much everything.
Kids can, themselves, be an exercise program, if you do it right: walking, playing, running, etc.