40+ers... how bad is it... really... if you are athletic? (Page 3)

You look great as an almost-40-year-old, and I'm sure you'll look equally fabulous on the other side of that number. 

If you're active, you can do a lot.  You are, so do a lot. 

I'm 45.  I'm in better shape now than I was when I turned 39.  People still don't believe me when I tell them I was born in 1964 and that I have a 23-year-old son.  Frankly, I can do everything now that I could do when I was 25 (I do, however, choose to NOT do some of those things... )  I'm not as fast as I was in my teens/early 20's (when I was still active), but a lot faster than I was even 5 years ago, at the beginning of my weight-loss/fitness journey. 

I'm 27, athletic and always playing sports. Good at some sports, great at others, bad at some. I have a 6 pack, low body fat, this is my first tri season.

I get my behind kicked by 40-60 year olds male and female.

Graduate school will definately cause a down hill slide in your health as will working 12 hour days....   and the motabolism definately slows from 30 on.  I didn't start Tri's untill I was 40.  I lost 40 pounds, and worked my way up in endurance, 5k, half mary, full maryx2, sprint, oly, HIMx2  IM x 2.  I do not recover as fast as when I was in my 20s... not close, and I have gotten calf pulls and such that I don't know I would have gotten 20 years ago and I probably would have recovred quicker.  That said, training smart, allowing recovery time, etc.... and I am in better shape than I have been in my life.  Well ya I did crash my bike and broke a collar bone, but the sling came off yesterday and I was able to do a 5 mile run at just over an 8:00 pace per mile....and well I am going to Boston in April.  So my life aside from injury is much better now than it was in my 20s or 30s.  And that is true all around, not just in sports.  The gut will go away... but very very grudgingly. 

My wife did her first Tri this year and she is noticing that clothes that didn't use to fit her now do.  The dog now slows her down rather than the other way around and she can outrun any of our kids... well distance wise.  My son ran a 5:49 1 mile the other day.  He may well be able to beat his father soon in those shorter races.  Anyway usually people who have time to complain are avoiding doing something good for themselves that may actually be fun.  Life is good, take it one day at a time and don't try to control thunderclouds.   

I've started playing basketball with a group of 35-45+ year old women now that my tri season is over.  Those women ROCK!!  Most of them are former college/HS players and they still play TOUGH basketball!  They are actually scrimmaging the high school varsity team tomorrow and I'm betting they beat them.  While they might not be in their prime, they are definitely not going downhill!  I was just thinking how cool it is that these women are continuing to do what they love 20+ years later.  I've LOVED playing with them!

I'm 37 and still a few years from 40.  My body isn't what it used to be.  I'm thinner than in high school and college, and just as active.  But I'm a lot more injury prone.  My biggest problem is in my hips, but I think that has more to do with having six kids really close together.  That or I wasn't made for endurance sports.  I've always been a ball player (basketball, vball, tennis, etc).  Or maybe its my age?  Who knows??  I'm not letting it stop me though.