Calling all mamas over 40...what are your health/fitness expectations as you get older?

[CI Mama]

What are your expectations of yourself as you get older, in terms of health & fitness?

Where are you maintaining, where are you improving, where are you declining?

Have you found yourself modifying your activity level and/or your eating habits? How & why?

Are there things you are doing that make you feel great?

Just looking for some perspective. I'm 41 and my body feels very different than it did 5 years ago (before I started trying to get pregnant). Not sure how much of this is normal aging stuff & how much is just becoming a mom.

Edited by CI Mama - 3/7/11 at 8:09am

[LukesMum]

Hi

Im 45 this week. Im a yoga teacher, vegetarian, noridc walker and I lift amybe 2x a week. so Im active. Guess what? For the first time in my life Ive gained 5 lb! I couldnt believe it!!!! I just read that working out is the key to weight maintenance when you are younger but diet is the key over 40. SO, I think Im eating too much--even of the healthy stuff. I live in eruope so dabble in the fabulous cheese, pretzles , breads eetc. YUM> Im now on a raw cleanse and drinking green smoothies for a few days to regulate. Physically I feel pretty good--I just dont push too hard.

[carfreemama]

I just happened to see this thread and it's perfect for me, so thanks!

I turned 43 in January.

I am thin, with good bone mineral density (according to a little screen I had done last year).

I had my only child when I was 36. I tried to get pregnant again last year and miscarried. I have a benign ovarian cyst I am trying to get rid of through naturopathy. No more babies, I'm pretty sure. Otherwise, I'm in great health.

I am very active, living without a car and with a dog; but my aeorobic capacity has declined tremendously. This is mostly just because I have stopped running in the last several years. I used to run long distances pre-baby and ran a half-marathon in the year before she was born.

I am currently signed up to run a 5 km in the Bluenose in May, but I am starting from zero. Then there's a run in the summer called Not Since Moses I'm eagerly awaiting. So running is really my thing. I love it.

I also have OCD and anxiety, so I am trying to manage mental health issues.

Overall, couldn't care less about things like wrinkles; but I would like my body to stay slim and supple, if possible. I'd like to reduce my breast and ovarian cancer risks, since I started my period young and had my only child after age 35.

I have been off my veggies lately, too. Need to increase those. I very rarely drink, don't smoke and don't eat a lot of processed foods. So overall, I think I'm in pretty good shape. Mental health and going from being Active to being Fit and lowering my cancer risk...those are my biggies.

[JayGee]

I'll be 43 in April.  I am a runner and will continue to run, although I have cut my distances due to some degenration in my left knee.  I also love to bike and swim and will continue with both of those until I physically can't anymore!  My uncle is 81 and still bikes 100-200 miles every week, so I take my example from him.  I had bloodwork done last month and everything was well within normal limits, my blood pressure is fine and I take no medications at all (why are doctors always amazed by this?)  My diet could use a little cleaning up ~ I tend to eat very well for 4 or 5 weeks, and then totally fall off the healthy eating wagon for the next week or two.  I'd like to eat healthy all the time, because I feel so much better when I do.  I also need to add some weight training into my schedule to help with bone density.  I'm not perimenopausal quite yet, but I know it's coming.

[ambereva]

I'm only 38, so don't know if I count. But, as I get older I'm realizing more and more the importance of weight training for maintaining bone mass, muscle mass and lean body composition, and metabolic function. I'm spending less time on cardio and more on weights. I still eat quite a bit, and focus on getting the bulk of my calories from veggies, fruits, healthy fats and lean proteins (pretty much in that order). I have no intention of becomeing less active or decreasing the intensity of my workouts, in fact quite the opposite, my body keeps getting stronger and it feels great to continue challenging it.

As Jack LaLanne said, the only way you can hurt the body is to not use it.

[lab]

I'm 41 and still going strong.  I didn't get into this whole fitness craze until I was about 35, but boy am I into it now.  I had never gained weight before until I hit about 31.  So I started working out around 35 and lost about 20 pounds.  I have been maintaining the weight loss since then. 

My expectations as I get into my 40s and beyond are to stay the size/weight I am now.  In order to maintain my muscle mass and speed - I workout like I am training.  I shoot for about 1500 minutes a month.  That changes during the winter and I generally add on a couple of pounds - but it's all good.  I'm usually pretty tired by then and ready for a break.

I do look around to my friends etc and see that after 40, most of them don't continue the cardio and intensity that they once did.   I find that interesting.   So far, I feel the same today as I did when I was 38.   I did notice this year that the puffiness in my belly was harder to work off than last year. 

Things that I am improving are weight training.  I am adding more since I feel like I need the muscle mass to continue to burn calories.  So far my diet hasn't changed.  I like eating what I want.  I try to eat clean food most of the time.  I stay away from frozen and processed foods.  But I am not above eating an entire sleeve of oreo cookies right before my period!!!! 

My favorite thing to do is run.  I try to run 5 days a week.  Running makes me feel good, helps me think and work out problems and just generally calms me down.  I love it!   I crave it!

I just had a complete physical and everything checked out great.  I keep waiting on my eyesight to go!  I have heard horror stories about hitting 40 and not being able to see any more! 

Like the pp, doctors are amazed at my fitness level, blood pressure etc.... 

Now try telling my daughter how healthy mom is!  She thinks I should stop wearing shorts....  I'm shaking my head right now because of this crazy idea she has.  She says all the other moms wear capri pants and that it is time for me to stop wearing shorts.  First of all - capri pants look horrible on me - I'm five foot 3!   She is 15 by the way.....  Thank goodness I am my own woman and don't listen to her!

[JayGee]

Originally Posted by lab 

Now try telling my daughter how healthy mom is!  She thinks I should stop wearing shorts....  I'm shaking my head right now because of this crazy idea she has.  She says all the other moms wear capri pants and that it is time for me to stop wearing shorts.  First of all - capri pants look horrible on me - I'm five foot 3!   She is 15 by the way.....  Thank goodness I am my own woman and don't listen to her! 

 I can just see my DD saying something like that, and she's only 7!  I feel the same way about capris at 5'1".  Capris = pants I don't have to hem!!!  I am so motivated by the women older than me that I see at races or out training.  There is a woman in my swim lane at our triathlon swim practice who is 50 and does Ironman.   So much of it is a "can do" attitude!  DH is 47 and still plays league soccer 2-3x a week.  Some of the guys on his over-40 team are actually over 50 and still playing some pretty hard soccer.

[CI Mama]

Thanks for all the responses, everyone!

We are about to get rid of our car and I'm cycling everywhere, so I'm getting more regular workouts than ever. And I feel great! 

I've been in really slow weight-loss mode since my daughter was born 2.5 years ago. And I mean realllyyyy slooowwww. I've always had a bigger build and have gained weight easily, so it's no surprise that it's taking a long time to get back into shape. I eat well (natural, unprocessed food, lots of veggies), but now I'm working on eating less. It's hard! Especially while I'm so active all the time. For now, I'm focusing on cutting out sweets. I'm not sure at this point if the weight loss will continue, even though I'd like to drop another 15-20 pounds. I'm still breastfeeding my DD and I hope that when she weans, I'll be able to shed a few more pounds. 

I am a contact improv enthusiast, and that's my weight bearing exercise. Right now I'm only able to dance once a week because of schedule/money. My goal is to get back into the studio at least twice a week, once DD is a bit older and I have more flexibility with time/money. I'd also like to take a yoga class regularly. Riding my bike is great & I love it, but I really have to balance with lots of stretching to keep my joints flexible.

My DD loves me just the way I am, and always has no matter how I've looked or felt. I'll enjoy it while it lasts! 

[CI Mama]

One thing I have noticed...I am really sensitive to sleep deprivation. Once I go a night or two without adequate sleep, my body really feels the effects. I'm in pain, my joints hurt, I just feel terrible. I can do other things to take care of myself, but the pain doesn't really go away until I get more sleep. Can anyone else relate to this?

I'm not sure if that's an aging thing or a new mom thing. I never dealt with regular sleep deprivation until DD was born. It's been an issue for me ever since, as she is not a great sleeper. For a year after she was born, I felt awful all the time, and I couldn't lose weight no matter how hard I tried. But at that time, it was rare for me to get 4 consecutive hours of sleep because she was waking up and nursing half the night.

Since DD was born, I've had occasional hip pain, knee pain, and more than the usual amount of ankle pain. It could be the prolonged sleep deprivation or a response to my pregnancy weight gain. Or it could be the normal aches & pains that come with aging. Not sure.

Other than sleeping off joint pain, does anyone have any suggestions for keeping joints healthy?

[ambereva]

Other than sleeping off joint pain, does anyone have any suggestions for keeping joints healthy?

Weight lifting!!!

[Materfamilias]

I'm 46. I've been pretty healthy, exercising and diet-wise, since I was about 24, but really kind of figured out what works for me and what doesn't in the last 10 years or so.

So...

What are your expectations of yourself as you get older, in terms of health & fitness? I really don't see much of a decline, to be honest. I expect that I am always going to have to keep an eye on my diet, as I gain weight very easily. I'm 5'5", and at my lightest was 130 lbs. I think my ideal is about 134-5. Right now I am 137. I feel good. It took me a little while after DD was born to get the weight off -- well, I was back to pre-preg weight at one year.

Where are you maintaining, where are you improving, where are you declining? I started doing circuit training last summer and it really worked for me. I flirted with Crossfit, but it seemed so hardcore, it scared me. I finally bit the bullet and walked into our local affiliate about 3 months ago, and they were so awesome there I just joined up and started their programming. It's constantly varied and it's always a challenge. They do so many different things I'd never done before. I couldn't do a dead hang pull up and now I can do 30. It's been a real eye-opener. Along with it I've gone sort of modified paleo diet-wise, and I've really seen a huge overall change in how I look and feel. So... I would say, radical improvement and no decline.

Have you found yourself modifying your activity level and/or your eating habits? How & why? See above.

Are there things you are doing that make you feel great? See above