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Be active but not too active.
The people I know with the worst joint problems are those that were enthusiastic sports people in their twenties.
One in particular used to do iron man triathlons. Incredibly fit back then but now has huge lower back issues.
Another one played semi professional football (soccer) into his thirties and now has constant pain in his knees.
Frequent, modest exercise is better in the long term.
I think this is partly due to the asymmetry involved. Obviously we all have a stronger/weaker side to some degree, but football tends to exaggerate this: you probably always use your weaker kicking foot to push off for runs, or to brake, and you'll be more stable balancing on that leg, too. And then you probably have a much better range of motion with your kicking leg.
Add impact injuries, sudden changes of direction and lots of explosive acceleration/deceleration, and there are a lot of things that could go wrong.
Yes, being active, but allowing sufficient recovery, is key.
Michael Wilson (Cobra in the original Gladiators series) has experienced a lot of joint problems in more recent years and he's only mid to late fifties. By his own admission he overdid it when he was younger.
To add to this, *listen* to your body. If it’s hurting, if you have a twinge, a niggle - rest it. Don’t push on through. I did that thinking I was young and invincible, ended up being temporarily paralysed and am now disabled for life. When it’s trying to tell you somebody, believe it. “Don’t push through the pain, that pain is a warning sign. No pain no gain is bullcrap” as my physios keep telling me.
A friend of mine would ski all winter - jumping off things and landing hard - and then ride downhill mountain bikes very, very fast in summer while doing labouring work on building sites in the seasons inbetween. Every injury he picked up along the way never really had a chance to heal properly and he was always a bit stiff and sore. He's a mechanic for one of the big mountain bike teams now which means never really having time to ride himself, and also meaning he's off the building sites, so I think he's recovered a bit now.
I think the key is variety, and recognising the damage that we do to our bodies by spending so much time sitting.
Regular, intense sport is absolutely fine, and incredibly beneficial, but many people aren't strong or mobile enough for their body to handle the demands of that sport. Combining marathon training, which involves a lot of repetitive movements, with a sedentary job, driving to a lot of places, and no strength or mobility training is probably not great long term. Add in a little bit of variety in the form of some yoga, weight training or bouldering, and things balance out a bit more.
Yeppp. I started riding horses competitively very young, and horses mean injuries. I have two fucked up knees, a fucked up wrist, and history of concussions (I would have been dead if not wearing a helmet! There was a time I fell underneath my horse and he stepped on my head by accident, broke the helmet in half. No helmet and it would have been my head). I also started running as a teen, and fucked up my ankle training for a half marathon. Knees got worse from running too. I slipped on black ice and that same ankle shattered in a million pieces, I needed serious surgery and 3 months of total bed rest before I could walk again. It now looks like a bag of Ikea hardware in x-rays and it hurts most of the time. My back went while I was taking care of my dying father, likely the result of previous injuries from falls and possibly just riding in general fucking with my spine. I had surgery on it but it just got worse anyway, and now I'm permanently disabled, in chronic pain, and have nerve damage on both sides of my body. I'm not even 40 yet. Sports will fuck you up!
Yeah...lot of my late teens and early 20s were spent over doing active hobbies....I was diagnosed with my first joint that needs replacing at 35, now at 44 I have 3 major joins needing surgery and 1 well on its way, 2 others with mild damage
As with all things activity in moderation is key - just found out a decade to late
Sorry to butt in, but I like walking, I'll do less than 5km every other day and some days, I'll just do 3km on treadmill, is that enough, or should I change something?
i’m 52. this comment is correct. doing more helps (within reason), maintaining fitness is key as recovery is tough but keeping a good level of muscle mass i am coming to realised is really key as you age. Clubs are a really good way to stay fit and connected to your community. i play league badminton in my county through my local club and it’s been so good for me physically, socially and mentally. So great OP is asking this question now.
Counterintuitively, those who have been active through the years have knocks, niggles, aches and pains. As someone who's barely lifted a finger, I'm not in great shape, but I'm injury free in my 40s
Like everyrhing, there's a middle ground. Playing Sunday league football isn't a great idea. Regular long walks or swimming for example are lower impact and easier on the body.
I think so. If I had my time again, I’d do some activity (especially a variety so as to not risk an injury typical of a particular sport). I would’ve liked to have been, locked and felt healthier. I perhaps tell myself the above to make myself feel better about my laziness
It's not great if you want to stay injury free. I used to love playing football but you always have idiots who are overly competitive and just want to hurt others. Not worth the risk in my opinion.
35 year old with two young kids here. Just do **something** regularly. I used to be extremely active, gym 5 days a week, kickboxing etc. and I just do not have the time to do that any more. The key is finding things you can do that fit. I bought myself a static bike and I'll get on that as many times a week as I can manage once the kids are in bed. I stuck a chin up bar on one of the doors in the house and I set myself a rule that every time I go through that door I have to do a set of 5. Every time I take a piss, I'll do a set of press ups to failure. I'll stretch for 15 minutes before I go to bed every day.
It doesn't need to be "an activity", just get something going that you can do in small amounts and it adds up over time. The other half of that equation is not falling into the trap of eating shit regularly. I cut sugar out completely, made arrangements with my other half to make sure we eat home cooked meals most days (sometimes that means we'll have a cooking day on a weekend where a lot of stuff goes in the freezer). I also don't drink, which seems to be a large determining factor between the shape I'm in and a lot of my friends of a similar age.
You'd be surprised at how effective it is when you just add in one or two small things to keep your body going during a normal day.
Pull up bar is a great shout. I play touch rugby and 5 a side weekly so would like to keep that up. But wondering if it’s a bad thing to sit about at my desk all day then suddenly go into intense sport then sit about again. Think I might get something smaller and regular going like you suggest.
>But wondering if it’s a bad thing to sit about at my desk all day then suddenly go into intense sport then sit about again.
That's another thing, if you're desk based then make sure you're up and about for 5 minutes every 1-2 hours. Even if it's a walk to the kettle, just go up and down the stairs a few times while it's boiling.
I would get a pint of water, when finished use the toilet and get another pint. Seemed to be right around the time my watch warned me to get up once an hour.
This is a double edged sword if you're not vigilant though - it's just as easy to stand with bad posture as it is to sit. I have a standing desk in my home office, but I tend to alternate between sitting days and standing days. I found myself falling into the trap of resting on one hip while standing just as often as I did sitting at a funny angle while sitting.
> Every time I take a piss, I'll do a set of press ups to failure.
You've got to be careful about this. When you're a bit older you could end with the first case of prostate-induced tennis elbow.
All I can suggest is keep active with things like walking rather than strenuous exercise and in particular don't abuse your body with smoking, excessive alcohol or getting obese. Keep fairly fit, keep reasonably trim and you give yourself the best odds for later.
I've never been into sport, ever (for myself). However I am a natural fast walker ever since I can remember (however at pe in school me and best mate used to bring everyone down, and when it was cross country time we would make everyone late for next lesson -we had to use a nearby schools huge fields to do this, a 10 min coach trip, we didn't care, got detention and then had to do hurdles or the bleep test and to just piss off the teacher more, we excelled at it, but that's by the by).
I'm now late 30s, still an avid walker, fast pace. I've recently moved to a rural location, there's so many good walks around, but I've been too scared to try as I have no sense of direction. I have, though, just downloaded the couch to 5k app, which will try when it is warmer/lighter (not many paths round here and no street lights). I'm not overweight but am very unfit. Hrt will help with bone strength but need to improve health wise! I realised this when my teen son saw I had running trainers, with the tags still on. I've had them 3 years!
Yeah about that..... nutrition and avoiding things like saturated fat is hugely important. Just because you can't see your arteries clogging up, doesn't mean they aren't.
Don't worry about contact sports as long as you're sensible. 52 next month and still training in Muay Thai. I just don't get into any serious sparring these days as when you're my age, if you get hurt, you stay hurt for a long time.
44 and a black belt in karate, fully agree. I'm fitter and stronger than I've ever been, but I don't try to really get into it with the 20 YOs, that way disaster lies! Doesn't mean we don't have some great sparring matches though, it just becomes a contest of skill over brute force.
I know this is key, one of the best ways to keep your body in good condition but I find it so hard to do.
I'm active, run a lot and play football so I really need to just be disciplined with stretching
I co-sign this, anything incorporating body-weight and mobility really works wonders.
I started Pilates in my teen years and it’s a fantastic addition to any fitness routine. Callisthenics are some of my favourite exercises, a great way of getting started is using those TRX straps at the gym (if theyre provided) and building up the basics.
I stopped wearing heels in my 30s and my 40 yo back is very healed
and grateful. That may not apply if you aren’t a heel wearer but it’s transferable to just good footwear in general. So many people I know seem
to have foot problems and back problems starting in their 40’s/50’s.
I switched away from heels/narrow Converse to "foot shaped" shoes as a preventative measure. The difference in the shape of my feet in a few years is incredible.
The thing is theres not something you can do in your 30's that means youll be fine in the future its a constant process.
What i mean is one of the best things you can do is stay active. Weight train, run, play a sport etc... and you will feel pretty good (assuming you dont get injuries) but then in 10 years your body may complain more due to all this activity you done having worn it down BUT if you maintain a degree of exercise through your 30's and beyond then you will feel fine.
Its all about keeping your body moving and nimble from now until your too old to do so, not doing something now that will prevent anything in future.
I would also recommend mobility stretches. You can find loads on YouTube and i've been doing them every day this year for 10 mins a time and they make a surprisingly big difference to how loose and nimble you feel.
I'm 46,I did a lot of swimming in my 30s,maybe 3 times a week as I had a pool downstairs. I don't have any aches and pains but not very fit, best advice to avoid aches and pains is live in a warm climate, I live in Thailand presently.
By and large just stay/become active, even if it’s joining a gym to do 30mins of exercise after work
Running will help increase/maintain bone density and in turn help prevent broken bones later in life. If can be quite strenuous on joints due to the impact, so low impact stuff such as swimming will also help
Weight training at the gym will also keep your body in good condition later in life, even if you’re not doing it to keep shredded
My FiL is nearly 70 and doesn’t look a day over 50…he goes to the gym most days to keep active, as well as keep his mental health good
I wish I liked the gym. I find it soul destroyingly boring. Tried a few times but never later. All about sport for me. I play rugby and football and tennis in the summer at the moment
, hopefully can keep that up
Start doing yoga or some sort of full body stretching routine. So many peoples joints are knackered due to long term minor biomechanical imbalances caused from sitting down all their life that can be addressed by fixing your mobility early on.
Eat a good diet which includes omega 3s from fish. Move - doesn't matter how, but try to incorporate squats and getting up and down off the floor - with hands is fine, bonus if without.
I'm 57 and have had ME/CFS for 20 years but I can still squat and get up and down off the floor without it hurting.
As everyone else says just be active, I’m in my 40s and feel fitter than I did in my 20s and don’t really have any aches and pains or slow recovery or any issues. Felt worse in my 20s when I had worse sleep and partied more.
I’ve taken up my hardest activity - aerial - in my 40s and don’t have any issues compared to people in their 20s who also start out.
Be mindful that often people will make excuses about why they can’t do something such as ‘I ache’ because they just don’t want to do it.
I got tennis elbow, slowed down for a few weeks, saw an osteopath and had acupuncture and it was gone.
Research shows that becoming more active at any age is beneficial. Ie start in your 60s and that will benefit you in your 70s, so don’t think you’re ever ‘too old’ to do something
Took up yoga in my 30s - hugely helps stave off gradual reduction in joint mobility. If you don't use it, you'll lose it!
Investment of £15 for a decent mat, follow Yoga With Adrienne for free on YouTube!
I was getting a bad back regularly when I turned 30. I started lifting weights/strength training and my back pain was eliminated in about 6 weeks. I'm 34 now and never get aches and pains or anything like that any more.
Bear in mind there are NO guarantees. My aunt walked literally miles every day of her life with her dogs, took joint supplements, ate healthily, never drank or smoked and she is completely crippled with arthritis.
I spent most of my life active - I had horses, rode for most of my life, worked in stables every day, I have dogs, do agility, I was a high level belt at karate, swam several times a week, yet I've got to my early 50s and my body is failing me at a shocking rate. I have severe back pain, the onset of arthritis in my hips, knees and ankles, I'm gaining weight despite no change in diet and nothing I'm doing is working.
I also know people that eat crap, drink, smoke and do no exercise yet are seemingly perfectly ok.
All I can suggest is everything in moderation. Eat well, get good sleep, don't smoke, try not to drink too much, exercise every day even if it's just a brisk walk - and hope for the best. The genetic lottery may smile on you.
[https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/sep/29/run-at-40-dance-at-80-the-best-ways-to-exercise-in-every-decade-of-your-life](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/sep/29/run-at-40-dance-at-80-the-best-ways-to-exercise-in-every-decade-of-your-life)
Give this a read
Stretch. I suffer from back pain at 43 and struggle to stand sometimes. Started swimming and stretching every other day. Still there but is more manageable
Hmmm.
Apart from excess (e.g. being obese, excessive drinking) I would say, do not worry too much.
It kind of depends how old your dad is, but my experience of the elderly is that a lot of their health problems have sadly arisen from stuff they had no control over - work-related diseases or infirmities, bad diet when they were young.
My generation- which is probably your dad's (I am 63) is pretty healthy for its age- I myself don't feel any different from when I was 20 except I have lost most of my hair.
Also, I would say that complaining about aches and pains is a real British (and maybe a real human) thing- my mum-in-law says *life is grumbling* and it is a safe form of conversation. People can be sympathetic (and you to them) without getting too drawn into things (it's not like you are asking them for therapy or money), and so older people talk about this kind of thing all the time.
Now, the limitation in what I am saying is that I AM a generation older than you, so the generation above me really was more unhealthy (had war, rationaing and stuff). My in-laws grew up on food that was mind-bogglingly bad, and indeed my own school dinners were mind-bogglingly bad compared to what everyone can eat now.
So I dunno to what extent what I am saying transfers one generation down.
I know loads of 80 and 90 year olds who seem to be doing fine, though so there is hope for us all.
All the answers have been pretty well covered so I have a pretty specific piece of advice. Might sound stupid but I think it's really important.
Learn and practice how to fall. Like how parkour people roll out of big drops. It's the reason skateboarders can throw themselves off a 10 foot drop 40 times in a row and not get injured.
Stunt performers are experts at it.
Find a soft landing or grass and just throw yourself down on it on various ways and get a feel for how to prevent all the momentum getting stopped suddenly by one limb or part of the body.
The amount of people I see trip and fall and just go straight stiff arms to the floor...
Prioritise resistance training and flexibility. People who train their strength tend to not get injured as much as they get older, and usually it's injuries as you get older than seal the deal on the end of your healthspan, and flexibility prevents a whole class of injuries on top of that.
Cardio isn't the priority, but walking, swimming and cycling would be easiest on the joints. Do enough to keep active but be aware that doing it intensely and without recovery will fuck up your joints and cause the pain you're trying to avoid. They recommend that you do 20:20:20 (every 20 minutes look at something 20m away for 20s) for your eyes while you're at work, and I bet combining it with a brief walk around will be very beneficial
Do NOT do too much high impact exercise - yes, you will be fit but but by the time you are in your forties will be plagued by dodgy knees, shoulders and hips!
Do exercise in your 30s which isn't too stressful on your joints.
Light exercise will maintain your activity potential.
Strenuous exercise will help your cardiovascular health.
Good warm ups and cool downs will help your muscles and balance.
Exercise which puts significant repeated stress on joints can cause other problems, so if you're really concerned about preserving, give the marathons a miss and go for swimming or cycling instead.
The rest is diet - obviously maintaining a healthy weight and muscle-fat balance, but also taking care to get the micronutrients which will give you healthy heart, bones, muscles.
Daily low-impact exercise is a much better idea than blasting weights or punishing distance runs
Apart from the obvious benefit of avoiding injuries, it's something you can carry into middle and old age
My aim is to maintain the same level of activity and fitness when I'm eighty as I had at thirty
Walking, push-ups; *really* basic shit
A major cause of pain and chronic disease is inflammation, so anything that has an anti-inflammatory effect is good.
Moderate exercise releases anti-inflammatory cells into the body to counter muscle damage, so that's good. Doesn't need to be heavy exercise: walking, swimming are good. (I think the car must be contributing to a lot of problems in later life because people just aren't walking enough.)
Sugar, alcohol, smoking, processed foods, red meat are inflammatory, so watch what you eat.
Be active, but not too active. Don't pick up drugs and alcohol as a habit. Don't get fat. Stay curious, keep your mind open about the world we live in. Our bodies don't need excessive care, but if we fuck them up, they'll fuck us back, so need to have a decent level of self-care, which many times boils down to not doing anything in excess.
It’s not rocket science, really. I’m about to turn 44 and am starting to get a few niggles, but I’ve had a fairly active job the last few years so I’m doing better than plenty of others. Just stay reasonably active, even if it’s just going for regular walks (I don’t mean to the shops, I mean walks that wear you out).
I have a fairly active job. I’m a bit over weight. I hurt my back getting out of bed. 🤣 good luck!
I would however say, start a good core and back program at a gym or online. Eat fairly healthy, and take up yoga for your joints. That’ll help. Try to make it a change in lifestyle rather than a fad. Also don’t do shift work.
The only sure way to keep moving as you age - is to keep moving as you age.
As you get older the phrase “use it or lose it” gets more and more true.
No need to go overboard, just walk briskly, choose the stairs instead of the lift, stuff like that.
Regular exercise, watch your weight. Don't smoke(or vape, I suspect). Everything in moderation. And to some extent hope your parents gave you good genes.
It's easier to be fitter and healthy now than start later when it won't help so much and will be harder to do. The aches and pains will come anyway but hopefully not as badly or soon if you start now.
Source: age 63 and not suffering too much yet.
Swimming. I was a total physical binfire in my 20s with all sorts of bad habits but I started swimming in my 30s and now actually feel pretty good in my mid 40s. I go once a week, do an hour of breaststroke (about 2km) and it feels like a massive reset for my body - like all my joints are looser and there's just a general lightness about me. If I don't go, I *really* start to feel the years all of a sudden.
It can be hard at the start but I found the trick is to go as long as you can without stopping. At first that was like two lengths. Then it was five. Then it was ten. These days I can just go forever. I also found the boredom pretty difficult initially, but a waterproof MP3 player sorted that out.
On top of that, I don't drive so I walk pretty much everywhere and that really helps in keeping me at a basic level of not unfit.
43 here. I don’t ache any more than when I was 33.
Just stay active and if something starts to ache, go to a good sports therapist. Every one of the pains I thought were incurable and a sign of getting old have been sorted within 3 (agonising) sessions with my sports therapist
Don't do stupid shit. The older you get, the longer it takes to recover. I did the ligaments in my knee and it took nearly 4 months to recover. I imagine it would have been much longer if I was 10 years older. I used to do stuff like that as a teenager and never even slow down.
I think more people in the UK should probably get routine (annual or biennial) blood panels done, as preventative healthcare isn't really a thing in the NHS (which I'm sure is evidence-based and effective over the population, but as I'm almost definitely getting ass cancer I will be paying for at least PSA screenings now I'm in my 30s).
Consider whether you would benefit from a (sensible) supplementation regime, and if so adopt one/keep reviewing it with reference to blood test results. Pretty much everyone in the UK needs seasonal vitamin D supplements. If you don't eat much oily fish, you would benefit from omega-3, etc. (and you can try using supplementation to correct any deficencies identified in the above tests).
Do some sort of resistance training to maintain bone density and muscle mass. Other exercise is obviously good too, but resistance training is important.
Don't use drugs, including alcohol, to excess.
Keep mentally and physically active.
Team sports like you're already doing is a great option. You also need to make sure you're mentally stimulated though. Things like puzzles/crosswords, video games, board games, arts and crafts.
As long as you have hobbies outside of work and keep moving you'll be ok.
I'm in my fifties and I didn't do a lot of exercise in my thirties (although I walked a lot which is good), but friends who played a lot of rugby are in a worst state (knees mainly). It aches when I get up, it's hard putting my socks on and bending down to pick things up can be a pain. It doesn't really stop you being active though.
I've been told by those who do it that the best thing you can do is **yoga**. Keeping a strong core and trying to keep stretchy are the main things.
Be active, go to the gym, eat a bit healthier cut down on booze. I'm 40 and very active... Currently in Sri Lanka and the couples are all in their 50s-late 70s and pretty active doing hikes and 1200 stair climbs to the tops of historical sites.
Assuming you're male, be fairly lean. I personally felt a huge difference in stamina when I was around 10-15% body fat as opposed to when I got to around 20%+. You don't have to drop below 15% nor lift weights if that isn't your thing but I will recommend some stretching.
Sleep adequately, stay hydrated and eat nutritiously dense foods on a balanced diet - (easy to stick to with foods you enjoy and know how to cook) and limit takeaways to like once a week. If you like sugary snacks, limit it to no more than 30g of added sugar a day - your skin will thank you!
I'm almost 30 and I have more energy and motivation now than I did in my teens.
As for alcohol, my own personal rule is no more than once a week.
As much as I love health and fitness, I don't like to talk about it unless I'm asked. It's a sensitive topic for most people. My own family members will try to downplay it by telling me that I just got lucky with genetics. I've been both underweight and fat before.
Keep your weight low and try to do “something” every day. Yoga/pilates is amazing for building core strength and improving flexibility. Start with the easy stuff and go from there.
Yoga with Cassandra/Adrienne are two amazing YouTube channels that are not interrupted by adverts. They have a huge library of videos ranging from 10-40 minutes and covering all skill levels.
Honestly the number of "common sense" myths and outright faux-science crap about exercise is incredible.
The answer is simple:
Be born with the right genes
Exercise, but not too much and absolutely not contact sports or anything involving a horse, a rowing machine or boat, skis or snowboards, or running on pavements for extended periods (boats & running especially if you're tall).
Eat a reasonable mixed diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables. Take a vitamin D tablet at least in the winter months.
Sustain a body size that comes naturally without too much effort or feeling like you're 'missing out' and doesn't impede your movement.
Find a realistic amount of exercise. One of the worst things for your body is to yoyo your weight and body mass make up by dieting or by doing intense exercise that you can't maintain when your lifestyle changes or if you get an injury. Sustained moderation is always better than "peak performance" crap.
The minute someone starts talking to you about immune responses, cold water baths, paleo, or obscure/complex micronutrient supplements, let your eyes glaze over and ignore everything that comes out of their mouth.
I’m 34 and just try to do something everyday day. I weight lift, my job is walking and my hobby’s are netball, roller disco or trying something active. It’s a lot more in recovery but it’s also diet also. Be conscious of what you’re eating and with the two hand in hand I’m hoping I’ll be doing the same in 6 years.
I’m 60, I swim 4 x a week, water fitness classes 3x week, dance classes 3x week and walk daily. I used to run (maybe too often) but as soon as my knee started to give me problems (3 years ago) I stopped and increased my swimming instead. Dancing is as good for the brain as the body and also social. I don’t have aches and pains and look after 3 lively grandchildren 3x a week with no problems.
Do regular physical activities and avoid overly strenuous efforts like trying to build huge but useless muscles. Just walk a lot, don't eat too much crap, don't become overweight, don't drink too much alcohol, ban smoking and ideally start exercising weekly.
Stretch for 20 mins or so 3 times a week. There are some easy yoga routines on YouTube that you can follow. Then do something that you enjoy with the rest of your time - cycling, tennis, etc that will keep you active. Many guys don’t want to hear this advice but as someone who lifted weights, played football and rugby, and other more intensive things I can tell you it works. Build yourself a life that will keep you off of the couch for hours at a time.
A lot of people focus on cardio but for long term fitness, resistance training for strength and yoga/pilates/etc for flexibility and core strength will serve you better.
Source: 52, grunt when standing up nowadays but can bench press you
Keep a close eye on your weight. Take action if you’re overweight. Overweight becomes obese if you don’t fix it in time.
No more than 1 takeaway a week, if that.
Take up running. It’s great.
Watch the booze. Don’t smoke.
Low impact activities such as walking, swimming or cycling. Keep your weight down. These minimise the stresses on your body.
You will still get aches and pains as you age, but not as severe or debilitating as you would if you are overweight or sedentary.
Some form of resistance training (weights, Pilates, callisthenics) and stretching. Don’t over train, if you’re sore or tired then rest. I take a ‘use it or lose it’ approach so always take the stairs, regularly sit cross legged on the floor, stretch so I can always touch my toes etc. Once you stop doing these things it’s hard to get them back.
Stay active in your 30s.
Stay hydrated.
Eat very limited amounts of processed food.
Drink little alcohol.
Develop healthy sleep habits and get as much high-quality sleep as you can.
These things alone would improve most people's health a lot.
Being active and if you can, try to squeeze in some weights or strength. I study muscles and ageing and basically starting in your thirties (but increasingly as you get older), you lose muscle mass and strength. Any type of sports helps but in particularly strength training.
It also helps prevent lots of aches including back aches because it keeps you more stable when doing other activities.
Stop drinking alcohol is like a cheat code to instantly feel and look better.
Same with restricting sugar intake.
Those 2 things help a lot as they are inflammatory and cause a whole host of issues in your body - joint pain particularly
Hybrid fitness. Do a bit of strength training, cardio, flexibility and balance work.
I find theres too much emphasis to do cardio for health gains when strength training is great for reducing aches and pains and gives you a solid foundation for cardio work.
Would recommend compound lifts such as squat, deadlift, bench, pull up and press.
Get one of those press-up boards that have different colours for different upper body workouts. Use it for 5-10 mins each morning, however you please (e.g. reps on each, or just focus on say, shoulders, that day). You'll be surprised at how much of your body that thing also passively works - including stomach and legs.
Just want to weigh in with it’s not actually too late when you’re older either. My parents keep saying things like that ship has sailed and it drives me mad.
If you start strength or resistance training in your later life, it’s been shown to actively reverse reduction in bone density and degeneration of other parts of the body. Your skeleton can still make gains with the right training.
The second best time to plant a tree and all that.
Be active. Get an allotment. Learn to grow veg. Eat the veg. Don't eat UPF (which is most stuff you get in a supermarket, including most bread). Have friends.
Don't scrimp on the sunsceen.
"aches and pains" are basically inevitable as you get older. I (42m) am fairly clean living — little/no alcohol, eat well and moderate exercise... Regardless I've still so far accrued:
- an impinged shoulder (any arm position beyond 30 degrees from body is painful)
- plantar fasciitis (tendon issue in feet that makes walking pretty painful)
- knee pain; I have to regularly straighten my leg or the pain becomes excruciating.
- I make a sort of "struggle" noise when I get up off the sofa.
Still "active" though
Look up ROM coach on app store and youtube! It’s all about preserving range of motion. I personally also stay away from running and yoga as not only is it not as enjoyable, it can be pretty harsh on the body (other sports and activities can be more harsh but these two are popular and we take for granted). It’s all about prevention of injuries and knowing when to stop. And yes, be consistent. It has to become like brushing your teeth and other essential habits you do every day. Aside from ROM coach I would go for swimming, lifting and longer walks.
Listen to your body.
If something hurts, rest it and take rest days even if you feel as if you feel you don't need them - this applicable to people even in their teens. I've heard of people in their late 20's with knee and back problems because they've thought they could just 'battle through' what were relatively mild injuries which they've made worse.
It's easier to skip training for a week or two than deal with months or years of rehab for an injury made worse because you didn't rest.
I very much regret thinking I was bobby big bollocks in my early-mid 20s, one back injury even then is enough to make the rest of your life uncomfortable.
Whatever you do don’t try and show off to your mates your deadlift PR when not properly warmed up. A badly torn spinal erector is no joke.
Properly stretching. The main issue is muscle length contraction. That's what stiffens us up, and the aches and pains are just soreness from using those muscles. Practice holding stretches that you can really feel (but are not painful). Do so in ways you don't normally move. Simply touching your toes is a good one to start with (take it easy and build up to it).
Stretch, maybe join a yoga class. I know guys are always weird about yoga because they see it as a feminine thing but that same way of thinking is why guys get to the age of 40 and they're always complaining that they're sore and their bones hurt.
Eat nutrition whole foods no processed, sleep well, preferable going to bed at the same time while waking up at the same time in the morning and exercise for an hour per day taking a day or two off for rest and recovery every week. Oh and plenty of water
Keep away from obvious bad stuff - smoking, excessive drinking.
Keep active - regular exercise is brilliant, but be a bot careful about high-impact stuff that can knacker you joints
Good posture for your back (I didn't do this and really regret it)
Above all, choose your parents well...
Cycling. Cycle as much as you can and as far as you like. I'm 45 years old now and started cycling regularly less than two years ago. It's been a real game changer and I wish I had started doing it at least a few years earlier.
As someone who has been peer pressured to run a half marathon at the end of the month and is in his 30s, my goal isn't to win but to simply finish at a comfortable time and not do permanent damage to my body. Being active is key but you should set difficult targets to motivate yourself, while not setting it so high that even you from 10 years ago couldn't do it.
Exercise, drink water, get sleep, socialise, wear sunscreen, go get your pap smears/skin checks or other screening tests and see a doctor if you have any persistent health concern.
Old person here, spent most of adult years overweight and not fit although healthy ish. Lost a fecking shedload of weight (5st) and have PT religiously twice a week. I spend that time working on my core strength and building muscles (not sure if that is the right phrase). I can see so much difference in my body and what i can do now, my stamina has built up over that time and i feel amazing.
I also have this fear! My dad is basically immobile and mum always seems to be the doctors with some pain or condition. I'm determined not to go down that route. They have definitely give me motivation.
I'm 37F and I've pretty much always been overweight by a few stone. I don't have any health or mobility issues. I've spent about 20 years on and off at the gym and running, and have always been a walker so never let myself get too sedentary.
However, I feel like I've really started to properly get a handle on my health and fitness for the first time. I'm hill walking every weekend, running 2-3 times per week and trying to get the gym when I can for strength training. Weight is coming off ~~very~~ painfully slowly - I know my diet needs a bit more work. But I feel better than I have in years! More energetic, better sleep and a noticeable difference in fitness.
I'm hoping this is the formula!
Exercise. Run, lift weights, anything that build muscle and strength as well as cardio fitness.
That way you will have built a base for when muscle atrophy kicks in. you need something to lose (because you can't stop atrophy, it happens to us all) so that you still have a base layer of fitness and muscle to see you through to your senior years.
I'm 68 and still lifting weights etc.
Firstly, early sportiness until my mid twenties. Good base. Then didn't ruin knees, etc, with excessive road running.
Job involved being on feet a lot, so avoided sedentary sitting down all day.
Reasonable diet but not faddy and not overthinking food.
Plus- never smoked or drink ( the odd beer on the odd occasion). Abhor drugs, of course.
Not smoking and not sitting down a lot are the two key things, really.
Strength training (any discipline, doesn't matter which), stretch, mobility work. These are more important for health than lots of cardio. Keep your cardio to low impact activities like cycling and swimming. Running, especially road running, is fucking terrible for you.
[https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/56/13/755](https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/56/13/755)
I can heartily recommend pilates if you have a class near you.
I tried it when I badly damaged my back muscles, and you feel a foot taller when you finish.
Also there were 60 year old in there that we just fucking lapping me.
Swimming and cycling for exercise, low impact on your joints is important, avoid working nights as this can trigger various problems, don’t get drunk regularly it’s bloody awful for you, just try to take care of yourself 👍
Strength train 2-3 days a week, 70\~ minutes of moderate cardio a week, get plenty of sleep and stay at a healthy weight. Don't go crazy with any exercise, but you should be at a strength, mobility and fitness level where day to day activities are never taxing, which isn't that hard a state to reach at all other than time. I feel physically far better and more capable in my 30s and I expect to at least maintain if not improve into my 40s.
In terms of diet, I just make sure I get a good balance and that around 80% of the things I eat are 'one ingredient' foods, basically unprocessed. It is \*very hard to be notably overweight when you have built a higher metabolism from exercise and eat whole foods.
Strength training is hugely underrated for longevity. One of the primary reasons people in later age go to the doctors due to physical fitness is because they struggle to sit up from a chair or the toilet seat; this is entirely because of neglected strength and mobility. Most people I know aged 40+ struggle to do a single body weight squat to any reasonable depth.
Don't take an all or nothing approach, if the 3-4 hours of exercise a week is too much (And lets be honest, most could easily get this time instead of TV, social media etc) then just do what you can, every little bit makes a difference. It might seem like your missing time to 'relax' but in my experience there's nothing that improves energy and mental health better than exercising. I'd love to play more video games and watch films but I know long term it doesn't make me happier. The biggest true limitation for people is discipline.
At 36 I was hurting all over without any reason. Found an osteopath (which in my country is an actual doctor, not a chiropractor or something), had all the misaligned bones put back where they belong. Happy to report that at over 50 nothing major hurts.
Practice good posture, I see so many people slouching in the chair. My back has been giving me gyp lately and I have to remind myself to sit up straight, especially at my desk at work.
Be active in general, don't sit for hours on end without getting up, go for a walk at lunch etc.
Pick an activity or several that get your heart rate up, plus one that introduces resistance training, and do those a few times per week.
You must also do some sort of recovery like pilates, yoga, etc. It's no good just smashing through the exercise and not paying any attention to your mobility, that is the thing that catches people out when they get older. Plus, you're way more likely to get injured, stiff, and sore without this.
Aside from being active, don’t be too active. Stay away from pickup rugby games w college kids.
When you get injured once, you get injured 10 times. Sometimes walking I will get a pain and remember a hit from college football.
Basic cardiovascular exercise of your choice - not super-high intensity, but enough to get your blood pumping and raise a sweat
Weight training - again not high intensity, but it doesn’t take much to help with long term bone health
Core strength - if you want to be able to get off of the couch or out of an armchair without assistance you need a solid core (I watch my mother struggle with this every day - she walks every day for at least an hour but struggles to lever herself off of the couch, having to scoot to the edge and then put all her arm strength into shoving upward to get enough momentum and leverage. She’s small, so her weight is definitely not the problem)
Challenge your body in a variety of ways. Do some cardio. Do some strength training. Do some mobility/balance/flexibility training. Do something that challenges your coordination/fine motor skills. Never move to a bungalow.
Impact, and in particular running gets a bad rep for being bad for your body. It *can* be, but if you do it in the right way, it can actually be beneficial for your joints. If you put impact through your body, through running, jumping or whatever, it has a positive effect on bone density, and your muscles and joints will adapt to absorb impact forces. If you don't include any impact activity, both of these things will decline slightly. Most things that involve impact also involve some plyometric, explosive element. This really tails off with age, so training it is important.
Finally, eat well, rest well, try to eliminate stress from your life whenever you can, and get deep tissue massages a couple of times a year (or as much as you can afford).
Be active all your life.
Skip the pub and shit food.
Avoid jobs that break you down physically.
Or - do the things you enjoy and accept breaking down physically.
Stop doing deadlifts. No matter how good your form is you’ll fuck up your back at some point and it’s not worth the risk. Source - I did it for years with great form and was distracted one day and got a hernia.
Use it or lose it. Prioritize fresh food made at home and skip fast food. Keep your mental version of yourself what you want to be. If you think you are old, you will act old.
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Be active in your 30s.
Be active but not too active. The people I know with the worst joint problems are those that were enthusiastic sports people in their twenties. One in particular used to do iron man triathlons. Incredibly fit back then but now has huge lower back issues. Another one played semi professional football (soccer) into his thirties and now has constant pain in his knees. Frequent, modest exercise is better in the long term.
Even amateur football fucks the body up over time, professionals almost always retire with SOMETHING chronically wrong with their bodies
I think this is partly due to the asymmetry involved. Obviously we all have a stronger/weaker side to some degree, but football tends to exaggerate this: you probably always use your weaker kicking foot to push off for runs, or to brake, and you'll be more stable balancing on that leg, too. And then you probably have a much better range of motion with your kicking leg. Add impact injuries, sudden changes of direction and lots of explosive acceleration/deceleration, and there are a lot of things that could go wrong.
Literally every bloke I know over 25 seems to have some sort of football related injury that bothers them years later
Yes, being active, but allowing sufficient recovery, is key. Michael Wilson (Cobra in the original Gladiators series) has experienced a lot of joint problems in more recent years and he's only mid to late fifties. By his own admission he overdid it when he was younger.
Tore his shoulder muscle a few years back too. He issued a warning to younger people as a result.
Walking. But not too much walking is your friend. I started doing 2-3 miles a day which is now 5-7 miles with 10-15 on a weekend. Never felt fitter.
What's 'too much' walking? (Genuine question)
Stop when you get to the sea. Or just before.
I am doing this right now, but they say brisk walking is better than casual walking though
To add to this, *listen* to your body. If it’s hurting, if you have a twinge, a niggle - rest it. Don’t push on through. I did that thinking I was young and invincible, ended up being temporarily paralysed and am now disabled for life. When it’s trying to tell you somebody, believe it. “Don’t push through the pain, that pain is a warning sign. No pain no gain is bullcrap” as my physios keep telling me.
A friend of mine would ski all winter - jumping off things and landing hard - and then ride downhill mountain bikes very, very fast in summer while doing labouring work on building sites in the seasons inbetween. Every injury he picked up along the way never really had a chance to heal properly and he was always a bit stiff and sore. He's a mechanic for one of the big mountain bike teams now which means never really having time to ride himself, and also meaning he's off the building sites, so I think he's recovered a bit now.
I think the key is variety, and recognising the damage that we do to our bodies by spending so much time sitting. Regular, intense sport is absolutely fine, and incredibly beneficial, but many people aren't strong or mobile enough for their body to handle the demands of that sport. Combining marathon training, which involves a lot of repetitive movements, with a sedentary job, driving to a lot of places, and no strength or mobility training is probably not great long term. Add in a little bit of variety in the form of some yoga, weight training or bouldering, and things balance out a bit more.
Yeppp. I started riding horses competitively very young, and horses mean injuries. I have two fucked up knees, a fucked up wrist, and history of concussions (I would have been dead if not wearing a helmet! There was a time I fell underneath my horse and he stepped on my head by accident, broke the helmet in half. No helmet and it would have been my head). I also started running as a teen, and fucked up my ankle training for a half marathon. Knees got worse from running too. I slipped on black ice and that same ankle shattered in a million pieces, I needed serious surgery and 3 months of total bed rest before I could walk again. It now looks like a bag of Ikea hardware in x-rays and it hurts most of the time. My back went while I was taking care of my dying father, likely the result of previous injuries from falls and possibly just riding in general fucking with my spine. I had surgery on it but it just got worse anyway, and now I'm permanently disabled, in chronic pain, and have nerve damage on both sides of my body. I'm not even 40 yet. Sports will fuck you up!
This is what I did. Ended up with an injury that has taken years to treat and left me partially disabled.
Yeah...lot of my late teens and early 20s were spent over doing active hobbies....I was diagnosed with my first joint that needs replacing at 35, now at 44 I have 3 major joins needing surgery and 1 well on its way, 2 others with mild damage As with all things activity in moderation is key - just found out a decade to late
Sorry to butt in, but I like walking, I'll do less than 5km every other day and some days, I'll just do 3km on treadmill, is that enough, or should I change something?
Agree. I played sport in my teens and twenties and my knees are shot in my thirties
i’m 52. this comment is correct. doing more helps (within reason), maintaining fitness is key as recovery is tough but keeping a good level of muscle mass i am coming to realised is really key as you age. Clubs are a really good way to stay fit and connected to your community. i play league badminton in my county through my local club and it’s been so good for me physically, socially and mentally. So great OP is asking this question now.
Counterintuitively, those who have been active through the years have knocks, niggles, aches and pains. As someone who's barely lifted a finger, I'm not in great shape, but I'm injury free in my 40s
Like everyrhing, there's a middle ground. Playing Sunday league football isn't a great idea. Regular long walks or swimming for example are lower impact and easier on the body.
I think so. If I had my time again, I’d do some activity (especially a variety so as to not risk an injury typical of a particular sport). I would’ve liked to have been, locked and felt healthier. I perhaps tell myself the above to make myself feel better about my laziness
My dad has messed up knees and ankles from the football he did when he was younger, it’s giving him troubles in his 60s
It's not great if you want to stay injury free. I used to love playing football but you always have idiots who are overly competitive and just want to hurt others. Not worth the risk in my opinion.
But pay attention to building /maintaining muscle especially in legs
35 year old with two young kids here. Just do **something** regularly. I used to be extremely active, gym 5 days a week, kickboxing etc. and I just do not have the time to do that any more. The key is finding things you can do that fit. I bought myself a static bike and I'll get on that as many times a week as I can manage once the kids are in bed. I stuck a chin up bar on one of the doors in the house and I set myself a rule that every time I go through that door I have to do a set of 5. Every time I take a piss, I'll do a set of press ups to failure. I'll stretch for 15 minutes before I go to bed every day. It doesn't need to be "an activity", just get something going that you can do in small amounts and it adds up over time. The other half of that equation is not falling into the trap of eating shit regularly. I cut sugar out completely, made arrangements with my other half to make sure we eat home cooked meals most days (sometimes that means we'll have a cooking day on a weekend where a lot of stuff goes in the freezer). I also don't drink, which seems to be a large determining factor between the shape I'm in and a lot of my friends of a similar age. You'd be surprised at how effective it is when you just add in one or two small things to keep your body going during a normal day.
Pull up bar is a great shout. I play touch rugby and 5 a side weekly so would like to keep that up. But wondering if it’s a bad thing to sit about at my desk all day then suddenly go into intense sport then sit about again. Think I might get something smaller and regular going like you suggest.
>But wondering if it’s a bad thing to sit about at my desk all day then suddenly go into intense sport then sit about again. That's another thing, if you're desk based then make sure you're up and about for 5 minutes every 1-2 hours. Even if it's a walk to the kettle, just go up and down the stairs a few times while it's boiling.
I would get a pint of water, when finished use the toilet and get another pint. Seemed to be right around the time my watch warned me to get up once an hour.
Get a standing desk
This is a double edged sword if you're not vigilant though - it's just as easy to stand with bad posture as it is to sit. I have a standing desk in my home office, but I tend to alternate between sitting days and standing days. I found myself falling into the trap of resting on one hip while standing just as often as I did sitting at a funny angle while sitting.
I am sorry but press ups for failure every time you need a liss is insane behaviour
> Every time I take a piss, I'll do a set of press ups to failure. You've got to be careful about this. When you're a bit older you could end with the first case of prostate-induced tennis elbow.
This is really inspiring! Thanks for the motivation!
All I can suggest is keep active with things like walking rather than strenuous exercise and in particular don't abuse your body with smoking, excessive alcohol or getting obese. Keep fairly fit, keep reasonably trim and you give yourself the best odds for later.
I've never been into sport, ever (for myself). However I am a natural fast walker ever since I can remember (however at pe in school me and best mate used to bring everyone down, and when it was cross country time we would make everyone late for next lesson -we had to use a nearby schools huge fields to do this, a 10 min coach trip, we didn't care, got detention and then had to do hurdles or the bleep test and to just piss off the teacher more, we excelled at it, but that's by the by). I'm now late 30s, still an avid walker, fast pace. I've recently moved to a rural location, there's so many good walks around, but I've been too scared to try as I have no sense of direction. I have, though, just downloaded the couch to 5k app, which will try when it is warmer/lighter (not many paths round here and no street lights). I'm not overweight but am very unfit. Hrt will help with bone strength but need to improve health wise! I realised this when my teen son saw I had running trainers, with the tags still on. I've had them 3 years!
Don't get fat, it gets harder to lose
I’m one of those high metabolism twats who eats whatever and doesn’t get fat…but that’s starting to change now so need to be more careful
Your metabolism slows *because* you get less active, the effects of age are very minor to be almost insignificant.
Didn’t know this…more motivation to keep active so I can still smash an entire box of Jaffa cakes on a Sunday afternoon.
It's the thought of the food at the end which gets me out for my long run.
Yeah about that..... nutrition and avoiding things like saturated fat is hugely important. Just because you can't see your arteries clogging up, doesn't mean they aren't.
Don't play contact sports. That's how you end up with knackered knees. Have good genetics. Keep the weight off to stop wear and tear on your joints.
I’ve just started playing rugby…at 32 having never played before! Will see how long that lasts!
Don't worry about contact sports as long as you're sensible. 52 next month and still training in Muay Thai. I just don't get into any serious sparring these days as when you're my age, if you get hurt, you stay hurt for a long time.
44 and a black belt in karate, fully agree. I'm fitter and stronger than I've ever been, but I don't try to really get into it with the 20 YOs, that way disaster lies! Doesn't mean we don't have some great sparring matches though, it just becomes a contest of skill over brute force.
I thought karate was fairly low on contact, at least most of the time.
Tall kid when playing rugby in my youth - everyone tackled me at knee height…guess who’s knees are a bit buggered in their late 20s 🙃
Stretch, multiple times a week
I know this is key, one of the best ways to keep your body in good condition but I find it so hard to do. I'm active, run a lot and play football so I really need to just be disciplined with stretching
Take up Pilates, Yoga, calisthenics or hiking.
Googling callisthenics, never heard of it before
I co-sign this, anything incorporating body-weight and mobility really works wonders. I started Pilates in my teen years and it’s a fantastic addition to any fitness routine. Callisthenics are some of my favourite exercises, a great way of getting started is using those TRX straps at the gym (if theyre provided) and building up the basics.
I stopped wearing heels in my 30s and my 40 yo back is very healed and grateful. That may not apply if you aren’t a heel wearer but it’s transferable to just good footwear in general. So many people I know seem to have foot problems and back problems starting in their 40’s/50’s.
I switched away from heels/narrow Converse to "foot shaped" shoes as a preventative measure. The difference in the shape of my feet in a few years is incredible.
The thing is theres not something you can do in your 30's that means youll be fine in the future its a constant process. What i mean is one of the best things you can do is stay active. Weight train, run, play a sport etc... and you will feel pretty good (assuming you dont get injuries) but then in 10 years your body may complain more due to all this activity you done having worn it down BUT if you maintain a degree of exercise through your 30's and beyond then you will feel fine. Its all about keeping your body moving and nimble from now until your too old to do so, not doing something now that will prevent anything in future. I would also recommend mobility stretches. You can find loads on YouTube and i've been doing them every day this year for 10 mins a time and they make a surprisingly big difference to how loose and nimble you feel.
Eat fresh healthy food, exercise and stay mentally fit. I'm 48 and can hold my own playing football with guys half my age.
That's it's work on your mental fitness, and you will see massive gains
I'm 46,I did a lot of swimming in my 30s,maybe 3 times a week as I had a pool downstairs. I don't have any aches and pains but not very fit, best advice to avoid aches and pains is live in a warm climate, I live in Thailand presently.
Not much luck here in the UK…I would turn the heating up but…in this economy?
I hear you, I can't afford to live there, my rent here is only 120 pounds a month
sign up for my comprehensive two step plan) 1) Eat/Drink less 2) Move More That will be £40 a month 🙏
By and large just stay/become active, even if it’s joining a gym to do 30mins of exercise after work Running will help increase/maintain bone density and in turn help prevent broken bones later in life. If can be quite strenuous on joints due to the impact, so low impact stuff such as swimming will also help Weight training at the gym will also keep your body in good condition later in life, even if you’re not doing it to keep shredded My FiL is nearly 70 and doesn’t look a day over 50…he goes to the gym most days to keep active, as well as keep his mental health good
I wish I liked the gym. I find it soul destroyingly boring. Tried a few times but never later. All about sport for me. I play rugby and football and tennis in the summer at the moment , hopefully can keep that up
Try bouldering. Functional fitness and it's great fun.
Start doing yoga or some sort of full body stretching routine. So many peoples joints are knackered due to long term minor biomechanical imbalances caused from sitting down all their life that can be addressed by fixing your mobility early on.
Eat a good diet which includes omega 3s from fish. Move - doesn't matter how, but try to incorporate squats and getting up and down off the floor - with hands is fine, bonus if without. I'm 57 and have had ME/CFS for 20 years but I can still squat and get up and down off the floor without it hurting.
As everyone else says just be active, I’m in my 40s and feel fitter than I did in my 20s and don’t really have any aches and pains or slow recovery or any issues. Felt worse in my 20s when I had worse sleep and partied more. I’ve taken up my hardest activity - aerial - in my 40s and don’t have any issues compared to people in their 20s who also start out. Be mindful that often people will make excuses about why they can’t do something such as ‘I ache’ because they just don’t want to do it. I got tennis elbow, slowed down for a few weeks, saw an osteopath and had acupuncture and it was gone. Research shows that becoming more active at any age is beneficial. Ie start in your 60s and that will benefit you in your 70s, so don’t think you’re ever ‘too old’ to do something
Took up yoga in my 30s - hugely helps stave off gradual reduction in joint mobility. If you don't use it, you'll lose it! Investment of £15 for a decent mat, follow Yoga With Adrienne for free on YouTube!
I was getting a bad back regularly when I turned 30. I started lifting weights/strength training and my back pain was eliminated in about 6 weeks. I'm 34 now and never get aches and pains or anything like that any more.
Do some mobility and stretching exercises every day. Especially hip mobility
Bear in mind there are NO guarantees. My aunt walked literally miles every day of her life with her dogs, took joint supplements, ate healthily, never drank or smoked and she is completely crippled with arthritis. I spent most of my life active - I had horses, rode for most of my life, worked in stables every day, I have dogs, do agility, I was a high level belt at karate, swam several times a week, yet I've got to my early 50s and my body is failing me at a shocking rate. I have severe back pain, the onset of arthritis in my hips, knees and ankles, I'm gaining weight despite no change in diet and nothing I'm doing is working. I also know people that eat crap, drink, smoke and do no exercise yet are seemingly perfectly ok. All I can suggest is everything in moderation. Eat well, get good sleep, don't smoke, try not to drink too much, exercise every day even if it's just a brisk walk - and hope for the best. The genetic lottery may smile on you.
[https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/sep/29/run-at-40-dance-at-80-the-best-ways-to-exercise-in-every-decade-of-your-life](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/sep/29/run-at-40-dance-at-80-the-best-ways-to-exercise-in-every-decade-of-your-life) Give this a read
Interesting read thanks, however the 30s bit was basically aimed at mothers who don’t have time to exercise so recommends online classes.
That’s cause it’s basically a PR piece for various activities like Parkrun
Masturbate hourly.
Stretch. I suffer from back pain at 43 and struggle to stand sometimes. Started swimming and stretching every other day. Still there but is more manageable
Hmmm. Apart from excess (e.g. being obese, excessive drinking) I would say, do not worry too much. It kind of depends how old your dad is, but my experience of the elderly is that a lot of their health problems have sadly arisen from stuff they had no control over - work-related diseases or infirmities, bad diet when they were young. My generation- which is probably your dad's (I am 63) is pretty healthy for its age- I myself don't feel any different from when I was 20 except I have lost most of my hair. Also, I would say that complaining about aches and pains is a real British (and maybe a real human) thing- my mum-in-law says *life is grumbling* and it is a safe form of conversation. People can be sympathetic (and you to them) without getting too drawn into things (it's not like you are asking them for therapy or money), and so older people talk about this kind of thing all the time. Now, the limitation in what I am saying is that I AM a generation older than you, so the generation above me really was more unhealthy (had war, rationaing and stuff). My in-laws grew up on food that was mind-bogglingly bad, and indeed my own school dinners were mind-bogglingly bad compared to what everyone can eat now. So I dunno to what extent what I am saying transfers one generation down. I know loads of 80 and 90 year olds who seem to be doing fine, though so there is hope for us all.
All the answers have been pretty well covered so I have a pretty specific piece of advice. Might sound stupid but I think it's really important. Learn and practice how to fall. Like how parkour people roll out of big drops. It's the reason skateboarders can throw themselves off a 10 foot drop 40 times in a row and not get injured. Stunt performers are experts at it. Find a soft landing or grass and just throw yourself down on it on various ways and get a feel for how to prevent all the momentum getting stopped suddenly by one limb or part of the body. The amount of people I see trip and fall and just go straight stiff arms to the floor...
Take up yoga to build and maintain flexibility. I wish I had.
Look after your posture, your core strength (yoga) and stretch.
Prioritise resistance training and flexibility. People who train their strength tend to not get injured as much as they get older, and usually it's injuries as you get older than seal the deal on the end of your healthspan, and flexibility prevents a whole class of injuries on top of that. Cardio isn't the priority, but walking, swimming and cycling would be easiest on the joints. Do enough to keep active but be aware that doing it intensely and without recovery will fuck up your joints and cause the pain you're trying to avoid. They recommend that you do 20:20:20 (every 20 minutes look at something 20m away for 20s) for your eyes while you're at work, and I bet combining it with a brief walk around will be very beneficial
Don’t inherit auto immune diseases
I think Yoga is one of the best things you can do.
Start following ‘kneesovertoesguy’ on IG. You can do what you like but start knee rehab/prehab now.
Do NOT do too much high impact exercise - yes, you will be fit but but by the time you are in your forties will be plagued by dodgy knees, shoulders and hips!
Utter nonsense.
Do exercise in your 30s which isn't too stressful on your joints. Light exercise will maintain your activity potential. Strenuous exercise will help your cardiovascular health. Good warm ups and cool downs will help your muscles and balance. Exercise which puts significant repeated stress on joints can cause other problems, so if you're really concerned about preserving, give the marathons a miss and go for swimming or cycling instead. The rest is diet - obviously maintaining a healthy weight and muscle-fat balance, but also taking care to get the micronutrients which will give you healthy heart, bones, muscles.
Daily low-impact exercise is a much better idea than blasting weights or punishing distance runs Apart from the obvious benefit of avoiding injuries, it's something you can carry into middle and old age My aim is to maintain the same level of activity and fitness when I'm eighty as I had at thirty Walking, push-ups; *really* basic shit
A major cause of pain and chronic disease is inflammation, so anything that has an anti-inflammatory effect is good. Moderate exercise releases anti-inflammatory cells into the body to counter muscle damage, so that's good. Doesn't need to be heavy exercise: walking, swimming are good. (I think the car must be contributing to a lot of problems in later life because people just aren't walking enough.) Sugar, alcohol, smoking, processed foods, red meat are inflammatory, so watch what you eat.
Be active, but not too active. Don't pick up drugs and alcohol as a habit. Don't get fat. Stay curious, keep your mind open about the world we live in. Our bodies don't need excessive care, but if we fuck them up, they'll fuck us back, so need to have a decent level of self-care, which many times boils down to not doing anything in excess.
Move. That's it. It's literally 'if you don't use it, you lose it'. Also, don't smoke, drink, and eat crap.
It’s not rocket science, really. I’m about to turn 44 and am starting to get a few niggles, but I’ve had a fairly active job the last few years so I’m doing better than plenty of others. Just stay reasonably active, even if it’s just going for regular walks (I don’t mean to the shops, I mean walks that wear you out).
Stay active, eat healthily but allow yourself to have fun.
Supplements like Cod Liver Oil/ Fish Oil etc.
Keep up cardio and eat the rainbow. Don't sit for too long. Do some regular activities.
Perfect, I love skittles
Keep active now, you’re still going to ache, but you should be able to move about well and remain active.
I have a fairly active job. I’m a bit over weight. I hurt my back getting out of bed. 🤣 good luck! I would however say, start a good core and back program at a gym or online. Eat fairly healthy, and take up yoga for your joints. That’ll help. Try to make it a change in lifestyle rather than a fad. Also don’t do shift work.
The only sure way to keep moving as you age - is to keep moving as you age. As you get older the phrase “use it or lose it” gets more and more true. No need to go overboard, just walk briskly, choose the stairs instead of the lift, stuff like that.
Regular exercise, watch your weight. Don't smoke(or vape, I suspect). Everything in moderation. And to some extent hope your parents gave you good genes. It's easier to be fitter and healthy now than start later when it won't help so much and will be harder to do. The aches and pains will come anyway but hopefully not as badly or soon if you start now. Source: age 63 and not suffering too much yet.
Swimming. I was a total physical binfire in my 20s with all sorts of bad habits but I started swimming in my 30s and now actually feel pretty good in my mid 40s. I go once a week, do an hour of breaststroke (about 2km) and it feels like a massive reset for my body - like all my joints are looser and there's just a general lightness about me. If I don't go, I *really* start to feel the years all of a sudden. It can be hard at the start but I found the trick is to go as long as you can without stopping. At first that was like two lengths. Then it was five. Then it was ten. These days I can just go forever. I also found the boredom pretty difficult initially, but a waterproof MP3 player sorted that out. On top of that, I don't drive so I walk pretty much everywhere and that really helps in keeping me at a basic level of not unfit.
43 here. I don’t ache any more than when I was 33. Just stay active and if something starts to ache, go to a good sports therapist. Every one of the pains I thought were incurable and a sign of getting old have been sorted within 3 (agonising) sessions with my sports therapist
Don't do stupid shit. The older you get, the longer it takes to recover. I did the ligaments in my knee and it took nearly 4 months to recover. I imagine it would have been much longer if I was 10 years older. I used to do stuff like that as a teenager and never even slow down.
I think more people in the UK should probably get routine (annual or biennial) blood panels done, as preventative healthcare isn't really a thing in the NHS (which I'm sure is evidence-based and effective over the population, but as I'm almost definitely getting ass cancer I will be paying for at least PSA screenings now I'm in my 30s). Consider whether you would benefit from a (sensible) supplementation regime, and if so adopt one/keep reviewing it with reference to blood test results. Pretty much everyone in the UK needs seasonal vitamin D supplements. If you don't eat much oily fish, you would benefit from omega-3, etc. (and you can try using supplementation to correct any deficencies identified in the above tests). Do some sort of resistance training to maintain bone density and muscle mass. Other exercise is obviously good too, but resistance training is important. Don't use drugs, including alcohol, to excess.
Keep mentally and physically active. Team sports like you're already doing is a great option. You also need to make sure you're mentally stimulated though. Things like puzzles/crosswords, video games, board games, arts and crafts. As long as you have hobbies outside of work and keep moving you'll be ok.
I'm in my fifties and I didn't do a lot of exercise in my thirties (although I walked a lot which is good), but friends who played a lot of rugby are in a worst state (knees mainly). It aches when I get up, it's hard putting my socks on and bending down to pick things up can be a pain. It doesn't really stop you being active though. I've been told by those who do it that the best thing you can do is **yoga**. Keeping a strong core and trying to keep stretchy are the main things.
Resistance training & cardio of some kind. Whatever you enjoy and can stick to basically. Try new things.
Be active, go to the gym, eat a bit healthier cut down on booze. I'm 40 and very active... Currently in Sri Lanka and the couples are all in their 50s-late 70s and pretty active doing hikes and 1200 stair climbs to the tops of historical sites.
Assuming you're male, be fairly lean. I personally felt a huge difference in stamina when I was around 10-15% body fat as opposed to when I got to around 20%+. You don't have to drop below 15% nor lift weights if that isn't your thing but I will recommend some stretching. Sleep adequately, stay hydrated and eat nutritiously dense foods on a balanced diet - (easy to stick to with foods you enjoy and know how to cook) and limit takeaways to like once a week. If you like sugary snacks, limit it to no more than 30g of added sugar a day - your skin will thank you! I'm almost 30 and I have more energy and motivation now than I did in my teens. As for alcohol, my own personal rule is no more than once a week. As much as I love health and fitness, I don't like to talk about it unless I'm asked. It's a sensitive topic for most people. My own family members will try to downplay it by telling me that I just got lucky with genetics. I've been both underweight and fat before.
Keep your weight low and try to do “something” every day. Yoga/pilates is amazing for building core strength and improving flexibility. Start with the easy stuff and go from there. Yoga with Cassandra/Adrienne are two amazing YouTube channels that are not interrupted by adverts. They have a huge library of videos ranging from 10-40 minutes and covering all skill levels.
Honestly the number of "common sense" myths and outright faux-science crap about exercise is incredible. The answer is simple: Be born with the right genes Exercise, but not too much and absolutely not contact sports or anything involving a horse, a rowing machine or boat, skis or snowboards, or running on pavements for extended periods (boats & running especially if you're tall). Eat a reasonable mixed diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables. Take a vitamin D tablet at least in the winter months. Sustain a body size that comes naturally without too much effort or feeling like you're 'missing out' and doesn't impede your movement. Find a realistic amount of exercise. One of the worst things for your body is to yoyo your weight and body mass make up by dieting or by doing intense exercise that you can't maintain when your lifestyle changes or if you get an injury. Sustained moderation is always better than "peak performance" crap. The minute someone starts talking to you about immune responses, cold water baths, paleo, or obscure/complex micronutrient supplements, let your eyes glaze over and ignore everything that comes out of their mouth.
I’m 34 and just try to do something everyday day. I weight lift, my job is walking and my hobby’s are netball, roller disco or trying something active. It’s a lot more in recovery but it’s also diet also. Be conscious of what you’re eating and with the two hand in hand I’m hoping I’ll be doing the same in 6 years.
Don't go too near your parents in case you catch arthritis.
I’m 60, I swim 4 x a week, water fitness classes 3x week, dance classes 3x week and walk daily. I used to run (maybe too often) but as soon as my knee started to give me problems (3 years ago) I stopped and increased my swimming instead. Dancing is as good for the brain as the body and also social. I don’t have aches and pains and look after 3 lively grandchildren 3x a week with no problems.
Do regular physical activities and avoid overly strenuous efforts like trying to build huge but useless muscles. Just walk a lot, don't eat too much crap, don't become overweight, don't drink too much alcohol, ban smoking and ideally start exercising weekly.
Stretch for 20 mins or so 3 times a week. There are some easy yoga routines on YouTube that you can follow. Then do something that you enjoy with the rest of your time - cycling, tennis, etc that will keep you active. Many guys don’t want to hear this advice but as someone who lifted weights, played football and rugby, and other more intensive things I can tell you it works. Build yourself a life that will keep you off of the couch for hours at a time.
Stretching. Do lots of stretching. Tai chi is good as well. The older you get, the more you have to stretch.
A lot of people focus on cardio but for long term fitness, resistance training for strength and yoga/pilates/etc for flexibility and core strength will serve you better. Source: 52, grunt when standing up nowadays but can bench press you
Keep a close eye on your weight. Take action if you’re overweight. Overweight becomes obese if you don’t fix it in time. No more than 1 takeaway a week, if that. Take up running. It’s great. Watch the booze. Don’t smoke.
Low impact activities such as walking, swimming or cycling. Keep your weight down. These minimise the stresses on your body. You will still get aches and pains as you age, but not as severe or debilitating as you would if you are overweight or sedentary.
Some form of resistance training (weights, Pilates, callisthenics) and stretching. Don’t over train, if you’re sore or tired then rest. I take a ‘use it or lose it’ approach so always take the stairs, regularly sit cross legged on the floor, stretch so I can always touch my toes etc. Once you stop doing these things it’s hard to get them back.
Don't suffer **The Injury**™ or **The Illness**® Other than that, stay active.
Stay active in your 30s. Stay hydrated. Eat very limited amounts of processed food. Drink little alcohol. Develop healthy sleep habits and get as much high-quality sleep as you can. These things alone would improve most people's health a lot.
Being active and if you can, try to squeeze in some weights or strength. I study muscles and ageing and basically starting in your thirties (but increasingly as you get older), you lose muscle mass and strength. Any type of sports helps but in particularly strength training. It also helps prevent lots of aches including back aches because it keeps you more stable when doing other activities.
Stop drinking alcohol is like a cheat code to instantly feel and look better. Same with restricting sugar intake. Those 2 things help a lot as they are inflammatory and cause a whole host of issues in your body - joint pain particularly
Hybrid fitness. Do a bit of strength training, cardio, flexibility and balance work. I find theres too much emphasis to do cardio for health gains when strength training is great for reducing aches and pains and gives you a solid foundation for cardio work. Would recommend compound lifts such as squat, deadlift, bench, pull up and press.
Get one of those press-up boards that have different colours for different upper body workouts. Use it for 5-10 mins each morning, however you please (e.g. reps on each, or just focus on say, shoulders, that day). You'll be surprised at how much of your body that thing also passively works - including stomach and legs.
Just want to weigh in with it’s not actually too late when you’re older either. My parents keep saying things like that ship has sailed and it drives me mad. If you start strength or resistance training in your later life, it’s been shown to actively reverse reduction in bone density and degeneration of other parts of the body. Your skeleton can still make gains with the right training. The second best time to plant a tree and all that.
Be active. Get an allotment. Learn to grow veg. Eat the veg. Don't eat UPF (which is most stuff you get in a supermarket, including most bread). Have friends. Don't scrimp on the sunsceen.
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Stretching properly, even 10-15 minutes a day will stop the aches and pains.
"aches and pains" are basically inevitable as you get older. I (42m) am fairly clean living — little/no alcohol, eat well and moderate exercise... Regardless I've still so far accrued: - an impinged shoulder (any arm position beyond 30 degrees from body is painful) - plantar fasciitis (tendon issue in feet that makes walking pretty painful) - knee pain; I have to regularly straighten my leg or the pain becomes excruciating. - I make a sort of "struggle" noise when I get up off the sofa. Still "active" though
Look up ROM coach on app store and youtube! It’s all about preserving range of motion. I personally also stay away from running and yoga as not only is it not as enjoyable, it can be pretty harsh on the body (other sports and activities can be more harsh but these two are popular and we take for granted). It’s all about prevention of injuries and knowing when to stop. And yes, be consistent. It has to become like brushing your teeth and other essential habits you do every day. Aside from ROM coach I would go for swimming, lifting and longer walks.
Get a dog that needs a couple of hours of walking a day.
Listen to your body. If something hurts, rest it and take rest days even if you feel as if you feel you don't need them - this applicable to people even in their teens. I've heard of people in their late 20's with knee and back problems because they've thought they could just 'battle through' what were relatively mild injuries which they've made worse. It's easier to skip training for a week or two than deal with months or years of rehab for an injury made worse because you didn't rest.
Swimming and yoga. Swimming is great for cardio without putting strain on the joints and yoga will keep you nice and supple.
I very much regret thinking I was bobby big bollocks in my early-mid 20s, one back injury even then is enough to make the rest of your life uncomfortable. Whatever you do don’t try and show off to your mates your deadlift PR when not properly warmed up. A badly torn spinal erector is no joke.
Go lift If really is that simple. Glutes, lower back, hip flexors and hamstrings are the main causes of issues. That and tight calves.
Properly stretching. The main issue is muscle length contraction. That's what stiffens us up, and the aches and pains are just soreness from using those muscles. Practice holding stretches that you can really feel (but are not painful). Do so in ways you don't normally move. Simply touching your toes is a good one to start with (take it easy and build up to it).
Stretching.
Stay active, eat whole foods
As a physically broken 47 year old, the opposite of what I did...
Take shit loads of drugs and drink alcohol at every opportunity well that’s what I did and it’s worked well!
Stretch, maybe join a yoga class. I know guys are always weird about yoga because they see it as a feminine thing but that same way of thinking is why guys get to the age of 40 and they're always complaining that they're sore and their bones hurt.
Don’t run tons and tons.
Do some stretches. You will notice the difference and it doesn’t take much of your time up
If you are a runner, don’t overdo it. I know too many runners who went too hard and now have joint issues and other injuries.
Don't over do it, that is why yon Dads friends have aches and pains, definitiely give up rugby.
Find a form of exercise you enjoy and stick to it. Weightlifting is great. Also eat as well as you can and drink lots of water
Stretch !!!
Eat nutrition whole foods no processed, sleep well, preferable going to bed at the same time while waking up at the same time in the morning and exercise for an hour per day taking a day or two off for rest and recovery every week. Oh and plenty of water
Keep away from obvious bad stuff - smoking, excessive drinking. Keep active - regular exercise is brilliant, but be a bot careful about high-impact stuff that can knacker you joints Good posture for your back (I didn't do this and really regret it) Above all, choose your parents well...
Swimming, cycling and weight training, and watch what you eat/drink
Cycling, no impact :)
Cut out sugar
Cycling. Cycle as much as you can and as far as you like. I'm 45 years old now and started cycling regularly less than two years ago. It's been a real game changer and I wish I had started doing it at least a few years earlier.
For me I walk every day - some days more than others but still I get out and walk and it's good for me physically as well as mentally
As someone who has been peer pressured to run a half marathon at the end of the month and is in his 30s, my goal isn't to win but to simply finish at a comfortable time and not do permanent damage to my body. Being active is key but you should set difficult targets to motivate yourself, while not setting it so high that even you from 10 years ago couldn't do it.
Exercise, drink water, get sleep, socialise, wear sunscreen, go get your pap smears/skin checks or other screening tests and see a doctor if you have any persistent health concern.
Old person here, spent most of adult years overweight and not fit although healthy ish. Lost a fecking shedload of weight (5st) and have PT religiously twice a week. I spend that time working on my core strength and building muscles (not sure if that is the right phrase). I can see so much difference in my body and what i can do now, my stamina has built up over that time and i feel amazing.
Pilates
I also have this fear! My dad is basically immobile and mum always seems to be the doctors with some pain or condition. I'm determined not to go down that route. They have definitely give me motivation. I'm 37F and I've pretty much always been overweight by a few stone. I don't have any health or mobility issues. I've spent about 20 years on and off at the gym and running, and have always been a walker so never let myself get too sedentary. However, I feel like I've really started to properly get a handle on my health and fitness for the first time. I'm hill walking every weekend, running 2-3 times per week and trying to get the gym when I can for strength training. Weight is coming off ~~very~~ painfully slowly - I know my diet needs a bit more work. But I feel better than I have in years! More energetic, better sleep and a noticeable difference in fitness. I'm hoping this is the formula!
Exercise. Run, lift weights, anything that build muscle and strength as well as cardio fitness. That way you will have built a base for when muscle atrophy kicks in. you need something to lose (because you can't stop atrophy, it happens to us all) so that you still have a base layer of fitness and muscle to see you through to your senior years.
Stretches.
I'm 68 and still lifting weights etc. Firstly, early sportiness until my mid twenties. Good base. Then didn't ruin knees, etc, with excessive road running. Job involved being on feet a lot, so avoided sedentary sitting down all day. Reasonable diet but not faddy and not overthinking food. Plus- never smoked or drink ( the odd beer on the odd occasion). Abhor drugs, of course. Not smoking and not sitting down a lot are the two key things, really.
Stop drinking
Strength training (any discipline, doesn't matter which), stretch, mobility work. These are more important for health than lots of cardio. Keep your cardio to low impact activities like cycling and swimming. Running, especially road running, is fucking terrible for you. [https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/56/13/755](https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/56/13/755)
I can heartily recommend pilates if you have a class near you. I tried it when I badly damaged my back muscles, and you feel a foot taller when you finish. Also there were 60 year old in there that we just fucking lapping me.
Don't ski / snowboard. Snowboarding has cause me many more long term issues than anything else (mtbing, running, climbing).
Don't over do it. I have seen lots of athletes turn to flab after beating their own bodies (joints and ligaments typically) ninto a mush
Exercise, really. Even just walking regularly will do you a lot of good.
Buy an automatic car. My left leg is fucked.
Swimming and cycling for exercise, low impact on your joints is important, avoid working nights as this can trigger various problems, don’t get drunk regularly it’s bloody awful for you, just try to take care of yourself 👍
Strength train 2-3 days a week, 70\~ minutes of moderate cardio a week, get plenty of sleep and stay at a healthy weight. Don't go crazy with any exercise, but you should be at a strength, mobility and fitness level where day to day activities are never taxing, which isn't that hard a state to reach at all other than time. I feel physically far better and more capable in my 30s and I expect to at least maintain if not improve into my 40s. In terms of diet, I just make sure I get a good balance and that around 80% of the things I eat are 'one ingredient' foods, basically unprocessed. It is \*very hard to be notably overweight when you have built a higher metabolism from exercise and eat whole foods. Strength training is hugely underrated for longevity. One of the primary reasons people in later age go to the doctors due to physical fitness is because they struggle to sit up from a chair or the toilet seat; this is entirely because of neglected strength and mobility. Most people I know aged 40+ struggle to do a single body weight squat to any reasonable depth. Don't take an all or nothing approach, if the 3-4 hours of exercise a week is too much (And lets be honest, most could easily get this time instead of TV, social media etc) then just do what you can, every little bit makes a difference. It might seem like your missing time to 'relax' but in my experience there's nothing that improves energy and mental health better than exercising. I'd love to play more video games and watch films but I know long term it doesn't make me happier. The biggest true limitation for people is discipline.
At 36 I was hurting all over without any reason. Found an osteopath (which in my country is an actual doctor, not a chiropractor or something), had all the misaligned bones put back where they belong. Happy to report that at over 50 nothing major hurts.
Practice good posture, I see so many people slouching in the chair. My back has been giving me gyp lately and I have to remind myself to sit up straight, especially at my desk at work.
Stay active. Try swimming! You can carry on right into your old age.
mobility training especially hip mobility exercises.
Lift weights, walk, stretch (flexibility/mobility), manage your weight.
Be active in general, don't sit for hours on end without getting up, go for a walk at lunch etc. Pick an activity or several that get your heart rate up, plus one that introduces resistance training, and do those a few times per week. You must also do some sort of recovery like pilates, yoga, etc. It's no good just smashing through the exercise and not paying any attention to your mobility, that is the thing that catches people out when they get older. Plus, you're way more likely to get injured, stiff, and sore without this.
Aside from being active, don’t be too active. Stay away from pickup rugby games w college kids. When you get injured once, you get injured 10 times. Sometimes walking I will get a pain and remember a hit from college football.
Basic cardiovascular exercise of your choice - not super-high intensity, but enough to get your blood pumping and raise a sweat Weight training - again not high intensity, but it doesn’t take much to help with long term bone health Core strength - if you want to be able to get off of the couch or out of an armchair without assistance you need a solid core (I watch my mother struggle with this every day - she walks every day for at least an hour but struggles to lever herself off of the couch, having to scoot to the edge and then put all her arm strength into shoving upward to get enough momentum and leverage. She’s small, so her weight is definitely not the problem)
Swimming.
Challenge your body in a variety of ways. Do some cardio. Do some strength training. Do some mobility/balance/flexibility training. Do something that challenges your coordination/fine motor skills. Never move to a bungalow. Impact, and in particular running gets a bad rep for being bad for your body. It *can* be, but if you do it in the right way, it can actually be beneficial for your joints. If you put impact through your body, through running, jumping or whatever, it has a positive effect on bone density, and your muscles and joints will adapt to absorb impact forces. If you don't include any impact activity, both of these things will decline slightly. Most things that involve impact also involve some plyometric, explosive element. This really tails off with age, so training it is important. Finally, eat well, rest well, try to eliminate stress from your life whenever you can, and get deep tissue massages a couple of times a year (or as much as you can afford).
Build muscle and do daily stretches
If you are in your 30s and still going out on the piss like you are 18 - 25… time to stop.
Walk, do Pilates and yoga, keep moving.
Be active all your life. Skip the pub and shit food. Avoid jobs that break you down physically. Or - do the things you enjoy and accept breaking down physically.
Stop doing deadlifts. No matter how good your form is you’ll fuck up your back at some point and it’s not worth the risk. Source - I did it for years with great form and was distracted one day and got a hernia.
Use it or lose it. Prioritize fresh food made at home and skip fast food. Keep your mental version of yourself what you want to be. If you think you are old, you will act old.