43 here. Still feel strong thanks to the gym. I’ve been lifting since I was 17. Longest I’ve ever stopped was about 2 years. I still lift heavy and don’t have any of that “older folks” back pain, and “it’s really hard to get up in the morning” and all that. I’m thankful for that. It’s never too late (if you don’t have a condition that prevents you) to become a gym goer.
I’m 57 and I bike 25 or 50 miles four days out of every five, and I work out at the gym every day. I had stretches when I was a decade or two younger where I did nothing but eat and smoke pot and I weighed forty to fifty pounds more than I do now; during those stretches I felt like I was 80 and hurt all over all the time. Sometimes older folks have severe injuries that prevent them from doing anything physical and the decay just adds up, but for a lot of people being sedentary creates the illusion that aging is unstoppable. Of course it is unstoppable ultimately, but you can sure as fuck do a lot to slow it down.
Good for you and thank you for sharing. My dad always told me “I’d rather die walking”. Dude is right. He’s in his mid 70s and is still pulling like he’s 20 years younger. I want to be that guy. Not guaranteed of course, but it’s my goal.
