Unpopular thing to say: We aren’t little kids anymore.  Sorry I know it is a rude way to open up an article but hang with me!  I have some great stuff for you.

Why does being fit after 40 seem so hard?  I could sum it up that after 40, your body is different, your lifestyle is different, and for some reason most fitness solutions are totally catered to 21 year olds.  I’ve never really understood this.  21 year olds tend to be flaky knuckleheads with no clear priorities.   I know I was.  Despite this, many tend to just naturally be in shape.  It makes no sense that the fitness industry caters to them so much.

Authors note, I am about to be 35 so technically a little young for the subject if I draw purely from personal experience.  That said, I am fitter at 35 than I was at 25, which is saying something since I was in the Marine Corps when I was 25.  Also, after over 10 years of personal training, I have seen countless clients get in the best shape of their life at 40, 50, 60 and beyond.  The idea that health and fitness somehow peak at 29 is a silly one that we can just get over.  There are too many people who prove that to not be the case.  You probably know plenty when you think about it.

The biggest difference between those who get fitter and fitter every year and those who get fatter and fatter every year?  A lot of it comes down to mindset.  Without the right attitude, none of the X’s and O’s of workouts or nutrition even get a chance to play out.  Here are the 7 winning attitudes I have seen for people who are their fittest after 40:

1. Most aging is optional.  This is a concept from the book “Younger Next Year”, which is one of my favorite reads on the subject of aging.  When we don’t move our body, carry extra weight, eat garbage, drink too much, and prioritize netflix, we feel old.  Most of what people experience as aging boils down to poor choices.  When you consistently make better choices, you won’t feel 20 overnight, as some of aging isn’t optional, but you will feel worlds better.

2. Your fittest days are not behind you.  Again, I have seen countless clients get in the best shape of their life.  They can do things physically their younger selves couldn’t believe.  Why not you?  Your decisions should be less about what you “can’t” do anymore and more about what sorts of things aren’t worth it to you anymore.  To be sure, as we age we can’t bounce back from a binge drink like we used to.  No worries since partying should be less of a priority as we grow up.  This is a big part of the reason many clients I have are their fittest after 40.

3. Pay peanuts, get monkeys.  A brand new client said this after they had tried something cheap that didn’t go well. Getting lost in a crowd of 20 year olds while a 19 year old instructor “leads” you through a generic workout is rarely worth it.  Personal Training at the right place is well worth it.  After 40, I’ve noticed my most successful clients have become masters of prioritizing.  They are deliberate with their time, energy, and money.  That means spending less on endeavors that aren’t important in order to have the resources to spend on what is important to them.  We all have a budget.  I get it.  But show me your credit card statement and I guarantee I will find the money to pay for my gym from spending that you genuinely won’t miss.

4. Do what everyone else does, get what everyone else gets.  Another unpopular thing to say: most people are functioning alcoholics.  I’m not being preachy here.  It takes one to know one.  Most people, even fairly healthy ones, have no idea the physiological and mental toll their drinking is taking on their body.  The only way to know that toll is to be willing to take 1 month off per year.  Even moderate drinking clients of mine have tried it and noticed a difference that made it well worth the experience.  If you claim that your drinking doesn’t affect anything, prove it by taking a 4 week break.  “I’m just a social drinker” is slang for, “I drink too much, but so do my friends so it’s okay”.  Most people are tired, overweight, and unhappy.  You can’t have a different outcome if you don’t start making different choices.  The way to flip this principle on its head is to join a community of fit people making healthy choices.  Now when you join with the crowd, you’ll benefit.

5. People are counting on you.  Your kids, spouse, friends, and job all need you at your best.  Your best isn’t tired and out of shape.

6. It’s your job to get it done.  20 year olds don’t do things when they don’t feel like it.  Adults get it done.  Hold yourself to that standard and you will see your world open up.  This will help your fitness, nutrition, work performance, relationships, darn near anything.

7. The way you do one thing is the way you do everything.  I’ve learned this particularly from fit 40+ year olds that are also successful in business and with their family.  They really seem to have it all.  I look up to that and take notes for myself.  The way they do one thing is the way they do everything.  If your house is trashed, so is your head.  If your body is trashed, so are a lot of other things.

The very BEST way to learn from people 40+ who are in the best shape of their life is to JOIN THEM!  When you are ready to chat with a personal trainer about your goals, fill out the form in the top or bottom of this article and I will be in touch: )