Athletic performance in your 40s?

I turn 44 this September. I just took a job doing conservation/trail work running crews and spend up to 8 days straight in the field hiking and working all day while eating the bare minimum. I lost like 20 pounds in a couple of months. At this point I figure I just better keep moving, no matter how much it hurts every day to get started.

Desk jobs will really put the hurt on ya, as will heavy alcohol consumption. Keep moving I guess. I'll do one recovery day every week or two but that's all I can handle then it's back to the outside.

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Originally Posted by Vt-Freeheel

What's perfromance? Some CO brobrah shit?

Rode up some hills

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Then had some brew

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Bro......Bro! I'm training.

Ten mile hike on Friday, swam 4,000 meters on Saturday. Pretty much jack shit yesterday, but was back in the pool this morning.

I haven't done enough hiking this summer. I could definitely feel those ten miles the next day! Swimming is good exercise, but it doesn't have the impact that is crucial as we age to keep up bone density.

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Originally Posted by CS2-6

We began this tangent when someone made a comment about sugar = dementia

and I, out of my frustration with the demonization of any single dietary component, responded that sugar isn't the problem, obesity is. A stance I stand by.

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Mofro's statement is kinda spot on when modified slightly:

Chronic hyperglycemia = systemic inflammatory state = increased amyloid plaque formation = dementia

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...stract/2694709
"Elevated glycemia was the only cardiometabolic risk factor with constantly higher values among dementia cases up to 14 years before diagnosis."

Now, you can certainly eat a lot of sugar and not be chronically hypergylcemic, but the two tend to go hand-in-hand. Chronic hyperglycemia and the resultant systemic inflammation is also at the root of CVD and many other obesity-related diseases. Further, as Robert Lustig explains in detail in his lectures on Youtube, the end products of fructose metabolism create insulin resistance directly. Obese people tend to be insulin-resistant, but insulin resistance generally precedes obesity.

Metabolically, fructose is alcohol that doesn't get you drunk. Consumption of fructose from non-whole fruit sources is the primary driver of NAFLD:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5893377/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5372893/
https://openheart.bmj.com/content/4/2/e000631

Direct quote from Lustig, who is a PhD neuroendocrinologist and Professor emeritus at Stanford: "Fructose is a chronic, dose-dependent hepatotoxin."

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Originally Posted by CS2-6

To paraphrase Louis CK, the meal isn't over when I'm full, it's over when I hate myself.

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One big advantage to IF is that when you do eat you can eat until you are good and full. You never get that psychological satisfaction when eating six 200-300 calories "meals" per day.

I've been doing the 8-16 IF routine for about 3 years or so now. Maybe 4, I'm not really sure. I just eat two meals a day, basically a big bowl of cereal with almond or oat milk, berries, apple and nuts very day for breakfast/lunch and whatever the fuck I want, and a lot of it, for dinner. I'm usually starving at dinner time but the rest of the time I'm really not even hungry. I just drink coffee in the morning. At dinner time I straight up chow down.

I peaked around 245 back in about 2012, lost some of that before IF mainly from cutting drinking way back, lost some more for a while after starting IF, and have been stable at around 210 for the past couple of years. It's been easy, I don't feel deprived or anything, it's just what I do. Whether it will stave off dementia remains to be seen but so far so good.

I've been doing the same 16/8 IF for the past 15 months (generally, not militant about it). Fairly easy once you get used to it.

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Originally Posted by fastfred

so what did you clowns do this weekend to keep your perfromance up?

sit around the back yard drinking playing grab ass with the wife while the kids played in the sandbox?
or did you hit it hard keeping that blood flowing?

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90 minute outdoor soccer game -down a guy- against a bunch of fucking 20 something year olds. Since last saturday when the knee finally healed up enough to move again: Saturday fast, flat running intervals (puke), monday indoor soccer game, wednesday full 90 outdoor game against whippersnappers, Thursday indoor game, and then this sunday soccer as previously mentioned. No weights due to sprained shoulder still not healed.

I find this super hard effort (for me) interval/sprint/soccer type stuff, combined with weights, works wonders for me. Little too much soccer this week, but now my knee healed enough to bike again too, so that'll be nice.

My biggest problem is forcing myself to get enough rest/days off. Too much fun out there to be had...

70 mile road ride on Sunday. I haven't been putting in the miles and felt tired / sucked my buddy's wheel for more of the ride than I'd care to admit, but we came in around 17 mph average speed - not bad for two middle-aged hacks.

Had my first milkshake of the year after the ride and found it kind of cloyingly sweet. Uncertain if my palate has changed, or if that particular milkshake (Burgerville marionberry) was just oversweetened - clearly more observations are required.

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Originally Posted by beece

90 minute outdoor soccer game -down a guy- against a bunch of fucking 20 something year olds. Since last saturday when the knee finally healed up enough to move again: Saturday fast, flat running intervals (puke), monday indoor soccer game, wednesday full 90 outdoor game against whippersnappers, Thursday indoor game, and then this sunday soccer as previously mentioned. No weights due to sprained shoulder still not healed.

I find this super hard effort (for me) interval/sprint/soccer type stuff, combined with weights, works wonders for me. Little too much soccer this week, but now my knee healed enough to bike again too, so that'll be nice.

My biggest problem is forcing myself to get enough rest/days off. Too much fun out there to be had...

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Soccer at over 40 with a bad knee sounds like Russian roulette.

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Originally Posted by PNWbrit

Soccer at over 40 with a bad knee sounds like Russian roulette.

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Bad knee is from a combination of rain, clay and speed on a mtn bike downhill few weeks ago that ended in involuntary inversion. Turns out that no matter how hard you hit your stem with your knee cap, the flesh splits, not the stem. Who knew?

So nothing structural that I know of (KNOCK ON WOOD). Deep as shit and stitches, but just a flesh wound. But bending a knee in anger with stitches holding it together is apparently a "bad idea" according to "doctors" so I had to wait till it was a bit stronger first.

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Originally Posted by The AD

Ten mile hike on Friday, swam 4,000 meters on Saturday. Pretty much jack shit yesterday, but was back in the pool this morning.

I haven't done enough hiking this summer. I could definitely feel those ten miles the next day! Swimming is good exercise, but it doesn't have the impact that is crucial as we age to keep up bone density.

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impressive! how long did the swim take?

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Originally Posted by The AD

Ten mile hike on Friday, swam 4,000 meters on Saturday. Pretty much jack shit yesterday, but was back in the pool this morning.

I haven't done enough hiking this summer. I could definitely feel those ten miles the next day! Swimming is good exercise, but it doesn't have the impact that is crucial as we age to keep up bone density.

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I can’t do that anymore. Have not tried masters in about 8 yrs, but I basically do a mile now every other day, which used to be my warmup. My shoulder started to go my last yr of college swimming and now I feel it’s ready to quit. Have not been able to throw a football since college.

Thank god I never played football though. I can’t imagine the problems in later yrs.


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Shoot, it was bound to happen... my first knee injury that really slowed my roll.

I just Google diagnosed as Grade 1 MCL sprain so that means I'm gonna live.
Weird way to 'get injured'. This happened 8 days ago: Went on nice 12 miler that was supposed to be last longish run with last 3 miles at tempo 6:15/mi. Then taper this week and hit big Half Marathon race yesterday.

Felt good, got home and it was several hours later knee felt kind of bunged up. Deep knee bend hurt like I had been hit with hockey puck or something. Did not feel any pain during run...

Anyway I took it as a sign to take it easy. Then realized on same day as my big race there is Little Bears Day Care 1k fun costume run. I asked my 4 year old and 10 year old girls if they wanted to do it and you should have seen the 4 year olds face light up. She was keen, I told her it was on Sunday, she kept asking all week if tomorrow was Sunday.

Race day yesterday, all the kids were there. I felt like a good parent and was glad I was not pounding the pavement in town. At the start they all took off fast up long hill. The 10 year old was gone to the front with dog on leash and I knew there would be tears for the little one sooner than later.

Sure enough about 3 minutes in I could see her lip start to quiver as the pain kicked in. As adults we know it is coming and kind of like it. She declared that her legs hurt and I carried her along for about 30 seconds to top of hill and got her rolling on downhill. Then we sat into a pace and I pointed at hills that were coming and it was alright to walk but try to run on flats etc.

We kept moving along as kids in super hero capes past us and we past them. Soon enough we climbed the last hill and it was downhill to the finish. We could hear the cheering at the finish line she really kicked it into high gear.

I just kept thinking 'Please don't face plant, please don't face plant" as she was hauling down the loose gravel road. Finish line joy and euphoria as she was greeted with hugs from big sister and 4 year old buddies and cute little medal! Just about brought tear to my eye.

10 year old got 5th and told me on way home how she loved the race and how she felt 'so alive' and wants to do more in the future...

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Originally Posted by fastfred

so what did you clowns do this weekend to keep your perfromance up?

sit around the back yard drinking playing grab ass with the wife while the kids played in the sandbox?
or did you hit it hard keeping that blood flowing?

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Saturday - Two hours of weight work - squats, heel raises, standing rows - plus an hour of one legged balance exercises
Sunday - two hours on singletrack trying to keep up with my buds

I'm four months into rehab after Achilles rupture surgery. I'm also old enough that Medicare paid for it.

Getting old ain't for sissies. Gotta be a shark - keep moving or you sink

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Originally Posted by Harry

Furious masterbation.

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That too

Carp - Awesome story

TBS - Love the shark analogy

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Originally Posted by fastfred

so what did you clowns do this weekend to keep your perfromance up?

sit around the back yard drinking playing grab ass with the wife while the kids played in the sandbox?
or did you hit it hard keeping that blood flowing?

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I fucked - a lot - you?


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Originally Posted by carpathian

Shoot, it was bound to happen... my first knee injury that really slowed my roll.

I just Google diagnosed as Grade 1 MCL sprain so that means I'm gonna live.
Weird way to 'get injured'. This happened 8 days ago: Went on nice 12 miler that was supposed to be last longish run with last 3 miles at tempo 6:15/mi. Then taper this week and hit big Half Marathon race yesterday.

Felt good, got home and it was several hours later knee felt kind of bunged up. Deep knee bend hurt like I had been hit with hockey puck or something. Did not feel any pain during run...

Anyway I took it as a sign to take it easy. Then realized on same day as my big race there is Little Bears Day Care 1k fun costume run. I asked my 4 year old and 10 year old girls if they wanted to do it and you should have seen the 4 year olds face light up. She was keen, I told her it was on Sunday, she kept asking all week if tomorrow was Sunday.

Race day yesterday, all the kids were there. I felt like a good parent and was glad I was not pounding the pavement in town. At the start they all took off fast up long hill. The 10 year old was gone to the front with dog on leash and I knew there would be tears for the little one sooner than later.

Sure enough about 3 minutes in I could see her lip start to quiver as the pain kicked in. As adults we know it is coming and kind of like it. She declared that her legs hurt and I carried her along for about 30 seconds to top of hill and got her rolling on downhill. Then we sat into a pace and I pointed at hills that were coming and it was alright to walk but try to run on flats etc.

We kept moving along as kids in super hero capes past us and we past them. Soon enough we climbed the last hill and it was downhill to the finish. We could hear the cheering at the finish line she really kicked it into high gear.

I just kept thinking 'Please don't face plant, please don't face plant" as she was hauling down the loose gravel road. Finish line joy and euphoria as she was greeted with hugs from big sister and 4 year old buddies and cute little medal! Just about brought tear to my eye.

10 year old got 5th and told me on way home how she loved the race and how she felt 'so alive' and wants to do more in the future...

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Nice. I should get my boy in a race.

Good luck with the knee. I've done that a couple times. As injuries go it isn't the worst. I found that after some initial rest, some careful activity/pushing through minor discomfort was helpful in recovery.

Edit to add: Just signed my 4 year old up for a race in October, and he's pumped up. I signed up for the corresponding 10k. Should be fun.

The difference between what I could do in my younger 40’s compared to my later 40’s is the same. The recovery from injuries has increased maybe 4 fold depending the stupidity involved.

Who grades their MCL tears? Mine is apparently torn. Pt and physiatrist visits. restoring strength, mobility, with a side of a strong focus on alignment. No grade given.

Birthday weekend. Lots of time at the river along with some other stuff
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Originally Posted by bodywhomper

Who grades their MCL tears?

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My doctor and 2 physical therapists. Ice, ice, and more ice. Also, Schiffrin’s quote of “motion is the lotion” works for me.

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Originally Posted by DBdude

I fucked - a lot - you?


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back to jerking off
long depressing weekend
the chick I was dating wanted to goto one of those touristy colorado mountain towns this past weekend, I said no, that sounds dumb
then she brought up the fact that I said I'd rather spend january in arizona than go to europe for two weeks to ski with her in january
she said it was a deal breaker, so no fucking

on the other hand lots of stoke in this thread love it

I'd post a photo of me in my house this weekend watching tv with the drapes closed and eating fried chicken

Condolences

When one door closes another opens


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Originally Posted by iceman

Whether it will stave off dementia remains to be seen but so far so good.

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Bold claim.

Well I should have added an asterisk and As far as I can tell

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Originally Posted by wyeaster

impressive! how long did the swim take?

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70 minutes or so. This is interval training. I don't do straight swims other than open water races.