Things I Care About In My 40’s

40 is a significant age, well it was for me at least.

A lot of people I know experienced an 'oh s**t' moment at 30 but for me turning 40 felt significant. It was the first time in my life I had a realisation that things are changing.

In my late 20’s and early 30’s aesthetics was one of the main reasons for training but now in my 40’s that focus has shifted.

If you, like me are feeling the affects of age it's not uncommon to feel frustrated and disheartened that your body does not look, perform or feel as it once did regardless of how hard you train or how well you eat.

If this relates I wrote this blog for you.

Over the last few years my mind set and approach to health and fitness has evolved.

Here are two new perspectives I have adopted that may also help you appreciate some important principles you too can apply to your training and nutrition into your 40's and beyond...

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1. Longevity: the impact of weight training and protein

By no means do I consider myself old, rather I am more aware of ageing and the potential of decline. What is ironic is that building muscle (aka lifting weights) is arguably more important after 40 than it is in your 20's. Muscle naturally declines as you age so the older you are the more you should focus on lifting weights to build more of it.

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The less muscle you have the faster you age.

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Muscle has a significant impact on your health as you age. Muscle is an incredibly intelligent organ. It offers your body so much more than just changing your physical appearance (aesthetics).

Instead consider your muscle your bodies medicine delivering nutrients, regulating hormones, supporting bone health and is directly linked to the ageing process. The less muscle you have the faster you age.

The good news is that regardless of age we all have the potential to grow more lean muscle tissue and in effect slow down the impact of ageing. So with that said, now I am in my 40's more than ever do I prioritise both strength training and daily protein consumption (to support muscle growth).

As a basic rule aim to lift challenging weights 3x per week and consume 1.5-2x your body weight in kg in grams of protein per day. As an example I weigh 80kg so for me that works out to be 120-160g of protein per day.

If you want to learn more about the importance of strength training and eating more protein as you age I highly recommend this podcast with Dr Chatterjee: CLICK HERE

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2. Balance: When there is more to think about then just you

If I am honest I was selfish when it came to training in my 20's and early 30's. But back then I could be. I didn't have a wife, children, a business, employees, older family members whereas now... I do!

Now in my 40's I have to put my own training and nutrition into the mixing pot of all the other important areas of my life. And for that it requires a different attitude... It requires an element of adaptability. Aesthetics and strength gains are not the highest of priorities anymore and in truth they really are not important. Especially in your 40's when there is so much else to consider.  

You should always make health and fitness a priority - life is 100% worse without it - however, with that said do not take it too seriously. Life will happen and things will not go smoothly.

Learn to be flexible. For example, if a child is unexpectedly ill and off school and you can't train don't stress. Can you train tomorrow instead?

If you need to engage in a business lunch with a key client and you sink a few more drinks then intended again don't stress! Simply get yourself back into a healthy routine the day after.

And if at the end of the month your body fat is 2% higher than you wanted it to be it really doesn't matter in the greater scheme of things.

This has become my mindset since life became less about me. I make training and nutrition a priority. I aim to strength train 4x per week and prioritise my protein targets every day but it rarely goes smoothly.

I might miss a workout here and there. I will be invited out to dinner more than I was expecting and I have made a commitment to priorities my family during the times I would have normally been in the gym back in my 20's and 30's.

The irony is it is because of all these things that being the 'wrong' side of 40 is 100% better than the 'right' side!

It just takes a bit of adjusting too.

Matt 'get those BUILD sessions booked in' Kay