Staying Fit after Forty

Once past forty keeping fit becomes even more important as the metabolism slows and muscle bulk reduces. I asked Bill Byrne, co-founder of sportswear brand, Iffley Road, to suggest how the older man, for whom time can be at a premium, can keep healthy.

Bill Byrne: Rio 2016 was remarkable not just for Team GB’s remarkable medal haul but for the age of some of the competitors. Nick Skelton’s equestrian gold at 58 makes him the UK’s oldest gold medallist since 1908. Evergreen Jo Pavey toed the line for the 10k, and her fifth Olympic games, just shy of 43. Indeed the average age of Olympians has risen by almost two years since Seoul in 1988.

While most of us don’t aspire to such sporting prowess there is no reason why we shouldn’t maintain great fitness levels as we age. Here are six key things to consider. 

Integrate exercise into your lifestyle

If your time is taken up by family and work, it’s easy to feel you don’t have time to exercise. We need to find creative ways to redress the balance. One of the best ways of fitting exercise into your day is to combine it with part of your commute. You don’t have to walk, run or cycle the whole way - you can always travel part of the way and complete the journey under your own steam. (Just make sure you organise your wardrobe so you don’t end up without socks or worse still underpants at work!) 

If this doesn’t work, consider getting up earlier or setting aside a lunch-break for a workout once or twice a week. It’s better than leaving it until the evening because exercise actually makes people more alert. Half the battle is just establishing the habit.

Strength and conditioning

As we grow older muscle mass starts diminishing, starting in our 30s and accelerating from around 50. A regular strength and conditioning regime is therefore important. You don’t need much in the way of equipment, just a few free weights. We’d recommend a few sessions with a personal trainer to learn how to do the exercises correctly.

A sensible diet

A gradual slowing of the metabolism from our mid 30s exacerbates the effect of poor diet. Sensible eating is all about common sense and establishing good habits, rather than an unsustainable “hair shirt” approach. Aim for a good balance of protein, fibre and carbs. Keep an eye on portion size. Err towards lighter choices if work involves a lot of entertaining. 

As a footnote, we were delighted see Men’s Health latest list of new super foods includes black pudding, Stichelton cheese and IPA. 

Gradual change

Regime change should be gradual. When increasing running mileage increase by no more than 10% per week. Similarly in the gym start with a session that is challenging but appropriate for your current fitness level and increase intensity and duration slowly over time.

Goal setting

The best way to stay motivated, and therefore adopt a sustainable fitness regime, is to set goals. Ideally every training session should have objectives – recording these in a training log or diary is a real help. 

It’s also always great to have an event on the horizon – something to train for. Possibly not Tokyo 2020, but why not the 2017 London Marathon? 

Bill Byrne is a co-founder of British running wear brand Iffley Road. He claims no medical expertise; his advice is based on over 30 years running. 

Iffley Road makes running gear that looks sharp and feels wonderful to wear but doesn’t compromise on technical performance. Available at iffleyroad.com 

[Note: Grey Fox received no compensation for this post. Its content and the views in it are those of Bill Byrne and Iffley Road].