Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 53 total)
  • 40 next year. What should I give up?
  • pictonroad
    Full Member

    In the interest of preserving myself physically I’m going to have a mid life (!) review.

    Current status – BMI-24ish, all levels ok, fairly fit, dodgy right hip.

    Given up soft drinks with sugar, easy enough, still glug the non sugar stuff, that ok?

    Cheeky cigarette at the pub if someone else is having one. Should go really, it’s not often, but best to call it a day.

    Processed meat. Sausages can go, I’m over them I think, bacon harder. What about ham, prosciuttio, salami, I love all that stuff, but it’s not good is it?

    Narcotics, financially not been viable for a while now, can’t see that changing.

    Alcohol. I love booze, but it’s not great. I haven’t drunk at home during the working week for 10 years but I love a drink at weekends. Hangovers & toddlers have done most of the work but maybe ease up on the ales? Gin & slimline?

    What else? Red meat? Don’t eat much anyway (3x per week?) but I struggle to pass a McDonalds drive through without being drawn in.

    I suspect that my mental health will be the biggest challenge over the next ten years. The “work/childcare/DIY/worrying about money/iphone addiction/not sleeping/work” endless cycle that’s popped on other threads is hitting me like most others my age. Going to try and start being more mindful and stop destructive habits.

    What did you give up?

    miketually
    Free Member

    I also turn 40 next year, but I think I’ll take up something positive rather than giving up something negative (which I don’t do too much of anyway).

    I suspect that my mental health will be the biggest challenge over the next ten years. The “work/childcare/DIY/worrying about money/iphone addiction/not sleeping/work” endless cycle that’s popped on other threads is hitting me like most others my age.

    My kids turn 11 and 13 this year, so I’m past the childcare stage, thankfully.

    perchypanther
    Free Member

    Giving a monkey’s hump about what anyone else thinks about you?

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...
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    teasel
    Free Member

    1. Don’t Smoke
    2. Wear a seatbelt or a helmet
    3. Learn to fall AND recover
    4. Eat more protein
    5. Eat more fiber
    6. Take more fish oil
    7. Drink more water
    8. Floss your teeth
    9. Build some muscle
    10. Improve joint mobility

    Training for Middle Age and Beyond

    br
    Free Member

    Nothing, nor did I when I got to 50.

    Although a BMI of 24 is only one less than 25 which is overweight – maybe give up kidding yourself? 😉

    MTB-Idle
    Free Member

    cut down on caffeine. But really the ciggies should be first

    MTB-Idle
    Free Member

    Oh and I dream of those halcyon days of 39 (51 here).

    cranberry
    Free Member

    I’d say give up living, but you’ve already done that.

    footflaps
    Full Member

    reminds me I keep meaning to add Sprints into my training…..

    teasel
    Free Member

    Hill sprints for feeling like you’re filled with helium when running on the flat.

    Chased some kids through the woods after they smashed in a neighbours shed/outhouse the other week. It was like a scene from Wolfman – I don’t think even I could believe the speed with which I caught them.

    Scary…

    BillOddie
    Full Member

    40 next year. What should I give up?

    Hope?

    suburbanreuben
    Free Member

    Give up McDonalds.
    Get yourself a looow slung sports car so you can’t reach the window.

    allan23
    Free Member

    Give up worrying.

    Smoking is pretty much a proven bad thing these days, it’s not clever. Sugar is looking like it’s somewhere between fags and salt so no harm cutting back on that.

    Screw giving up the rest just moderation and keep moving.

    Don’t put on any weight, it gets harder to shift from now on 🙂

    scotroutes
    Full Member

    Give up giving up stuff. You only live once, Enjoy it.

    8. Floss your teeth

    Completely discredited now. It’s all about interdental brushes these day.

    teasel
    Free Member

    Completely discredited now. It’s all about interdental brushes these day.

    Yeah. Perhaps I should’ve changed it but, you know – the internet!

    pictonroad
    Full Member

    Giving a monkey’s hump about what anyone else thinks about you?

    on it.

    1. Don’t Smoke
    2. Wear a seatbelt or a helmet
    3. Learn to fall AND recover
    4. Eat more protein
    5. Eat more fiber
    6. Take more fish oil
    7. Drink more water
    8. Floss your teeth
    9. Build some muscle
    10. Improve joint mobility

    OK to follow all these, 9 and 10 are the hardest, especially 9.. 😡

    Although a BMI of 24 is only one less than 25 which is overweight – maybe give up kidding yourself?

    just checked, 23.8, you’re probably right. 😆

    sugar – cakes and biscuits can go, they’re crap anyway.
    caffeine – forgot about this one. will consider it.

    Salt – This I’m bad on, salty goods are my downfall, olives, crisps, all that stuff. Is it really that bad, maybe this is where I should concentrate.

    No intention of putting on weight or stopping moving. I don’t want to be kidnapped.

    earl_brutus
    Full Member

    You dont give up anything! Life is all about a little bit of what you fancy. For the record I turned 40 last year and have continued:
    1. riding my bikes, I try to get out every day if poss, did my first 100 mile sportives and the ard rock enduro, like to keep pushing myself
    2. Drinking Beer… though I cant drink much before Im pished 4-5 nice ales is enough for a weekend night out
    3. eating good food… lifes too short to eat junk, ( I’d bin off the McD’s!)

    teasel
    Free Member

    Dan bangs on about investing in a good night’s sleep in that article (I think). That’s pretty good advice, too.

    miketually
    Free Member

    Drink better beer

    wrightyson
    Free Member

    12 stone 12 as I sit here now, was 41 back in may. I didn’t give anything up, at 40 youre probably on the homeward leg of life so why should you give up anything you enjoy? Fags is a obvious one as its probably the best health decision you can ever make but sod the rest. Live to the full etc

    pictonroad
    Full Member

    I suspect Dan isn’t keeping a 2 yr old busy at 5:45 am. 🙄 Sleep is already on the list, it won’t be forever.

    Bad beer went a very long time ago, *shudders at the thought of it now.

    DrP
    Full Member

    Are you really 40 next year?
    Have you just had a birthday and kept it secret????

    My advice… Grab life by the horns, kiss strangers wherever you go (the more hoboish the better), laugh often, love always, pay your friends for BBB lodges, drink more rose, ride a 29er….

    DrP

    phutphutend
    Free Member

    I’m 40 next year.

    Hopefully this will mean better race results in the Vets category! But I don’t hold out much hope.

    I’m giving up nothing. The one thing I really should do is take up Yoga or some other flexibility type practise. This really is the thing I can feel affecting me and what will keep me going.

    Other than that, a change in job is the one thing that would make the biggest positive change to my life. But monetary responsibilities make this tricky. Anyone want to give me £50k to make building bikes full time a real possibility. Not investment, just a philanthrotropic £50k to turn it into a proper business!

    teasel
    Free Member

    kiss strangers wherever you go (the more hoboish the better)

    Don’t do this – ‘s dirty.

    🙂

    pictonroad
    Full Member

    Hopefully this will mean better race results in the Vets category! But I don’t hold out much hope.

    have you looked into this?

    I finished 11th in open males at the Pivot 12hr, 6 minutes outside top 10. That would have placed me 16th in Vets category!

    It gets harder, next year is my last chance to get into the top 10 I think!

    stilltortoise
    Free Member

    What did you give up?

    I gave up feeling young.

    The one thing I really should do is take up Yoga or some other flexibility type practise.

    I keep saying this to myself and doing nothing about it. I used to be quite flexible in the days when I did a lot of different physical activities, but now my exercise is limited to infrequent cycle rides – and mostly road at that – I feel myself just getting less and less flexible every week 🙁

    footflaps
    Full Member

    have you looked into this?

    Racing against Nick Craig etc…

    thecaptain
    Free Member

    No reason to give up on all that lovely food and drink, just be moderate. Giving up ham of all things seems bonkers. Really, what’s that supposed to achieve?

    I didn’t give up anything at 40, took up unicycling instead. Also took up running a year or two afterwards, not so much as a middle-aged crisis thing, but so I could exercise effectively when away from home (bike) on fairly frequent travel. Now several marathons later, probably not quite as fit as I used to be (hard to tell for sure unless/until I do a flat time trial and there aren’t many round here), but perhaps not too far off.

    scotroutes
    Full Member

    Giving up bacon for life may not help you live forever, but it’ll certainly seem like it.

    n0b0dy0ftheg0at
    Free Member

    Coke or hookers… What a dilemma! 😆

    VanHalen
    Full Member

    i`m 40 on wednesday. cant for the life of me think of why i would want to give stuff up. i dont feel like ive had teh opportunity to properly enjoy most things.

    ocrider
    Full Member

    Give up thinking over things too much, it’ll be the death of you.

    gears_suck
    Free Member

    Maybe you should check catchup on BBC for the Rio Olympics. It’ll give you an insight to what some 40 year olds and above can be capable of.

    jambalaya
    Free Member

    I’m 53 didn’t give up anything at either birthday. 40-ish is easy relative to 50-ish fwiw … you do have to eat less as you get older as metablosim slows.

    That list is a good one but as you say you do most of that already. Yoir idea about less processed foods is a good one. Less red meat generally ? A few treats make life better, if thats a bacon butty after a Sunday ride then great.

    I would suggest you make a bit of a bucket list for the next 5+ years as you get to an age where some of the things you’d like to do start to become more difficult then impossible. Even if you’re fit you can pick up an injury which may never heal properly. I did my first guided mtb holiday at 49, shoukd have done that sooner for sure.

    pictonroad
    Full Member

    Maybe you should check catchup on BBC for the Rio Olympics. It’ll give you an insight to what some 40 year olds and above can be capable of.

    I’m not exactly falling into an NHS Diabetes statistic! Can still hold my own on the bike even if falling off (or getting knocked off) hurts more than it used to. Perhaps stop wearing these shorts:

    but then that contradicts this advice:

    Giving a monkey’s hump about what anyone else thinks about you?

    More of a sort of insurance policy, I’m quite fond of my health and I like the idea of a having a review and making a positive change. I’ve found that as I’m so busy it’s easy to slip into bad habits. Using the milestone as an opportunity to break these rather than cast myself onto the scrap heap.

    ski
    Free Member

    To avoide the popeye look:

    I would consider giving up masturbation, as it becomes more noticeable which arm you use over the age of 40

    Or, consider swapping hands to balance your arms out a bit?

    teasel
    Free Member

    CountZero
    Full Member

    Bugger giving up stuff you enjoy, unless it’s proven to be harmful, like cigs, that way lies a descent into a miserable old age!
    I know the nanny state recently advised that there’s no safe alchohol level, but seriously, unless you’re a raging alcoholic, it’s not going to do that much harm having a few pints a week. I’ve just come back from Green Man, where I probably drank more over four days than I would do over four weeks, but it wasn’t really strong, about ABV 3.6, and I guess I drank three or four a day.
    Going between different stages helps keep consumption down, ‘cos you spill it all if you hurry!
    The expression ‘a little of what you fancy does you good’ has a lot of truth in it, it’s over-indulgence that does the damage.

    DrP
    Full Member

    I agree that actually, a moderate amount of alcohol isn’t THAT harmful, in an otherwise healthy individual.
    But… harm aside, don’t you find you just feel ‘meh’ if you drink most nights, or too much…

    Short term negatives outweigh the short term gains nowadays!

    DrP

    toby1
    Full Member

    I’m 38 and have a higher BMI than you, I’m planning on getting a Smoker for BBQing more meat, not less!

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