Anyone fitter in their 40s then in their 20s & 30s?

Just wondering, I have this goal of turning the big 40 in 7 months at the fittest I've been. I was "skinny fat" in my 20s, could eat whatever I wanted and "looked" in shape but I really wasn't, I didn't exercise that much and my nutrition was horrible.

Of course it caught up with me at about 30 and without exercise I couldn't do this anymore, gained weight, had a baby at 36, gained more weight... Now I'm finding it's a lot harder to lose weight and stay in shape. However with some dedication here the past few months I've dropped about 10 lbs and I've gained some nice muscle with weight training.

Articles I've been reading say after 40 you have to increase the cardio to 45 to 60 minutes a day as it's harder to fight the flab, especially in the tummy. And also weights are important. Of course we all look at Madonna - at 50 or so - with her cool muscles going wow... and there are other role models out there besides that are staying ultra fit into their 40s on. Of course none of us in the real world have hours and hours to spend like Madonna, but with a reasonable amount of cardio and weights is it possible to be fitter into the 40s?

Anyone done it?

I think I am. In my 20's I weighed 130 but I didn't exercise. Now I'm 20 years older and way heavier but I've been walking since last summer and daily on the treadmill since the end of January and I'm in way better shape now.

I am in the best shape of my life, and just turned 40 last year. At my 40th birthday party, when I looked at the photo album my mother had put together showing photos of me over the years, it was a real eye opener to me, and I decided it was time for me to change into the person I wanted to be. So, I started running, and have found something that I really love to do - with results that have really amazed me. Not only have I lost weight, but I have discovered an actual athlete in me - I ran 16 miles today, something I could never have done at any point in my life before.

Windy, wow congrats on all of your weight loss and thanks for your story. That's amazing! You should do one of those before/after stories for a fitness or ladies magazine!

My next mini goal is down to my 150s again...

I'm two years shy of 40 and I am in the best shape of my life. I am in way better shape than I was in my 20's and the first half of my 30's.

I was thin as a kid but not very athletic, so I never got much exercise and was never in that great of shape. I started putting on weight in college. Now I do some form of exercise every day and I'm definitely in better shape. I also weigh less than I did in college, possibly even in high school, and that's with all this extra muscle I developed from strength training. And I wear a smaller size than I did in high school. But, even with all that and being down to around 22% body fat, I still have a tummy. I sometimes wonder if I would have been able to get rid of the tummy if I had controlled my diet and exercised back when I was in my 20's. It seems clear that my tummy is never going to completely disappear at this point in my life. Both my parents carry/ied their weight in their stomachs, so this shouldn't be a huge shock (but it irks me never-the-less ).

I think Madonna looks a little weird. Her muscles are so well-defined that she almost looks masculine. My role model would have to be Gwen Stefani, who is not quite 40, but then I'm not quite 40 either. She's the same age as me, was quite a bit heavier when she was younger, and now she looks fantastic. It's clear that she worked hard to lose weight, get in shape, and maintain that loss. I've read interviews with her where she talks about stuggling with diet and weight loss. When I want to give up, I think of her. Particularly when I don't want to do one more rep at the gym, I think, "would Gwen Stefani quit now?"

Absolutely, without a doubt ... YES!

I don't normally post over here, but I had to answer this question. I am, absolutely, without a doubt in better shape than any other time of my adult life.

In fact, my goal is to be fitter when I turn 50 than I was when I turned 40. At that point I had already lost 50+ pounds (weighing 240 I think) and had only just started weight lifting. I like having a long term goal, and hope, in fact, to be in better shape and more active when I turn 50 than I am today!

Yes, I believe that I am.

I exercise more regularly (and am planning on being even more regular!).
I don't eat crap like I used to.
I have more stamina than I did in college.
I weigh about 20-30 pounds less than I did in high school and college

Barbara~Gwen Stefani is my "celebrity idol" too! I'd love to have her legs!!!

I am 47 yrs. old and am definitely in better shape now than I was throughout most of my 20's and 30's. I did have a brief stent back when I was 33 yrs. old where I went on Phen/Fen and lost 90 lbs. and worked out 5-6 times a week. But, that lasted about a yr. and I gained all of it back except 3 lbs. This time I've lost my weight and maintained it longer than ever before and I'm still getting lots of exercise.

Lilybelle, I think you are at the point you could wear cap sleeves in your picture here, you should be showing off your arms more with a fitted tee. You are hiding some of your cute figure I can see.

Lol, Horsey, thanks for the vote of confidence, but I hate my arms. They are where my saggiest skin is at since the wt. loss. I can't afford surgery, so I'll keep the sleeves. I do wear a lot more form fitting shirts now though than in this pic, I just haven't taken any new pic's.