Men over 30 who are healthy and fit, what is the key to your success?

26 comments

1. I’m almost 30, but I’ll answer. I run, a lot. Like an hour 4-5 times a week. Burns calories not just when I’m running, but keeps my metabolism going when I’m at rest.

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3. Exercise 6 days a week for at least 45 minutes, eat reasonably well and keep your weight in check.

4. DISCIPLINE over everything.
   Im going to the gym 5 times per week.
   Weights and cardio.
   But im doing this for more than 10 years and i will keep to it.
   Staying fit is much easier than getting fit.

5. No kids. Persistence. Motivated. Education. Good genetics. Carb control. Cheat days. Broken heart. Scars that cannot heal.

6. No dependants other then a dog. You reach an age where you have to maintain yourself or your start rusting. Feed your brain by learning different skills. Know how to set limits when dealing with others. Find a sport that drives you. Makes it easier to maintain.

7. I eat relatively healthy and work out

8. Whatever, if you are consistent for years. So better pick based on what you like and what works for you, than what objectively is most efficient.

9. Just do a little bit every day. I lift weights every day, just one muscle group per day. Biceps one day then bench press the next day then legs the next day, etc. 20 minutes of high intensity interval training per day too. Only drink on special occasions, eat healthy, protein shakes, watch your calories.

10. I’m not fit, but I can tell you the key: consistency. If you work out consistently and concentrate on the areas that need work, you’ll see results. Also, you can’t out work a bad diet.

11. I substituted exercise for a bad habit. I seek the mental benefits of exercise and the physical ones are just the icing on the cake. I recently took up strength training but before that I jogged in nature, near water bodies etc. After a while there is an undeniable alertness combined with serenity that’s very compelling.

12. Not working out and/or eating badly makes me feel like absolute shit so it’s super easy to be like “I don’t want to feel like shit” and hit the gym, pool, run or whatever

    Maybe I’m lucky but like I don’t get how people can enjoy doing nothing and be okay with being sedentary

13. Only *eat* your calories.

    Do not *drink* your calories. No sugars, no beers, no sodas yes even diet versions, they still mess with your internals.

14. Diet and stretching. If you can keep yourself lean and flexible, you’re going to have a better time when you get older.

15. Upper 40’s and I’ve been the same weight since high school. I don’t over eat, eat relatively healthy food, but don’t follow any of that fad diet bullshit. Workout a few times a week and run 2 or 3 times a week…between 2 and 3 miles. My weakness is beer. Everything in moderation

16. I’m 30 and doc says I’m at 10% body fat, and have the resting heart rate of a twenty year old. I am pretty fit; have good muscle and a visible six pack.

    Main thing is that I’ve taken care of myself since soccer in elementary school. I have basically trained to run/lift/eat healthy since I was like 10 so its a normal part of life.

    I lift and run consistently, eat healthy. Water is my primary liquid to drink. Only supplement I take is a daily multivitamin

    My job is indoors but i swap between sitting and standing every few hours (12 hr shifts), and on breaks I go for a run or walk depending if I brought a change of clothes.

17. I’m 35 and as some other people have said, the key is consistency. The key is how you achieve consistency.

    You can hit the gym and count calories. For most people, that takes a lot of discipline. And while most people think they’re able to be incredibly disciplined….most of us just aren’t. Life will provide a lot of valid excuses to not do something and resisting those is hard.

    So I’d say the key is finding something you enjoy doing. Something that’s not a chore to you. Can be the gym, can be yoga, can be cardio, can be a sport. It doesn’t really matter. If you enjoy doing it, you’ll find time and excuses to do it.

    Diet is important if you eat unhealthy. I can’t say much about it because I always mainly drank water, don’t smoke and basically don’t drink alcohol. So unless I stuff myself with sweets or junk food I’m good. But I’d say it’s the same as with exercise. Find something that works for you instead of going for unsustainable perfection.

18. If you’re just trying to look good naked, weight lifting is the answer.

    If you’re trying to get fit for an endurance sport, it’s a whole different ball game. Strength and endurance are very very different metabolically, and need to be approached as such, but people tend to apply the same approach to training for both. Low intensity cardio (below your aerobic threshold) is absolutely key. You can be relatively general in your aerobic training and strength at first. As it happens, your body tends to be in ketosis after about 12-15 hours of cardio per week regardless of a keto diet so diet is less important when you’re doing this much training. Layer on a little bit of muscular endurance (distinctly different than strength) for whatever muscle groups are relevant for your sport. And then add a touch of sport-specific speed work (high intensity) to get faster for your event.

    Cut out process foods, but also make sure you hit macros. In particular, it’s important to get enough carbs (from healthy sources) to sustain your training load.

19. Almost 30. Exercising 5 days a week and eating one meal a day around 12-2 pm and then not eating after that. Also skin care for my health and weed for my stress

20. Consistency in exercise, diet, and lifestyle.

    Also, don’t overdo it. There is a point of diminishing returns when it comes to fitness. There is no point in training like a professional athlete if you’re not getting paid to be a professional athlete. I know too many blokes in their late 30s and 40s who trained too hard in their 20s and are now essentially broken in some way, shape, or form.

21. No kids, no wife, no stress.
    Man they say i look way younger than what im supposed to.
    Guess i gotta learn to take life as it is.
    I will be here tomorrow although my dreams may not be

22. I’m 48. Never worked out before on any kind of reliable basis. My son is 13 and expressed interest in going to a gym. He attends a private school and they don’t have much in physical education. We’ve been going 5 nights week for an hour for the past 3 months. We usually go around 7:30, after dinner. Kid is dedicated and I’m along for the ride. We mainly do lots of cardio. I’m a bigger guy and haven’t lost much weight since starting, but I haven’t felt this good is 20 years. No longer get tired climbing stairs. A really old knee injury that required surgery has stopped hurting all the time. BP, cholesterol, and borderline diabetic blood sugars have all mostly normalized. It’s now become a routine we don’t even talk about, when 7:30 comes around I just ask if he’s ready and we go. Gym is 5 minutes away, we are home by 9. It’s been great.

23. >Some people claim keto, vegan, yoga, cardio….what do you think is the best approach and what motivates you?

    Any program works as long as you are consistent with it. Just need to find one you enjoy enough to live with because it has to be your lifestyle not something you do temporarily.

    I like the way I feel physically. I like the way that makes me feel about myself. I like being a positive role model and seeing my son commit to his health just like his old man.

    I enjoy getting up early and putting in my cardio and hitting the weights…feeling like I get more done before 7am than most people do all day and, it sets a positive tone for my day. I enjoy coming up with new healthy meal plans. I enjoy watching nutrition/fitness videos. And I enjoy indulging a couple times a week knowing that I earned it.

    Not super swole or jacked, I am not trying out for the NFL, or auditioning for the lead in the next MCU movie. But I am in outstanding health and have zero of the nagging aches/pains most of my peers have. I look good in and out of my clothes, no self image issues – I’d say that’s all a win!

    It’s a journey and you need to learn to love the process and not the destination. Because if you don’t love the process you’ll never get to where you want to go with it.

24. Just quit soda. You’d be surprised how many pounds you can drop just by doing that one thing.

    Also regular exercise, reading, and getting enough sleep.

25. Discipline and consistency.

    There are times when I’m putting in about 40% of what I can at the gym, but I ALWAYS go or do a workout. The consistency makes it so I can go back to putting in 100%.

26. I’m 41. Staying fit is much easier than getting fit, especially as you get older.

    I was in the Army for my 20s and never worked out less than 5x per week, and generally tried to eat fairly healthy.

    Once I got out, it was much, much easier to stay in good shape, even when I was no longer in an organization where physical fitness is heavily stressed.

    I still work out 5-6x per week, but I’m surrounded by other guys in my same age group who work out just as much as I do (if not more), but aren’t even close to the same fitness level, because a lot of them let themselves go over the last few decades and are now trying to play catch up.

    Also be very wary of fitness influencers. Almost all of them are on gear (even though they claim otherwise), or are already wealthy enough that they can devote their entire life to diet and fitness.