Oops, I Did It Again: Staying Active in Your 40s Without Breaking a Hip
- Hillary Huyghue-Matias
- Nov 25, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
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There’s a special kind of betrayal that happens after 40. Your body, once a quiet companion in all your adventures, suddenly transforms into a vocal and confrontational opponent.. If you haven't yet come to terms with the inevitable reality that your body is changing and believe you can still block, bounce, and bend like you did at 25, you might be in for a rude and perhaps painful awakening.
One day, you decide to share memories of your volleyball glory days with a group of energetic twenty-somethings, who then invite you to join them for a game on a Sunday afternoon. Game day arrives and you think, why not? After all, you're not trying out for the Olympics, just some friendly spikes and serves, right? You manage to hit a few balls and are even able to showcase some of your high school volleyball skills feeling surprisingly good about it.
Suddenly, a twenty-something-year-old jock from the opposite team serves the ball, and it flies so high into the sky that the sun blinds you if you try to look directly at it. The ball is headed your way. This is your chance to show these young players that you've still got it. The fact that a passerby might mistake you for the team’s chaperone instead of an actual player doesn’t faze you. Adrenaline starts rushing through your veins, and you leap, in what seems to be 59 feet in the air with the intention of spiking the ball. Then something unexpected happens. In what seems like a scene from a cheesy ‘second chance at life’ do-over movie, you appear to almost step outside of yourself and watch the scene unfold in slow motion right before your eyes. You feel like you’re gliding on a drone, like the Green Goblin in the final fight scene of the first Spider-Man movie, and you now have an aerial view of your life as it’s playing out. In reality, you’ve only jumped about 5 inches into the air and the only place that gravity will take you is straight to the ground so you have to let it run its course. Unfortunately, you miss the ball completely, and to make matters worse, you fall flat on your face. Your back, breaking its silence, firmly declares, "That’s all folks! Game over."
Photo By: Kaboompics.com
If this real-life true story sounds painfully familiar, you're not alone. While you're recuperating and reading this post, a bit of Salonpas and a Tens machine might help to ease the pain for now.
The sad reality is that the mind might feel young, but the body doesn’t always agree. So, does that mean you should trade in your sneakers for orthopedic slippers? Of course not! As we all know, staying active as you get older is key to aging gracefully and avoiding the dreaded hip-breaking incident when bending down to tie your shoe. With that in mind, here are three tips to stay active that won't require a trip to urgent care due to delusions of dunking like Michael Jordan (even though you couldn't do that when you were young).
1. Find Your Low-Impact Groove
I totally get it—high-energy activities are thrilling! But here’s the reality: our joints may not appreciate the same jumps and slides we once pulled off at 20. Instead, look for alternatives that deliver a solid workout without the risk of injury.
Have you thought about trying activities like swimming, biking, or even brisk walking? For example, swimming can burn around 400 calories per hour while being gentle on the joints and not having your knees cry out for help afterward. Biking can provide an excellent cardio workout and improve your cardiovascular health. Imagine this — you’re taking a leisurely 30-minute ride through the park, your amber (or maybe now silver) locks are blowing in the wind and you can can feel your heart rate slowly rising. You close your eyes and feel the sudden adrenaline rush of youthful energy return to you.
Just because you might be older than Google doesn't mean you have to give up your favorite sports. You can still have fun playing volleyball without feeling like you need to jump to spike the ball. Or you can break a sweat playing basketball without trying to dunk. Remember, there's plenty of life ahead, and there's nothing you need to prove.
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2. Workout Buddy: The Champagne of Motivation
Let's be real: staying motivated is about as easy as baking a batch of cookies and saying you'll eat just one. Enter the workout buddy—your secret weapon for staying accountable and having some fun at the same time. Research says that working out with a buddy can boost your commitment to a fitness routine by up to 70%. Find someone who also wants to avoid the "oops, I pulled a muscle" club and invite them to join in on your fitness journey!
Bringing a friend along not only helps you stay focused but also adds fun and laughter to your workouts. For example, a fantastic low-impact sport to try together is pickleball. It's a blend of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong, played on a smaller court with a paddle and a lightweight plastic ball. It's easy on the joints, has a moderate intensity, and is perfect for groups with skill levels ranging from "I got this" to "Oops, missed again!" Sharing the laughs (and mishaps) with someone definitely makes the experience more enjoyable.
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3. Listen to Your Body (Before It Starts Shouting)
If you’ve managed to stay injury-free in your 40s, kudos to you! But it's time to swallow a bitter truth: your body will inevitably start speaking up. Pay attention to those little twinges and discomforts. Ignoring them could lead to bigger problems down the road.
A great way to boost your flexibility and lower your chances of getting hurt is to add some stretching and mobility exercises to your routine. Studies show that regular stretching can improve flexibility by up to 15%. This can mean the difference between signing up for a couch to 5K and ending up doing a couch to stretcher in the ER.
Try modifying your workout strategy as well. Rather than lifting heavy weights with fewer repetitions, try using lighter weights with more reps. This method helps you build strength without the risk of overdoing it. It's similar to tuning an instrument—aim to create harmonious music, not make your joints sound like popcorn popping on the stove.
Staying Active and in One Piece
To my fellow 40-somethings, here's the bottom line: while it's fun to reminisce about our 20-something glory days, we must be realistic about our bodies' newfound limitations. Stay active by seeking low-impact activities, engaging a workout buddy for motivation, and being attuned to your body’s signals. And while having fun is important, so is taking care of our bodies to avoid being confined to the couch, popping painkillers like candy, and binge-watching Netflix because we pushed our bodies past their limit.
So, here's to a vibrant, active lifestyle—and no broken bones!
What do you do to stay active? See you on the court...or better yet, in the next post!
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