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Gay fitness for fabulous gays over 40
The older we get, the harder it is to stay hard . . . our pecs, that is! We’ve mixed up our exercise routine, and it’s working. So, we thought we’d share our 5 gay fitness tips for gay men in their 40s. Wellness is just 1 of 5 building blocks of a happy gay life, get the 5 Building Blocks of a Happy Gay Life here.
Gay fitness for men 40, 50 and over
It wasn’t long ago in the club-thumping 2000s when we joined our people in a shirtless display of diva-house abandon. As the decade waned, we got too old for that to be our main merrymaking. Work and life happened and working out six days a week turned into working out six days a year.
We’re now in our 40s and Linda Evans* has been telling us since puberty that “40 isn’t fatal.”
We argue that most of GenXers have chosen our physical states. With advancements in technology and medicine and our greater understanding of anatomy and physiology, all the sexy excuses we manufacture don’t negate the fact that we have no reason to let ourselves go.
We’re not clinging to the gay fitness of our 20s like an aging pop star. We just want to be in the top 20% of our cohort. That’s why we only buy organic, fair trade and gluten-free food that never touches a peanut – or not.
That’s, also, why we kicked our workout intensity up higher than Sally O’Malley can kick. It hasn’t been easy, but we’ve seen good results.
Gay fitness tips on Queer Money®:
1. Superset weight-bearing exercise
Muscle weighs more than fat and bodies that weigh the same look better when they’re more muscle than fat. So, gain more muscle and don’t worry about having too much. For most men in their 40s, too much isn’t possible when it comes to muscles.
We’re doing high-impact weight training for one hour a day, four days a week. This is helping us gain muscle and muscle strength. We started with low weights and are now using medium to heavyweights.
Because our legs are our biggest muscles, we’re lifting legs two of those four days a week. One day, we do arms and shoulders. The last day, we do lats and traps. We superset each exercise, so we never rest long.
In between each superset, we run as fast as we can on the treadmill for one minute and then walk slowly on the treadmill for another minute. This keeps our resting heart rate up during our one-hour, intense exercise.
High-impact weight training reduces the risk of injury, both exercise-induced and otherwise. It’s, also, making us metabolic. This means our caloric burn is increasing even when we’re in a resting state.
So, lift weights, and do yoga and palates with a room full of hotties and check out the bodies until you’re satisfied.
2. Stay consistent with both diet and exercise
There was a time in our 20s when we were more twinks than Twinkies and could “snap back into shape” in two weeks. Now that we’re in our 40s and want to resume our fabulous gay fitness bodies, getting back into shape requires more than a two-week attention span.
Consistency is key. We do some form of exercise six days a week, come hell or high heels (some would say that’s six of one, half-dozen of the other).
3. Double-team your gay fitness – get a workout buddy
Like sex and life, exercise is better with a partner, though neither of us would advocate for giving up solo satisfaction.
When our alarm goes off at 4:30 am, it’s easier getting up knowing that the other is getting up, too. It’s easier to bundle up to go outside during the winter when the other is getting dressed to go outside and brave the cold, too.
Having a workout buddy keeps us motivated during our 60-minute exercise regime. It makes it easier to work out harder, and harder is always better. Both of us can easily phone in a workout. When we work out together, one picks up the other when the other’s slack.
4. Control your cortisol levels
Cardio is great, but the older we get, the more we must exercise in moderation. Rarely would we tell another man not to push it hard, but because of our propensity for increased production of Cortisol with increased cardio when we age, it’s important to not push cardio too hard.
That means long bike rides, long runs, long times in a humid, body sweat-infused exercise room with a dozen other fellow gay fitness fanatics should not be overdone. Intense cardio may have worked when we were kids, but during our adult years, these same exercises increase our stress levels more than we need.
Staying consistent with our diet is really important for us because that complements our exercise. We want to be eating high-nutrition foods. Foods that really fuel what we’re doing with our bodies. - David of Debt Free GuysClick To TweetStress increases the production of cortisol in our bodies. Cortisol converts blood sugar into fat and fat is the enemy of gay fitness. Cortisol is a bitch for us, but it helped our cave brothers when they had to run from real bears.
5. Get enough good sleep
On the flip side, lack of sleep causes a shortage of serotonin. When we’re stressed or tired, we want comfort. What’s the easiest way to feel comfortable? Comfort food!
The reason we want that breakfast donut, a plate of spaghetti and dessert cake is that high-fat and high-carb foods produce serotonin that makes us tired. This should cause us to sleep more, except that white, processed sweet stuff makes it hard to catch 40 winks and lose 40 pounds.
Linda Evans was right. Please support Linda Evans.
50-minute, 50-something intense fitness plan
Repeat 5 times:
- 5-minutes of intense cardio
- running around the block, climbing stairs, skipping rope, jumping jacks
- 25 pushups
- 25 crunches
- 25 squats (weighted or not)
- 25 lunges – works the glutes, which we love, and balance
3 ways to give your workouts some help
1. Don’t give yourself an excuse to not hit the gym
Hit the gym at home with the exercise program above when needed. You can put in a full workout at home for those days you don’t want to hop in the car and hit the gym with a room full of people you don’t know.
2. Stretch your muscles and your mind with yoga
If you’re lifting heavy and heard, you want to stay limber. A great way to do that is yoga or basic calisthenics.
3. Eat healthy to get more out of your workouts
If you’re putting in all that time and energy for a good workout, don’t sabotage yourself with a bad diet because, especially as we get older, our diet has a greater effect on our fitness than most anything else.
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Resources from this gay fitness episode:
- 5 Building Blocks of a Happy Gay Life
- 7 Cost-Conscious DIY Grooming Tips on Queer Money® EP259
- CreditWise
- The Happy, Healthy, Wealthy Gay Men’s Toolbox
- Debt Free Guys on Facebook
- Debt Free Guys on Twitter
- Queer Money Facebook Group
- Queer Money on Instagram
- Queer Money on YouTube
- Subscribe on iTunes
- Email [email protected]
Get more resources for gay fitness:
We’re David and John Auten-Schneider, the Debt Free Guys and hosts of the Queer Money® podcast. We help queer people (and allies) live fabulously not fabulously broke by helping them 1) pay off credit card debt, 2) become part- or full-time entrepreneurs and 3) save and invest for retirement.
Thanks so much for posting this. I often find myself not fitting in to the “conventional” gay blogs or even groups. I don’t support victimhood, nor do I feel we should be coerced into thinking or voting just one way. I find myself to be pretty open minded and free thinking when it comes to politics and am more concerned with self sufficiency and self reliance when it comes to money and life in general. I’ve worked really hard to become and remain debt free. It’s been a way of life for me and one I don’t regret. Keep up the good work!
I have always tried to find a 50+ trainer to guide me through my regiment of fitness. Being a Military Army VET of 26 years, the pounding has taken a toll on my body where the 20-30 year old personal trainer has no clue. I have google and FB to find them and nothing. Any help?
Thanks for the article. I loved it
I’ve been searching for a home dvd fitness & stretching course. Gay themed of course cuz that’s more fun. Any ideas?