AggieOO said:
hard for me to answer this question. If you are comparing me against the average 40 year old in america, i'm probably a 9.5/10, but if you put me on the AggieOO scale, I'm probably at about a 7. Which is kind of weird to say looking a the time I put in. I'm probably putting in ~15+ hours a week between running, riding, and the gym.
I have the endurance, I just can't get back down to my "peak" weight, so that affects my speed a lot. I know what the problem is...I like food, specifically mexican food, way too much. And beer. I drink less often than I use to, but I tend to like big, malty beers, which = lots of calories.
That said, I've never smoked a cigarette or dipped in my life. I very, very rarely get sick. And overall, I have no health issues currently. I haven't had a running injury in about a decade that has be serious enough to take off more than a day or two...unless you count an acute injury from a fall that happened during a race. And people are generally pretty surprised when they find out how old I am.
Your post spoke to me. I'm the female version of this...will be 40 in a few weeks. I'm probably in the best health of my life (which doesn't equate to the lowest weight, BTW). My annual bloodwork and other health-related screenings I get done at work have come back perfect the past few years. I've never smoked or tried any type of drug. I got rid of my (absolutely debilitating) migraines by giving up caffeine. I'm exercising more (~8 or more hours a week) and get told all the time that I look like I'm in my early 30s. Aside from IBS-type symptoms, which kind of has me frustrated right now, I have nothing to complain or worry about. I haven't taken a sick day in over 6 years (may even be over 8 years).
But, I have a bad habit of comparing myself to other people. I think for women this is especially tough. I see women my age who are in much worse shape, but I also see those who appear to be in much better shape - specifically they don't have the lower-abdominal "pooch" that I just can't seem to get rid of.
And despite trying to eat healthy, I like wine and bread and cheese (although, I've cut way back on the carbs the past few weeks).
Speaking as a woman, I think we've lost sight of what a healthy woman should look like. Too much photo shop; you don't even know what's real anymore. It's hard for me to objectively know if I'm "healthy" (at least from a physical standpoint). And plastic surgery is so much more accessible/affordable, it seems like a lot more people are turning to that, which further distorts what's "real" (mostly mommy makeovers and breast implants, but it's very prevalent among the women where I live).
With that said, approaching 40, I've realized my body is changing. There are certain activities that really wear me out, and I take longer to recover. There are things that permanently changed (for better and for worse) after pregnancy and childbirth. But, overall, I'd say I'm an 8 if I grade how I feel on a day to day basis. I definitely feel better now than I did 6 or 7 years ago.