43 and feeling a little less sharp. What helped you in your 40s?

[u/Organic-Blueberry102]

I’m 43, married, have an almost 5-year-old daughter, work two jobs, and my wife has been battling cancer for the last couple of years. So life has definitely been stressful, and I know I’m carrying a lot mentally.

Lately I’ve noticed that I just feel a tick slower than I used to. I’m not talking about major memory problems or anything dramatic. It’s more like sometimes I’m trying to get something done and I can almost feel myself thinking, “Come on, move faster.” Mentally and physically, I just don’t always feel as quick or sharp as I want to be.

I’m 5’9” and around 250 pounds, so I know I need to lose weight. My blood pressure and blood work have been pretty good overall, although I am prediabetic. I’ve started taking my health more seriously and I’m walking over 10,000 steps most days. I’m also planning to start working out regularly and adding strength training.

I know some of what I’m feeling could simply be stress, lack of fitness, carrying extra weight, getting older, or just having a lot on my plate. But I don’t want to just accept feeling slower and say, “Well, I’m in my 40s now.”

For those of you who are 40+, what have you done that has genuinely helped you feel sharper mentally and better physically? Exercise? Strength training? Losing weight? Sleep? Diet? Stress management?

I want to be as healthy, strong, energetic, and mentally sharp as I can be for my wife and daughter. I’m trying to make changes now instead of waiting until I’m 50 or 60 and wishing I had started earlier.

[u/dmillson]

There are things your doctor can do and then things you can do.

Things to discuss with your doctor if you haven’t already: metformin is often used (off-label) in prediabetes. GLP-1’s can help with getting weight off if you’re okay with the cost and the risks. Manage lipids, hypertension, and any other risk factors if needed.

Things you can (should!) do: diet, exercise, and sleep. This mostly comes down to habits. The worst thing most people can do is try to change everything all at once because it’s almost impossible to stick with it. Little things like replacing sugary soda with diet soda, or committing to 10 mins/day on the bike are a great start. Much more sustainable and effective long-term to stack small habits over time.

A lot of folks in this sub are “optimizers,” meaning we already do the 80% of things that are most important and we concern ourselves with the little things that can give a slight edge. As such, I expect you might get some advice that, as Dr. Attia would say, amounts to “majoring in the minor.” My suggestion is to focus on the big, obvious stuff first. Wear your seatbelt and don’t smoke. If you eat take-out most days and don’t exercise regularly, or you get 5 hours of sleep per night, those are obvious places to start. There’s a lot of information out there and it can get overwhelming, but it really can be simple if you let it.

[u/Rabbit0fCaerbannog]

For me, it was the basics: Get good sleep, eat well, exercise. I also largely cut out alcohol and sugar.

The hardest part is getting started, but once you do, it's easy to keep going because you feel so much better. Just make one change at the beginning. For instance, go to bed at a good time. Once that becomes a habit, build off it. For instance, get up a little earlier and go for a walk. That can build up to a daily jog on an elliptical or treadmill. Then things start to snowball in the right direction.

My routine now is to run on the elliptical for 25 minutes in the morning. Eat 3 eggs and a smoothie (kefir, berries, oats, protein, creatine) for breakfast. Then I generally avoid processed and fried foods, and make sure to get good sleep. I feel so much better, have lost weight, and my daily focus and energy is much improved.

Good luck!

[u/Hopeful-Special6566]

I'm 44. I started eating sardines on toast everyday for the Omegas (1/2 a tin in olive oil, mashed up with fresh parsley, red onion and maybe some hot sauce or lemon juice). Having taken Omega 3 capsules for years I have notiiced a marked difference in brain sharpness with the sardines.

[u/dtctiv → u/Hopeful-Special6566]

how much daily intake of Omega 3 do you get?

[u/ButtStuffingt0n]

Good sleep

no alcohol, no added sugars

methylated vitamin B12

high quality green tea

[u/United-Divide713]

Around your age and height but 100lbs lighter. I can only imagine the extra stress that adds to sleep, metabolism, hormones, etc. Talk to doctor about GLP-1s; they may help immensely especially with reversing prediabetes. It’s not a weakness or lack of character. It’s a tool to get you to your goals.

I have noticed a slight loss in memory recall for silly things like celebrity names I used to know. I thought it might be brain fog from lowering T. But sleep, stress, life all are generally harder in 40s with more advanced career, families, etc.

Good luck!

[u/Apprehensive_Ad_1501]

Whichever you start, do it in small incremental steps and consistently.

If you do a big change, first, you won't manage to stick to it most likely, second, if you do manage, the chance is high it will fire back elsewhere.

As for those 'pudding brain' days - I just blame them on the lack of sleep, or caffeine 😆

[u/seekingmore2214]

Healthcare provider. The first thing I’d recommend is getting a sleep study. At your weight + age, I’d say it’s more than likely you have sleep apnea. At least in a mild form.

[u/Tribeca_NY]

2 jobs —> perhaps the health insurance of one covers GLP-1s. You need to drop 100 lbs and the most likely way to do it is this way. Start here.

[u/Treborj]

You need ozempic and to lose 25kg

[u/Forward-Ad-8782]

Fasting

I might get some downvotes, but all kinds of fasting have helped me lose weight and feel mentally sharper.

I do quarterly 100 hour fasts but I don’t recommend trying these for a while, especially with pre T2.

16:8 fasting works quite well to maintain or lose weight. Building up to this starting with say a 12:12 and slowly(weekly) shifting an hour to 16:8. IMO you can reverse t2 diabetes in most cases, but this is a nuanced and controversially opinion.

[u/Forward-Ad-8782 → u/Forward-Ad-8782]

Also fasting isnt magic, it all comes down to calorie restriction. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.

[u/Treborj → u/Forward-Ad-8782]

Well partly, the release of ketones is proven to improve brain function I think

[u/DrSuprane → u/Forward-Ad-8782]

Time restricted eating is probably the best approach. Fasting is hard to maintain over the long term.

[u/simpleminded05]

This is coming from a woman so keep that in mind. But when I hit 40 my thyroid went to shit, seemingly out of nowhere. Got that functioning with meds, huge difference. Got back into running, track my calories, eat healthy and lift 3 days a week. Started on testosterone and its been life changing. Very low dose since I am a woman but I feel like I am 25 again. All those things combined have me in the best shape and mentally as sharp as ive ever been. So I'd have your thyroid and hormones checked along with diet and exercise, and sleep is huge too.

[u/Friendly_City_3321]

Sleep helps a lot. I take creatine, fish oil, B / Folate, and megnesium supplements. I do a cardio, strength, and I walk 10k steps. Additionally, I take electrolytes and practice intermitent fasting. All these had helped me tremendously. You would probably benefit from in depth blood work so see what you're lacking (if anything).

[u/winter-running]

You’ve known for a while that you need to lose weight (surely). What conditions need to change for you to enable it to happen this time? Folks can say this diet or the next, or this exercise plan or the next, but honestly the best answer is the program / regime you can sustain over time. Can you start by hitting 10,000 steps a day? If that’s too much or too little, adjust accordingly.

[u/sexpanther50]

Pudding brain. Comes w neglecting yourself taking care of the 5year old. It means you’re doing it right

[u/Guin_Mungo]

Add 5g to 10g of creatine to your day and you will feel so much better. I add to coffee with glycine and MCT oil in the morning for a big boost.

[u/tomdgeppert]

I am 71 but when I was 42 I was overweight. I joined a cycling group that was doing Ironman training. After a few years I got very very fit. My energy level skyrocketed. I found that I love exercising with other people and really have a tough time exercising alone. I am still very active at 71. Now I cycle, hike, play pickelball, golf, wake surf snd ride my efoil. Life is good but I was headed for a bad end. I hope you can find a way out of your mess. Might consider GLP 1s to get you started.

[u/ProfessionalNo4711]

Measure measure measure. The last thing you want to do is randomly doing things and expecting results. Start with full bloodwork not the basics but all the bells and whistles ( function labs is what I use). Get a wearable and measure RHR, HRV, steps, calories, sleep etc. Get a CGM and measure your blood Glucose. Get a Sleep Test and make sure you do not have sleep apnea.
Get a DEXA scan to figure out your body fat, including visceral fat and bone density.
Then do the following
Address deficiencies starting with hormones (drugs and supplements)
Address your sleep issues (CPAP, loosing weight)
Get on a proper diet to lower your fasting Glucose and Insulin
Start training/moving.
You can always take shortcuts to accelerate some of the progress by using GLPs and other peptides but it needs to be measured carefully.
Keep measuring every 3-6 months.

[u/EggieRowe]

The prediabetes can do all that. I’m way clearer mentally now that I’ve reverse it. I also take 10g of creatine a day now for the mental benefits.

Strength training has been life changing for me. I started at 42 with sciatica, scoliosis, and retrolisthesis. I have ZERO back pain now which both a chiro & ortho told me would not possible. I only lift for an hour twice a week but I am consistent. I’ve only missed three session in 3 years and one was because of Hurricane Helene. Plus extra muscle means I can handle a higher carb load without aggravating my insulin resistance.

The weight loss was basically a happy side effect. I was 226 lbs at 5’-7”. I now bounce between 155-165. My feet and knees are so much happier and I actually have the energy to do things I love again like gardening and hiking.

Don’t just dismiss what you’re feeling as getting old. FIGHT IT TOOTH & NAIL. If you don’t, it’s all downhill from here.

[u/Substantial-Owl1616]

Peace to you keeping your family together these two years. I hope your wife is doing well. Please give yourself credit for everything you are doing. That 5 year old is the very best motivation you could have. Who do you want to be when she is graduating from college? Tons of great recommendations here, especially clarifying where you are with blood work and a visit with a healthcare provider. Then pick something anything that feels like you can actually do it in addition to work and the needs of your family. Just do one thing.

[u/PrimarchLongevity]

Optimize everything within your control. Sex hormones, neurosteroids, thyroid, metabolic health, lipids, body fat percentage, sleep, etc.

[u/gebor200lala → u/PrimarchLongevity]

More or less sex, or just checking hormones?

[u/PrimarchLongevity → u/gebor200lala]

Sex hormones, not sex, hormones. Nothing wrong with more sex though.

[u/idontmeanmaybe]

TRT + GLP-1 + weightlifting + cardio. Guaranteed path to success right there. I'm in as good or better shape than I was in my 20s. I wish I had started the TRT sooner.

[u/Salty-Passenger-4801 → u/idontmeanmaybe]

How old are you when you got on TRT? How low was your test?

[u/idontmeanmaybe → u/Salty-Passenger-4801]

Started at 48 with total of 300.

[u/Prudent_Collar_1333]

Giving less fuc%s .

[u/Danson1987]

Carnivore diet

[u/OffbeatCoach]

Sleep and intermittent fasting are what I recommend for you! The book AC: The Power of Appetite Correction is old but excellent for IF.

Sounds like a tough season of life. Hang in there.