[stavros]

I've noticed that the difference between 30 and 40 isn't the level of performance I have, but how quickly performance drops when I stop exercising. In my 30s, I could just not go to the gym for months, and I'd be fine. Now, if I don't go for a few weeks, stuff starts aching.

[MontyCarloHall]

This is very true, which is why consistency is so key. I think the reason so many people perceive their health falling off in their 40s is that this is when the cumulative weight of increasing life responsibilities (kids, career advancement, caring for elder relatives, etc.) really hits hard, making it more and more difficult to find time/energy for regular exercise.

[vitro]

True. But you can also be smart about it, and it doesn't have to be something that takes your whole afternoon. 15 minutes of home exercise instead of media scrolling, and at the end of the week, it is 1:45, at the end of the month 7:45 that you've done something. Or just a simple door frame exercise bar where you do a pushup or two now and then. These small things add up. Or to go with friends to play football or my friend started to run, they made a Sunday morning running group. To end with what you've begun, regularity is the key.

[QuercusMax]

I've managed to build a significant amount of muscle mass just from doing stretchy-band PT exercises to deal with shoulder pain. 10-15 minutes nearly every day makes a big difference. I've also started developing some serious leg muscles just from walking up and down stairs in my 2-story house (+basement) and around my mildly hilly neighborhood.

I drive as little as possible; I went on a 1200 mile road trip last weekend and I'm still paying for so much sitting.