Hard and physically demanding is rather subjective and you likely won’t get a very definitive answer. I think that is a highly variable and personal question.
To the question posed to Randy, what you do or don’t do in your 30s, 40s and 50s will become evident. Pay the piper now or later. When I was in my early 30s my fitness was slipping rapidly as I allowed work and family demands to dominate my life without making time for fitness.
At about 35, I made a conscious decision to reverse that and began running again. A lot. I got in great shape, lost 30 pounds, could hike all day…..but then the chronic injuries started cropping up. Over the next 8 years I began increasing the strength training I did. Injuries decreased and physical performance did not.
Fast forward to today. Three days a week I do a short (20 minute) HIIT workout with kettlebells. You could easily do this at home. At first, I was reluctant to try it. My norm was a 60-75 minute weight workout, that was what I knew and it worked. I’ve been doing this KB workout for almost three years now.
Push day, pull day, run day, total body day. Hunt or mountain bike over the weekend. We hike the dogs 2-3 miles 4-5x times a week. The fitness level I’ve been able to maintain really surprised me in a very good way. I’ve watched my same age friends slow much quicker than I am.
Father Time has no mercy. Invest in your health now or you’ll regret it later.
