A common question people have when training is whether they are too far ‘over the hill’ and if they have enough energy to work out, enjoy a productive day and generally get the most out of life. We all occasionally feel like we have more energy on some days than others, and it is definitely true that when we are younger we have far more energy which does, unfortunately, dwindle as we get older. With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that there are some periods in our life where we are considered to be in our ‘prime’ and when we will notice that ‘its all downhill from here.’
Scientists have reached a broad consensus on when we have the most energy. However, you may be surprised to know there is actually more than one point in a man’s life when he will be at his peak in terms of energy. The first period of peak energy capacity is considered to be around the age of 31. During this time, our hormonal balance is considered to be the most in check, so all the right chemistry is in play to metabolise food correctly, to ensure healthy, restful sleep and to make us feel, on a good day, like we have an unlimited supply of energy. The other reason for this, as scientist have found, is that the stressors of life for a 31 year old actually spur them on into having more energy; this is linked to the old ‘fight or flight’ mechanism inside us. Raising a family, working a high stakes job and having our usual responsibilities put us in a stage of being suitably ‘on edge’ without tipping us over. However, this is not an infinite resource; the body does start a natural ‘wind down’ from here on, as we are effectively a machine and, like most machinery, it begins to slow down and become marginally less efficient once a lot of mileage has gone through it.
The good news, though, is that studies have shown we enjoy somewhat of a resurgence around the age of 55. There are several reasons for this. Our bodies start to acclimatise to having less of a workload and so we feel somewhat more able to deal with what life throws at us. If we were to be given the workload of a 31 year old we would most likely struggle, but as we approach later life, our responsibilities dwindle; kids have typically moved out, we experience job security, the mortgage is nearly paid off and we look forward to retirement. These all create the ideal atmosphere for the body to feel like it can once again take on the world (on less aggressive terms than earlier in life!)
This is all dependent on a few factors, of course. There are a number of things that can throw this metric out. An unhealthy lifestyle is unlikely to cause too much of a problem for someone between the ages of, say, 18 and 30. We can no doubt all remember a heavy night out partying, where we woke up the next morning feeling bright and breezy. But we all remember later in life when being out past 10pm caused us to need about a day’s worth of recovery. The harder you work the body through poor diet, alcohol, smoking or not resting, the quicker you’ll burn out, and by 31, you’ll be feeling it worse than a healthy counterpart.
So whilst 31 and 55 are the times when, on average, we have the most energy, it’s very possible it may naturally be earlier or later, and may last longer or not as long. As always, a positive outlook, healthy lifestyle and stress and anxiety management will ensure you feel like you have more energy for longer.
