Nutritional toolbox

A guy in his 20’s often feels ten feet tall and bulletproof. After around 40 though, he realizes that he’s only 5′ 10″ and mildly flame retardant. Nutrition mistakes in the past might begin to catch up with him.
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There’s a common misfire in the young lifter’s brain: he thinks he can always eat the same way and get optimal results. In reality, he may be just “getting away with it” temporarily. As your body ages and your life changes, so should your diet. At 40 you’re not eating for a 20 year-old’s physiology and lifestyle anymore. There’s a word for guys who try to do that: chubby.
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Maybe it’s stress, maybe it’s all those extra responsibilities interfering with your workouts, or maybe it’s just a body that’s getting older and slowly accumulating minor problems. Don’t visualize 20 year-old you when you plan your nutrition. Your life is a bit different now. That usually means you’re going to have to tighten things up, diet-wise.
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Same for supplements. Maybe you didn’t need that “edge” before, but you sure do now. And a funny thing happens after the age of 40: You start to think about the length and quality of your life, not just about how big or strong you are. Maybe all you cared about before was a “pre-workout” to frazzle your brain for leg day. Now you’re thinking about not contracting some preventable disease by age 55.
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Fill your toolbox with different training and diet strategies. When your favorite tool doesn’t work anymore (or the damn thing goes missing), you’ll have plenty of other options.