That’s just being out of shape.

Like, to a degree, you’re not wrong. Desk jobs, car culture, a lack of free time, it all adds up to bonus aches and pains that a more active person can avoid. But there’s another angle to it, which is simply that you don’t heal from every injury in full. And you don’t heal as quickly or thoroughly once you’ve stopped growing. So your body keeps the score.

A lot of getting older is about avoiding strains as much as keeping in shape. You’re trying to avoid adding new injuries to the pile, because they confound what you exercises you can continue to do and hobble your ability to stay limber and maintain muscle over time.

You see this a lot with people in their 40s and 50s. They’re healthy, they’re strong, they’re going along just fine. And then they get into a car accident. Or they experience some emotional trauma. Or they get a nasty illness. Or anything that puts them in bed for too long. They gain weight. They lose muscle and flexibility. They slow down. And one bad year ages them more than a dozen good ones.

Then you see it again in the 80s and 90s, when a single bad fall will straight up kill you.

Exercise helps, sure. And eating rights. And being on the right medications early on. But everything you’re doing is about dodging that next bullet. Trying to over-exert yourself can be just as dangerous as sitting idle. My grandfather died in his mid-60s after what my grandmother claims he insisted was the best tennis game of his life. Heart gave out in his sleep. My grandmother lived another 30 years, half of them in a wheelchair, until she took a spill trying to get out of bed and cracked her hip.

i was sore and in pain from 12 years old so idk about that

As the Old, I second this, and would like to amplify the idea you have put forth for everyone else.

I spend 5 minutes stretching every morning as my coffee steeps. I always have. I can still put my head behind my ankles, or on my knees, bent in half with my legs extended.

I’m 50 and it shows no sign of getting harder to do. If you’re just getting into it, or trying to regain flex, I’d recommend doing it at night for 5 minutes too. One in the Morning kind of resets your range from sleep, a second at night can extend it.

Don’t “push through pain”!! unless you and a professional pinpoint exactly what it is and agree how to deal with it. That “tight pain” at the edge of your range should just be gently sat up against. As it becomes safe to move through, it will loosen and stop hurting like that. Otherwise, that’s your wall. Lean against it, but don’t push through it or try to break it. It’s made of You. You’ll be breaking through You.

This is something you plan and execute over your whole life, not a quick fix. Please approach your technique and expectations with this in mind. The reward is felt in every aspect of your existence.

Look at this guy, with a healthy enough mental status to even WANT to get out of bed.

I keep hoping that my apartment will be flooded, and I’ll drown in my sleep.

Then I remember I’m on the 5th floor.