I "cheated" some by getting in shape in my mid-thirties and never getting terribly out of shape after that. Also a bit blessed in not having knees and hips that wore out prematurely in spite of a lot of running and road races back in the day. Half my age peer friends seem to be sporting artificial joints and they didn't do anything after playing HS sports yet were the ones telling me running would hobble me.
I had a conversation a lot like this recently. "Running destroys your knees!"
Ok. Tell me about the people you know. How many have very bad joint issues? People with knee, hip, and back pain.
Now tell me how many of those people ran a lot. None?
The folks who are having the issues are wildly over weight and won't put down the smoke long enough to even think about a workout
Since moving back to the Midwest it's shocking how many people I see hunched over or who can barely walk.