I've done roofing and it is really hard on your body regardless of the good condition it puts you in. Sure you can lift 200lbs of shingles up a ladder on your shoulders but your ankles ache 100% of the time and your knees start to click. I only did it for a couple of years at 18 and I regret it to this day. I didn't go and work on big projects it was mostly housing but it wasn't safe at all. Also it isn't anywhere similar to going out for a 30 min run in the park. If it is -10 and you have to get a job done because it is technically not raining or snowing you go out and do it for 8 hours. If it is 140 on the roof of a house and you have to walk up and down it with a pick ripping the roof off you do it for 8 hours. Those conditions happened all the time.
I only did it for a couple of years at 18 and I regret it to this day.
Curious, have you ever talked to a physical therapist? I've learned a lot of the maladies people live with are correctable, even sometimes things that seem permanent. Many running overuse injuries, for example, boil down to muscle weakness, muscle imbalance, or bad posture.
Specifically, look into myofascial release therapy or muscle activation therapy.
Without seeing a therapist, try doing this every day or every few days to elongate your 'posterior chain' and help your posture reset (which will help your knees, ankles, elbows operate under less duress): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BOTvaRaDjI
Physical therapists are not expensive, and most times prescribe a set of exercises to do at home. If your condition is really bad, you might go in for a visit once a month for six months. So you might be out $500, if you have a high deductible plan.
I would also like to point out that if you are over 30, you got something that needs to be fixed that a Physical Therapist can fix. Don't go your whole life in pain or even annoyance.
Roofing (and drywall as well) are not really what I would call "trades." They are basically grunt work jobs that require a minimum of skill and training. Most of the guys I've met who do that work are either very young, illegal, or so screwed up on alcohol or drugs that they can't do much else.
A relative has been a roofer for most of his working life (maybe all), which is very long now. There's a talent to it -- a skilled roofer will provide a roof that never leaks, never sags, never loses a shingle to the wind. This relative is such a roofer. It's awful work and he's had multiple serious injuries, but it's still possible to be really good at it.
There's a bit of an art to finishing off drywall and mudding it in to make everything smooth and nice-looking. The difference between somebody who is good at it and amateur work is significant.
As a DIYer for 8 years 'ish, mudding drywall is an art. Where it might take me 4 or 5 (or 6) to get a good finish on joints or corners, it might take a pro 1 or 2 coats and very minimal if not none sanding in between. Primer and 2 coats of paint won't fill in imperfections greater then an 1/16th in diameter so if you have a lot of imperfections, you'll see it in the finished product.
Let's not even discuss mudding ceilings. The amount of upper body strength needed is amazing, let alone good balance on a ladder.
Yup, just because something can be done by a "grunt" does not mean that there isn't skill required to do it well. My girlfriend just moved into a house that can be best described as "the victim of a flip" and you can immediately see the difference between work was done by a pro and someone who is just banging on the keys.
When my dad & I built a house together. We outsourced the drywall and indoor paint job. Drywall is serious detail work, takes too long to get it right if you haven't done it a bunch.
