Instagram – On the road @midlifechic
(PR trip) We almost said no. An invitation from @moresailing to a week’s sailing in Croatia, four cabins on one boat, a week living alongside people we’d never met, and the worry that a shared holiday means giving up your freedom
It turned out to be the opposite. We sailed together every day with people who were strangers on the Saturday and felt like friends by the Wednesday. The company was there whenever we wanted it.
And then, every evening, it wasn’t - in a good way. We docked somewhere new and had dinner, just the two of us.
I’d half expected to have to choose between people and privacy. You don’t. This, I think, is a great way to travel in midlife - enough company to feel part of something but with enough time to be yourself.
Our 5 days aboard was gifted by @moresailing and as always every word here is my own.
Have you ever found yourself travelling with strangers and loving it?
#gifted #midlifetravel #sailingholiday #croatia #midlifeadventures
I wear bright colour nearly every day, it’s just who I am so I forget it can seem bold until someone comes up to tell me that she’d love to but she wouldn’t dare.
Often she’ll explain that she reaches for navy instead or beige because they make her feel safe and won’t draw looks.
I understand that. Safe feels sensible.
But then she’ll often add, almost in the same breath, that she feels invisible now. That she walks down the street and nobody sees her any more.
I don’t think those two things are a coincidence. When you dress not to be noticed you tend to get your wish and that can actually be lonelier than it sounds.
This is what I say to anyone - if you’re feeling that you’re fading away try a bright colour and do it now while it’s summer because summer makes it easy.
One bright dress and you’re done with no colour to layer through tights and boots and jumpers and bags. Add a bit of sun and bare arms and it just looks like you, enjoying yourself.
The difference it makes has nothing to do with looking nice, it’s a lot more.
If I wear bright clothes people smile at me and start chatting. Colour seems to indicate that you’re warm and open before you’ve said a word. It can turn a lonely day into a vibrant one.
You’ve got all summer to try it. Think of one bright colour that you’ve always loved but never quite dared to wear. Tell me what it is below and I’ll talk you into it.
#ageisstyle #styleover50 #colourover50 #womenover50 #summerstyle
Ask someone what “too much” actually means and they can’t quite tell you, which is the first clue that it isn’t a real rule
I still own this navy and I still love it. The problem is never one safe outfit, it’s when safe takes over your whole wardrobe without you noticing.
Toning yourself down does work. It works up until the day that you feel invisible.
A brighter shade of blue is the easiest way to start. It isn’t about being looked at, it’s about not disappearing.
If colour’s been on your mind, summer is the time to try it for two reasons
In winter a bright colour has to coordinate with lots of other layers. In summer it’s a top and one other thing or just a dress. It’s easy.
Bare arms and legs break t
(Not an ad, just a personal recommendation)
I love a luxury lipstick as much as anyone else but this is such good value that I can keep one in every handbag I own.
I’ve been wearing it for years, it’s the sort of coral that flatters you when you’re tired and warms everything up without any effort.
It’s L’Oréal Color Riche Satin in Magnetic Coral 373 - it works for days when I’m feeling a bit drab or if a simple navy outfit needs a boost.
It’s the easiest pick-me-up I know which is why I keep one in every bag - you can find it in most supermarkets and in Boots.
Save, don’t splurge.
Let me know if you’ve ever found a bargain beauty product that works as well as a designer one
#Midlifechic #Over60 #ColorRiche #CoralLipstick #SaveDontSplurge
Last week over 3 different reels I shared the detail of how I’ve kept my weight steady through my fifties (the question I’m asked more than any other on Instagram).
What everyone’s asked for next is what I actually eat, so here it is, along with a wrap-up of the whole series.
First things first: I’m not a nutritionist. This is simply the method that works for me.
I keep things protein rich, around 135g spread across three meals, on a balanced plate built from plenty of veg and a small portion of low-GI carbs.
I only drink alcohol when I’m out socially - I know it sounds odd to a lot of people but I don’t need it to relax at home.
I balance the eating with moving: strength training to keep my metabolism up, cardio to burn off some of what I’ve eaten, and a daily walk with Ted who gives me no say in it.
And every single night, six squares of dark chocolate to look forward to.
The last important point is periodisation. I have a weekend off every month where I completely let my hair down. And I make sure there’s always something up ahead in my calendar that I want to feel my best for.
None of it’s about deprivation or counting calories. That’s where the ongoing size 12 goal rather than a number on the scales comes in. If I aimed for a 10 or an 8 the fun would have to go too, so I’d rather keep the balance and keep something I can actually live with.
So how do you manage to balance it all? Share your tips - as midlife women we can learn from each other how to get along in the changing bodies we find ourselves in.
#midlifechic #midlifewomen #menopauseweight #intuitiveeating #bodyconfidence
I’ve missed this boy terribly during the year he’s been living in Spain.
When they were little I had this idea that as soon as my boys were 18 there would be a magic switch that would flick and I wouldn’t worry about them any more. They’d go into their lives and I’d go into mine… just like that.
But then I discovered that the worries sometimes get bigger when they’re not under your roof. And I realised just how much I love their company too.
It’s a bittersweet thing watching them fly isn’t it? You’re so proud of the people they’ve become and yet you miss them. So much.
Anyway, I’m delighted to have this one settling back into the nest again… now I have two at home… for a while…
Welcome home my boy ❤️
#midlife #midlifechic #ageisstyle #motherhood #emptynest
Long before the wardrobe and the blog, in 2013 there was a village hall and weight I’d been carrying since 2003.
I lost it slowly with a room full of women who all understood and I’ve kept it off for 13 years, not by magic, but by quietly balancing what I eat against how much I move and catching it early when it slides.
It isn’t effortless. If I go away for a fortnight, half a stone comes home with me. So I aim for 80% sensible and 20% unrepentant, I take a proper weekend off once a month and I keep something special on the horizon that I want to feel good for which beats starving myself in the weeks before a holiday and calling it discipline.
I’m not a dietician and I’m not selling you anything. This is simply what’s worked for my ordinary life. If you’ve found the thing that works for you I’d love to know what it is.
I’m back Monday with what I eat, then on Tuesday I’ll put this whole series into one saveable post for you to keep.
#midlifechic #midlifewomen #menopauseweight #intuitiveeating #bodyconfidence
This is the most useful thing I ever did for my body: I chose the size I wanted to be for the rest of my life and then stopped negotiating with myself about it.
The choice of a dress size rather than a weight is key. It gives me a bit of scope to let my hair down for a while but then rein it back in when I need to.
I went with a UK size 12, deliberately not the smallest I could manage because I wanted a size with room to live in… the puddings and the holidays and the not-measuring everything.
Too thin and I’d spend my life constantly maintaining it. This size lets me have a life I enjoy and the clothes I’ve already invested in.
Your number isn’t my number and that’s entirely the point, there’s no right size… only the one that’s right for you.
The magic isn’t the figure on the label it’s the deciding and the peace that comes once you’ve done it.
Next part tomorrow at six: how I began
#midlifechic #midlifewomen #menopauseweight #intuitiveeating #bodyconfidence
The question I’ve been asked most since I started sharing this midlife refresh of mine, is how I’ve stayed relatively slim. And tucked inside that question, nine times out of ten, is the assumption that it must come easily to me.
It really doesn’t. It isn’t luck or a fast metabolism, there’s nothing I can sell you. It’s a choice I made a long time ago and keep making, with focus… rather than willpower or punishment.
The straightforward answer is duller than you might hope - and kinder than you may fear.
I’m not an expert and I’m not selling you anything, just imagine that I’m a friend over coffee and I’ll tell you a bit about how it works for me each evening this week.
Part two lands tomorrow at six.
For now: what do you most want to ask?
#midlifechic #midlifewomen #menopauseweight #intuitiveeating #bodyconfidence
I’m trying to get this whole gearing-up-to-60 project off the ground and this is how it goes… I set up to film a little mascara review, get about thirty seconds in and the middle one ambles in looking for something in the fridge.
He’s back at home after a year working in Spain and the house has that fuller feel again, the one I’d half forgotten. Some of you will be familiar with the ‘unemptying’ nest and I’ll save my thoughts on that for another day.
For now though he’s just my favourite interruption… completely baffled by the wild world of mascaras!
#Midlifechic #Project60 #ThisIs59 #EmptyNest #FullHouseAgain
My training’s been on pause for a few weeks. As a lot of people know we’ve had a sad spell as a family and I needed to step back and look after myself for a while.
I’m glad I did and I’d tell anyone to do the same. When you need to stop, stop… read the book, eat the chocolate, sit and let the days go past. You don’t have to push through something difficult just to prove you can.
The tricky bit is working out when the rest has done its job. For a while stopping was what I needed but there’s a point when you catch yourself still sitting there and you realise that you’ve just got used to avoiding things. Nobody else can tell you when that is, you have to feel it yourself.
For me, that was today - I knew I needed to get back to work properly and to start moving again. And the strange thing is the workout was never the hard bit, the hard bit was putting on my trainers… lacing them up, opening the door. Once I’m out, I’m ok, it’s stepping through the doorway that feels like a marathon.
So I did something I’d recommend to anyone if your motivation has run dry - I didn’t rely on myself. Instead of running on my own, I decided to go to a circuits class because I needed the energy of other people and a trainer who would shout me on. Otherwise I knew I’d let myself off again - sometimes you borrow other people’s momentum until your own comes back.
If you’re living through one of those times where you’ve had to stop, I’m not telling you to rush. Just see this as a nudge for whenever you’re ready. Be kind to yourself for a while but then for the sake of your future and all the things you want to do with your life, crack on. You’ll be glad you did. I came out of that circuits class dripping - but also feeling ten times more positive.
Does this make sense? Is there a time when you’ve had a setback like this? How did you get yourself going again? Tell me below - we can help each other here.
#midlife #ageisstyle #startingagain #midlifefitness #midlifechic
We’re sold make-up as a way to cover things up but these days I find it’s the opposite. It shouldn’t be about hiding, just redrawing and the eyes are where the most visual softening happens, so I pay a bit more attention to them now.
Good mascara isn’t vanity but it’s hard to find one that works on midlife eyes without looking too doll-eyed or clumpy. These are my my top three - one for every day, one for the sea and the heat, one for nights out.
If your eyes have started to feel like they’re receding, try these. And let me know if you have a mascara you love or hate because I’m always testing them.
#midlife #ageisstyle #over50beauty #hoodedeyes #over50makeup
Today we say goodbye to my mum-in-law, Delia. That’s her on the first slide, the life and soul of the party as always. She was 59 when it was taken, the age I am now. 83 when she died so suddenly and still up for a Baileys and a sing song.
I’ve spent the past week thinking about what a family loses when it loses its matriarch. Because it’s never just the person. It’s everything she was holding for the rest of us. The stories of who we are and where we came from. The way she could read a room full of her own family and know exactly who needed taking aside. 83 years of hard-won wisdom about surviving the worst and still finding laughter. None of it written down anywhere, all of it held in one woman.
We don’t value our older women enough. We talk over them. We plan around them. We let them drift to the edge of the photograph while they’re holding the whole family together from there. And we tell ourselves there’s time, that we’ll sit down with them properly one day, that the questions can wait.
They can’t. One day the phone rings, and every conversation you didn’t have goes with her.
So if you’re lucky enough to still have yours- your mum, your grandma, a great-aunt, don’t save her for Christmas. Ring her… ask her what she was like at your age… let her talk. You’re not humouring her, you’re inheriting.
Delia, you showed us all how it’s done. We’ll take it from here.
And to every older woman reading this: you’re not at the edge of anything. You’re the centre - you just don’t hear that often enough.
