Month: March 2022

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T shirts are coming back!

Happy to tell you that my full range of designs of t shirts (and more!) are coming back online. Sadly, I had to change suppliers for my T shirts as UK shipments incur a huge import tax for European buyers. For example, in Portugal, there’s a +20% import tax, +23% VAT. My customers were very unhappy as you can imagine and asked me for a solution.

@fiftysister

Always choose cruelty free beauty. #crueltyfree #veganwoman #matureskin #maturemakeup #over50 #wrinkles #maturebeauty #olderwomen #50plus #aging #50

♬ original sound – kayla

It’s such a pity, but rather than continue to brood over it I have started working with another print on demand supplier. All that work lost, but I can’t give up, it’s not in my nature (annoying sometimes!). The upside is that I am able to offer more products such as phone cases, cushions, mugs and lots lots more. Every cloud has a silver lining so they say.

This design is called ‘Lovesick’ and it’s my absolute fave!

I joined TikTok to see what all the fuss was about. I posted a few videos, got freaked out by the number of followers and comments within such a short period of time, so started deleting my videos and removing followers. ‘Crazy woman!’ I hear you cry. I guess I panicked at the thought of more communication from another platform. After cutting myself off from all social media for a while, coupled with the fact I don’t have or watch TV, I found myself at a loose end when I wanted to take a break from thinking too much. That’s where TikTok came back on the scene.

My son told me not to download it, he told me not to start scrolling, but it’s so difficult because it’s so addictive. TikTok learns what your interests are at lightning speed, so it knows how to keep you hooked. I set a limit to how much time I spend on there and have to be strict with it, because before you know it, its 1 o’clock in the morning, and I’m still sat in the same position I was, 2 hours ago.

Anyway, take a look at TikTok, there’s plenty of older women on there. I like that the caption space is limited so I am not able to waffle on with my writing there. It’s for short videos, that’s it. I’ve found some great tips and content that I wouldn’t find on YouTube, Instagram or Facebook. Far too much censoring on those platforms for my liking.

I will post videos on TikTok, some of those videos on Instagram, photos on Instagram and all of it on my blog. So, if you are tired of looking for my content, my blog is where you will find it in one place.

This t shirt is one of my husband’s favourites of mine. He loves the combo of the pink kiss with the green t shirt. You can buy it on my store, (available in lots of colours) along with many other merch with the same design. It’s just me here at FiftySister HQ. Trying to make this blog pay for itself in one way or another. I want to design more, also why I have a poster store with my digital art (ginandbird.com) but I need to re-stock my T shirt store first. Closing down the store with the other company was so easy. Two clicks and poof! It was gone….so many hours down the drain!

I have a discount code for the whole of March, use code MARCH22 at the checkout for 10% off.

Thanks for stopping by, have a beautiful day.

Gail x

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Life after 50

Life after 50

Curious about life after 50? I started FiftySister for myself primarily, somewhere to write down my thoughts about ageing and life after 50. Creating content for this blog and social media channels is a lot of effort, but I really enjoy writing and taking photos for other women. After all, that’s where I started my journey, spending time online, seeking out new ideas and inspiration to make the most of my life after 50. Being over 50 isn’t all Tena lady and support pants, there’s a lot more on offer to women of every age, in fact, it seems that age is no limit at all to some women.

Ask the Doctor

I’ve told this story before but if you are new here its’ definitely worth reading on… I met a doctor who looked after senior patients, he was in his 70’s himself. I asked him “What’s the number one thing you have learned from working with elderly patients?” He didn’t hesitate with his response. ‘People who thought they were old, acted old and expected to get sick. They didn’t take care of their health or exercise. They had resigned themselves to illness and early death and therefore decided there’s no point limiting their intake of food or alcohol,  they’d spend all day watching TV, eating crap without limits. Those who didn’t think about the number on the scoreboard (their age) continued to live their life as though it would never end. They took care of their health by limiting alcohol, exercising daily and eating lots of the good stuff, like colourful fruit and veggies’. “Did it make a difference to their final years or health?” I asked. With a hearty laugh, he boomed ‘Of course! The ones who looked after their bodies for the long term, lived longer and weren’t so sick. They didn’t expect or want to be sick, so when they showed signs of illness, they took action immediately’.

These are the Doctor’s words, not mine. This conversation happened on my 50th birthday. Those words have stayed with me to this day.

What are you worth?

What are women over 50 worth to companies who market on social media? To many companies, our demographic is strangely worth less than that of younger women. Which is surprising, as we have time to shop and money to spend. Recently a hair care company contacted me, asking me if I would make videos and posts for them in return for a free bottle of shampoo. My response – “Do you think I can pay my electric bill with shampoo?”  – ‘What?’ – was the reply of the hair care company. “Well, you are asking me to perform like a monkey for a banana or a handful of nuts.  My work is worth more than a banana, so unless energy companies start accepting bananas or shampoo instead of money, I am going to happily decline your ungenerous offer”. From my own experience, if I work for free, that’s what a non fee paying customer’s value of my time is. Nothing. Zero. Not even a banana.

There’s no magic pill.

I’m worth more than that. Even though I’m quite partial to a banana. I value my time, so I will never work again for free.  I also value my time on earth and I know there’s no magic pill. I take care of myself by eating lots of plants, nuts, seeds, beans and fruit. I exercise daily, I don’t drink alcohol very often (2 glasses of wine or cider per week) and I spend as much time as possible with my dogs and in nature. I could still get sick of course, but I am doing everything within my power to make that less inevitable. In my head (and heart) I’m still 18. My face isn’t playing along, but I’m completely happy with my wrinkles, age spots and creases. I’ve enjoyed many days outside hiking, swimming and lazing in the sunshine. Laughter lines are to be celebrated. Those happy moments are written on my face for all to see. I hope I get many more belly laughs and lines before I return to, and become part of, mother earth again.

Thanks for stopping by, have a beautiful day!

Gail x

To get in touch click here.

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Best way to start the day.

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♬ –

This is the best way to start the day. I’m a morning person and it drives my husband crazy. I babble on at a hundred miles an hour and he just stares into his porridge willing me to STFU!

I thought I’d share with you my morning routine to make you smile. I’m wearing ‘Lovesick’ by Kat von D bought from from Amazon below.

I’ve started making videos again. I really enjoy the creativity of putting it all together. I do everything myself. I learned how to make videos for YouTube, Reels and TikToks from zero complete newbie. I researched taking photos with an iPhone, shooting video, adding sound effects and transitions to building my website. The best way to learn skills is using YouTube. I’ve really enjoyed the process and finally I feel like I have something that looks professional an appealing.

TikTok videos can be added to my website very easily, so I post on there first and then re-post on Instagram. Instagram doesn’t like you doing this, as TikTok is a competitor with their logo on the video. So I download the TikTok video, edit to remove the audio, rename the file and then upload to Instagram, and add the music again. A bit of a fiddle but I think it helps prevent reels made on TikTok from being hidden.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a beautiful day.

Gail x

To get in touch click here

#mymorning #morning #morningmotivation #morningvibes #midlifeblogger #silverhair #silversisters #mylife #mylifestyle #jumprope #getfitordietrying #lifeafter50 #midlife #crueltyfreebeauty #veganwoman #getoutofbed #morningperson #veganwomen #veganlife #seniorinspire #matureskin #maturebeauty #middleage

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Skipping or Jump rope top 10 benefits.

Skipping or Jump Rope TOP 10 benefits

I’m discovering that there are many benefits of jump rope skipping from mental health and losing weight to reducing the chances of illness and injury. You can find out more about my JUMP 30 challenge by clicking here. Jumping rope is a great calorie-burner too and most importantly improves cardiovascular health. I’ve outlined the top 10 benefits of skipping rope below.

Jump rope or skipping?

In the USA they call it jump rope, in the UK we call it skipping. I’ve combined the wording to jump rope skipping so that everyone can find my page via Google. Let’s go with my top 10 benefits of jump rope skipping!

1. Increases concentration and gives your internal number counter a work out

Counting steps whilst coordinating all of your body parts is quite a work out for your brain. Skipping rope can calm your mind as you are distracted from everything else. Intense concentration, full body moving and bouncing in general will create a clear space for your mind. It’s made me very happy and I hope I can continue for the rest of my life.

2. Jump rope skipping will get your heart pumping to improve heart health

Jump rope skipping is the best cardio exercise as it rapidly increases your heart rate. I struggled the first three days, but quickly gained stamina with my rest periods becoming shorter as my recovery time got quicker. Jumping can significantly reduce the risk of heart diseases and stroke, especially coupled with a wholefood plant based diet.

3. Jump rope skipping improves eye, hand, foot coordination

The first few days I was totally uncoordinated and felt like giving up, but within four days I improved significantly. Jump rope skipping improves your coordination as there’s a lot to think about such as footwork, counting, arm rotations, all at the same time!

4. Increases stamina, improves energy levels and decreases fatigue

The more you sit around on the couch, the less you want to do anything. Equally, the more you jump rope, the more active you will become. Someone once told me that the biggest killer is the couch, I’ll add to that the TV. Switch off the TV and reduce couch time and replace it with jump rope skipping. The more regularly you exercise the more your stamina will increase. Consistent jump rope skipping practice will make you want to bounce daily and can completely banish fatigue.

5: Increases joint flexibility and muscle tone

I have strong legs from hiking, but my arms and shoulders were lacking in any kind of workout and it showed. I didn’t like the marshmallow texture of my upper arms, but I didn’t fancy going to the gym or lifting weights. Jump rope skipping works out shoulders and arms and I’m excited about the possibility of having lovely toned shoulders. Jumping makes your mind focused, gives your body good posture, makes you calm and flexible.

6. Improve heart health, lung capacity and pulmonary function

It’s important to give your heart a good workout, but don’t go crazy to begin with, take it slowly with lots of breaks between sets of one hundred. Skipping rope improves blood circulation and breathing, and over time can improve your lung capacity.

7. Boosts mental health 

The past two years have been tough on everyone. Skipping has given me a new challenge to focus on and has significantly reduced my anxiety. Exercise can increase blood circulation to your body and brain and I cannot recommend it enough for anyone suffering with mental health.

8. Jump rope skipping tones up your wobbly bits!

Skipping reduces belly fat and this is well documented on YouTube. I was blown away with all of the body transformations. You will see lots of Jump rope body transformation videos from all over the world, men and women of all shapes and sizes seeing an improvement in belly tone. I am excited about this!  I am hoping to tone up my jelly belly a little. My goal isn’t to lose weight as I’ve been working on my ideal weight for the past few months, I just want to build muscle and carry less fat. HIIT – High-intensity interval training exercise can help reduce belly fat without having to go on extreme diets and will of course, strengthen your abdominal muscles.

How many calories burn in jump rope / skipping? Skipping rope is a full body exercise and can burn approximately 10 – 20 calories per minute. It will strengthen your legs, tone your butt, belly, shoulders and arms. On average, you can burn 200 calories in 10 minutes sessions each day. It is more strenuous than hiking. When I lived in Devon, I hiked up to 34,000 steps per day, on an average day around 22,000 steps. Jump rope has quickly improved my stamina and takes a lot less time than walking 10,000 steps.

9. Jump rope skipping strengthens your bones

From all of the research that I’ve done, I know that skipping rope will give strength to your bones and increase bone density, therefore reducing the chances of osteoporosis. I always bounce and land on both feet to avoid strain on my knees or hips joints.

10. Improves Your Balance

A skipping rope workout session takes a great deal of balance and coordination. Jumping daily with your rope will help you improving balance and coordination. As we age this is so important to prevent mis-placed feet which leads to tumbles, falls and broken bones, and we don’t want that.

Bonus jump rope skipping benefits!

11. Improves posture

Keep your head up and look to the horizon when you jump, your whole body should be aligned. Keep your back straight, knees slightly bent, don’t bounce on your heels (they should be off the floor), arms symmetrical both sides. To begin with you may jump too high until your brain learns the ideal bounce height. Once you get into the rhythm, you will only jump a small distance whilst the rope whips under your feet.

12. Makes your body tingle and gives an all over glow.

I feel amazing after a jump rope session with a lovely post-workout glow. I’m excited every day to start skipping. My whole body has been jiggled around and it likes it!

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@fiftysister

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♬ Forever – Labrinth