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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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Do you want to look younger?

I don’t want to appear younger than my years. It’s perfectly OK that I look my age.

I know the beauty industry tries to convince us that we need to look at least 10 years younger than our true biological age, but why? I’ve received messages telling me I look ten years younger, and also 10 or more years older, it really doesn’t matter how old I look, its how old I feel, and I feel the same as I did when I was 18. I eat a varied whole food plant based diet, exercise daily, limit my time on social media and I spend lots of time in nature. It takes effort to feel good, sadly there’s no magic pill. I feel full of energy and ready to take on any challenge. More on this another day, I write less on Instagram posts as the limit on the number of words is too challenging for me!

I took this shot on arriving home from the construction site. My hair was covered in dust and was happily doing it’s own thing. I wandered into the bathroom and picked up the scissors. You see, my hair is falling out. … It’s normal. I have an under active thyroid and it causes my hair to wave goodbye to my scalp by the handful. Sometimes more than others. It’s OK, it’s only hair. 10 minutes of snipping and I have a shorter style.

It doesn’t matter if I look 54, 64 or even more. I just hope I look healthy and happy, as that’s my only wish.

Have a beautiful day.

Gail x

#older #wiser #hypothyroid #itsonlyhair #silverhair #silversister

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I’m grateful

In the next month (or so) I will be entering my 53rd year. Which means miles travelled around the sun or my total life score is 4,926,657,771 – how incredible is that? Of all the ways there are to die, I’ve avoided each and every one so far.

The world is spinning, orbiting around the sun, travelling 92,955,807 miles
per year, but it makes no noise, or we simply cannot hear it. Something I’m still pondering…

I’ve had; scrapes, accidents, incidents, illnesses, diseases, infections, impacts, abrasions. I’ve laughed, I’ve screamed, I’ve cried. I’ve been lonely, loved, hurt and hugged. I’ve been helped and hindered, supported and opposed, treasured and discarded. We all have.
There have been so many highs and countless lows, but I’m still here and I am very grateful. Grateful for the wrinkles, the facial hair, the sun spots, the stretch marks the scars.
The journey so far has been worth it and I look forward to collecting many more wrinkles along the way.
Who else has decided to embrace their wrinkles?


#wrinkles #scars #sunspots #facialhair #over50 #over40 #midlife #emptynest #aging #ageing #proaging #proageing #gratitute #grateful #stretchmarks #bodypositive #agepositive

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Release the Rottweiler

Today is a good day! My inner Rottweiler was released in pursuit of a large unpaid client invoice which is causing me sleepless nights. I’ve mentioned it in my stories and it’s been making me very anxious.

I find it amusing when C level executives try to intimidate me with their title. I am a business owner, CEO of my own business, so there’s little which ruffles my feathers or makes me feel the slightest bit inferior …… to anyone. We are a small business, offering our clients exceptional project delivery and customer service. But a service is invisible, unlike a delivery of 50 desks which you can clearly see sitting in your office. So, in difficult times like those we are in today, payments are delayed because there is no product we can retrieve and little we can do to recover a service already provided.

But having worked my way up from the bottom, in companies of all sizes from many nations, I know how companies work and what scares the pants off them.


Mr Big Cheese CEO is no longer wearing his pants today.


Everyone takes a poop. Nobody is better than me. We all entered the world in the same way and nobody is getting out alive. I find intimidation amusing. As long as my life isn’t in danger, I do enjoy a bit of calm but forceful confrontation to defend my interests.


I look sweet and kind, which of course I am to a point… But I hate people trying to take advantage of me. That’s when the Rottweiler appears.
I learned these skills with age. Another reason ageing rocks!

#girlboss #ceo #befierce #strongwomen #agingrocks #payme #bossbitch #girlpower #over50 #over40 #maturewoman #controlfreak #silverhair #grayhair

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Let’s talk about filters

Lets talk about filters. I am asked often if I use them and the answer is ‘no’. I only use Instagram editing to modify the brightness, shadows and highlights. I simply can’t be bothered to do anything else, it’s just too much effort.

I know lots of women (and men!) use filters with wonderful professional results. Some are filtered to a particular hue or effect, some smooth out wrinkles and make your eyes pop. But, when I started looking for women my age for inspiration just over a year ago, I didn’t find many unfiltered shots of natural ageing…. no botox, no fillers, no facelifts etc. So I started my own.

I have friends who have gone under the knife, with tucks, liposuction and a full facelift and it made them happy. Others with botox, lip fillers, makeup tattoos and it made them happy too. We should do whatever we need to make us happy. Dye your hair? Do it! Shave your head? Do it! Lip fillers? Of course …and so on.
I’m happy to watch my face slowly melt into old age. Which reminds me of a story. When Seb was 8 he asked what would happen if we put a doll in the oven. I said ‘Lets find out!’. So we popped Barbi (no idea where she came from as I don’t have a daughter – sorry to whoever left it at my house) into the oven, then took her out at 5 minute intervals. Pity we didn’t document it as it was incredibly funny. Barbi aged very quickly. Her face melted, her hair made it’s way down her face and her boobs sagged under her arms within 10 minutes. I now know how she felt.
I want to be a positive ageing role model to the younger women in my family and to daughters of friends too. But, if you have coloured hair, botox, fake boobs and you’re happy, thats also a positive role model.
Never worry about the opinion of others. Join which tribe you want, we can all still be friends and happy with our own choices.

#ageing #aging #emptynest #ditchthedye #silversister #aginggracefully #healthyaging #vegan #bodypositive #over40 #over50 #braids #silverbraids #bluehair #matureskin #maturebeauty #maturemakeup #maturewoman #gettingold #violethair

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Wakeup Mid Lifers!

I’ve been hitting the bottle again today. Don’t panic! It’s the same temporary vegan hair colour I’ve used before. Instead of adding it straight out of the bottle I’ve mixed it with my shampoo for a softer effect. It will wash out within 1 week, quicker if its sunny which it should be for the rest of the week.

My sister sent me a recipe for dandelion honey yesterday. I was intrigued but not convinced it would be a successful experiment. Seb jumped over a high wall and collected lots of flowers for me from a meadow next to Churston Woods. I could have jumped over but didn’t rate my chances climbing back as I don’t have his Spiderman climbing skills.
I’ve been getting a bit frustrated lately, I just can’t help it. I hear so many people talking about supporting the NHS by staying home or clapping once a week but they still smoke or are grossly overweight. They don’t consider or appreciate, the additional load their poor choices or lack of care places on the NHS.

I struggled with my weight all my life and never gave my body the care and attention it craved. It eventually crashed and it was only then I realised how stress and neglect was affecting my body. My life chasing the next goal was taking me closer and quicker to my grave.
The only goal I want to achieve now, is to wake up other mid-lifers up to the long terms effects of their current lifestyle and diet. If I can do it, anyone can.
What inspires you to make positive changes?

#vegan#plantbased#aging#healthyaging#violethair#purplehair#over50#over50style#maturebeauty#matureskin#maturemakeup#50plus#healthyeating#midlife#middleaged#wellbeing#fitover50#over40style#silverbraids#braids#maturehairstyle#over50hairstyle#silverhair#olderwoman#ageing#ageingwell#agingwell#aginggracefully#crueltyfree#selfcare

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Who is FiftySister

Who is a Fifty Sister?

She has sparkling hair, or maybe cherry red… or any colour of the rainbow. It’s whichever colour makes her feel happy and confident.
She cares.
She’s kind.
She wears what she wants. Dr Marten boots with a pretty dress? She likes it, thats all that matters.
She wears her hair long, in a messy bun. Or maybe her head is shaved, an undercut, dreadlocks. Her choice.
She dances, she sings, she loves her life.
She knows she is lucky, she is here.
She’s visible.
She’s bold.
She’s brave.
She’s fearless.
She’s wise.
She loves every stretch mark from weight gained, weight lost, perhaps a baby, or maybe not.
She likes her squidgy belly. It’s warm and soft. A perfect pillow.
She walks.
She talks.
She breathes in the morning air and is thankful each day.
She smiles.
She makes time for herself, to be the best she can be.
She’s caring.
She’s mindful.
She’s compassionate.
She wears sexy undies, big knickers, no knickers, she can wear whatever she damned likes.
She wears pink lipstick, red lipstick, no lipstick. They are her lips to choose.
She has tattoos, no tattoos, dreams of tattoos, get that tattoo!
She’s slim, she’s shapely, she is lean, she is the shape she wants to be.
She is everything she never dared to be.
This is her time to shine.
She is me.

#over50 #midlife #emptynest #silverhair #grayhair #over50influencer #over50style #matureskin #older #over40 #agepositive #she #maturewomen #midlifecrisis #middleaged #empynestor#shadows #fitover50 #over50selfie #thisis50

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Chilling in the woods

This is me. No makeup. No light adjustments. Just natural old me chilling in the woods on a bed of ivy, soaking in the energy of the earth.

I didn’t like this face much before with it’s wrinkles, sunspots, scars and blemishes. But I’ve learned to love it’s natural state with almost invisible eyelashes and fire scarred skin (you can see red patches on the left side of the photo). It’s such a pity some of the quality is lost when posting on Insta, as you can clearly see the trees above me reflecting in my eyes in the original pic which is lovely.
I often find a quiet spot in the dappled light to bathe in the magic of the woodland. Safely tucked amongst the ferns, beech and oak trees, watching the boughs move gently in the wind, their leaves tickled by the breeze.
This is my moment of meditation. The birds calling and singing loudly at first light, full of joy, celebrating another shiny new day. The moist dew settled on the fresh leaves and grasses, tips tiny pools of cool tranquillity onto my skin as I join the bugs on the woodland floor.


#devon #relax #nomakeup #over50 #maturewomen #maturewoman #matureskin #positiveaging #vegan #plantbased #meditation #bodypostive #earthing #grounding #earthsenergy #silverhair #grayhair #agepositive

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Muffintop tales

Yes Bird, that’s my muffin top and flabby arms you see in all their glory.
It took many years of not giving this body a second thought to realise how special and important all parts of this this squidgy, marshmallow body are.
It’s; been burned in a fire, thrown from a horse, produced a human, in a car crash, climbed mountains, floated in oceans, overfed, taken for granted, taken to the brink, critically ill. Uncared for and overlooked.

I’m still a work in progress.
It’s never too late to start caring. Your body will thank you.

Stress affects my weight and ability to maintain the perfect score on the scales. I’m working on that.
I keep my house uncluttered, space to think. I eat healthy food, fuel to function. I listen to music, to calm my mind. I walk to meditate in nature, birdsong and the sound of the waves soothes my soul. I sleep.
I’m not embarrassed by my muffin top and flabby arms. My body isn’t photo perfect. I’ve learned to love and appreciate every stretch mark, scar, and hopeless imperfection.
Swimwear @wildislesswim
#bodypositive #aging #ageing #midlife #muffintop #midlifespread #selflove #over50 #midlifewoman #agepositive #over50bikini

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The best advice for those about to hit 50?

The question I am asked most often? ‘What’s the best advice for those about to hit 50?’ Start taking care of your health, because nobody cares about your body as much as you should. I will be 53 this summer, I still feel 16, no aches or pains and I am beyond grateful to my body for providing me with wonderful quality of life.

Eat a diet of colourful fruit and veg, nuts, seeds and beans. Drink lots of water, minimum caffeine intake (I drink one coffee per day) and if you read my post yesterday….avoid drinking too much alcohol. Even if Julia Roberts in the film I watched last week ‘EAT PRAY LOVE’ embraced her fuller figure, eating lots of pizza, pasta and red wine, I can tell you… buying larger jeans is not the answer!

Exercise! Even if you are feeling like a slug (a comment which made me laugh yesterday), or a full on couch potato, slip on some comfy walking shoes and take a walk outside. The wind in your hair (I love the wind!) and sun on your face will see those stresses melting away, along with the excess weight if you walk or hike regularly.
My hair is having a salty, sun kissed day today. Very casual, feeling liberated from years of colouring and treatments (perms….remember those!?!?). Swimming in the sea without having to worry about the effect it’s having on my coloured hair is bliss! I really like the feel of salty hair, I like to scoop it all up into a messy bun after a dip in the cove.
The hair around my face is becoming so white, and I LOVE IT! I chose very natural makeup today – such a lovely matt lipstick from Thrive.

What are your best tips for feeling great?

Lipstick: Kaisa @thrivecausemetics
Hair: Shampoo from @whitehothair
#ageing #midlife #positiveaging #aging #silverhair #grayhair #vegan #over50women #agingbackwards