An early morning hike along the coast path, taking a detour along the rocks for a skinny dip at high tide. If you want to preserve your hip function, exercise is the key. I walk 3 – 8 hours per day depending on my workload. My legs are in great shape but I need to work on my upper body. I’m swimming every day in the cove to work off the wine weight I’m still trying to lose ?
I keep a check on my weight and have entered the danger zone on the scales which means more; exercise, fruit and veg and less wine and crappy food choices like bread. I don’t diet as such, I just stop saying yes to all the bad stuff and focus on fuelling my body instead.
It’s never too late to start taking care of you. ?
his morning I’ve been catching up on lots of emails from companies wanting to partner for posts and IGTV. Sadly, I had to decline all of them as their focus is; anti ageing creams/potions/apps, makeup and beauty products made from animals, diet pills or meat focused diet plans all of which I can’t approve.
I love ageing, so anti ageing is a bit of an insult to anyone who has made it to the magnificent milestone of reaching the incredible age of 50. Let’s be honest, there are so many ways to die, it’s a miracle any of us make it to 30 let alone 50 and beyond. Ageing is our greatest achievement. I don’t want to look younger, I want to look and feel healthy. After researching the best diet to give me back my mojo a few years ago, it lead to a path of enlightenment regarding the use of animals in food and the beauty industry. This was a one way ticket to a cruelty free life, and I’ve never looked back. Cruelty free and vegan products look the same without the pain.
Diet pills are in no way a long term solution to weight loss. Eating a whole food plant based diet changed my shape/weight and life forever. It just takes determination and a change of eating habits established since childhood.
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.
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?
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.
