All posts tagged: midlife

Amanda Wakeley on midlife dressing: “I don’t want to look like my grandmother”

Amanda Wakeley on midlife dressing: “I don’t want to look like my grandmother”

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more “I don’t want to look like my grandmother,” says Amanda Wakeley, matter-of-factly, “but I also don’t want to look like I’m trying too hard.” It’s something that perhaps many women in midlife have likely felt, but it cuts to the heart of a problem the fashion industry still struggles to resolve. What does stylish, ageless dressing actually look like? For Wakeley – a designer once synonymous with her brand of “clean glam” and a favourite of Princess Diana – that question has become the starting point for her return to fashion. After stepping away from running her namesake label in 2021, she is back with a tightly edited capsule collection for John Lewis, which launched on 21 April. But this time around, she isn’t …

People In Midlife Say The Second Half Of Life Can Be So Much Better Than The First — But Only If You Grasp This | Keya Murthy, M.S., C.Ht.

People In Midlife Say The Second Half Of Life Can Be So Much Better Than The First — But Only If You Grasp This | Keya Murthy, M.S., C.Ht.

Published by Jenni Sidey

I remember being exactly six months short of my 40th birthday and saying to myself, “Oh no! The big 4-0 will be here, and my life will go downhill!” As a teenager, I thought turning 40 was growing old. In my 20s, I thought those in their 50s were old, and in my 30s, the consensus among us high-flying in the tech world of young, savvy engineers was that life right now is as good as it gets — “when you turn 40,” you peak, and then everything goes downhill from there. With that mindset, I started my downhill to traverse through the valley of midlife and climb the new peak of turning 50. In 2001, I lost my job as a six-figure-earning software engineer. I asked myself, “What’s next?” Everyone expected me to return to the IT (information and technology) industry, but my heart said “No!” People in midlife say the second half can be so much better than the first, but only if you grasp what you’re good at — and what really …

Midlife women say this £20 Korean anti-ageing serum is ‘fantastic for fine lines’

Midlife women say this £20 Korean anti-ageing serum is ‘fantastic for fine lines’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Korea has become a global mecca for skincare – and it’s easy to see why. A quick scroll on TikTok will throw up hundreds of thousands of videos of influencers putting K-beauty products to the test and reaping significant rewards. Rather than correcting problems, Korean skincare philosophy is centred on prevention and hydration, which has fundamentally changed how people approach their skin’s health across the world. As the saying goes, prevention is always better than cure. AT A GLANCE Korea has become a global skincare powerhouse, particularly in the sphere of anti-ageing serums K-beauty formulas are all about affordable, innovative-led ingredients that prevent damage, rather than cure it The Haruharu Wonder Rose PDRN Firming Serum is a leading serum in the K-beauty space… and it’s very affordable Due to the appetite for science-led and results-driven routines continuing to grow, Korea has become a global skincare powerhouse – particularly when it comes to affordable anti-ageing serums. Take the Haruharu Wonder Rose PDRN Firming Serum, for example. Coming in at just £20, it is receiving the type …

6 Rare Habits Of Men Who Avoid A Midlife Crisis And Don’t Completely Ruin Their Lives | Greg Boudle

6 Rare Habits Of Men Who Avoid A Midlife Crisis And Don’t Completely Ruin Their Lives | Greg Boudle

Published by Jenni Sidey

Midlife has a reputation for making men do impulsive, life-altering things: quitting stable jobs, and ruining perfectly good relationships in search of something more. But not everyone goes down that path.  Some men go through this phase with clarity, which is often the result of a few habits that keep them tethered to real life.  Here are the six rare habits of men who avoid a midlife crisis and don’t completely ruin their lives: 1. Men who avoid a midlife crisis regularly practice mindfulness Mindfulness is the first step for a reason. You must let go of the beliefs and judgments you learned from your outer world. You’ll need to sit quietly and learn to be an observer rather than a first responder. One of the most powerful shifts a person can make is learning to think about their own thinking instead of just reacting to it, says psychologist Nick Wignall. That gap between a thought and your response to it is exactly where a meditation practice lives, and it is where real self-knowledge starts …

Midlife exercise linked to a 50% longer life for women

Midlife exercise linked to a 50% longer life for women

Published by Jenni Sidey

Halfway through life, the body starts changing in ways that are easy to miss at first. Muscle mass begins to thin. Strength can slip gradually. Daily movement, once automatic, may take more planning than it did years earlier. A new study suggests that what women do during that stretch of life can shape what comes next in a very serious way: those who consistently met exercise guidelines in their 50s and 60s were about half as likely to die early as women who did not. The research, published in PLOS Medicine, followed 11,169 Australian women born between 1946 and 1951. Over 15 years, researchers tracked whether they were meeting the World Health Organization’s recommendation of at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. The strongest finding was not about a short burst of fitness or a temporary health kick. It was about consistency. Women who kept meeting those activity targets across midlife had half the risk of death from any cause compared with women who consistently fell short. The study also found signs …

A strength coach for midlife women loves this dumbbell workout for strong and toned arms

A strength coach for midlife women loves this dumbbell workout for strong and toned arms

Published by Jenni Sidey

Building strong, toned arms isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s one of the best things you can do for your long-term health and everyday functional strength. If you’re not sure how to get started, this five-move workout with just a pair of dumbbells is one that midlife strength training coach Edwina Jenner recommends. “This is my go-to session for strong and more defined arms because it focuses on fast and efficient moves in just three strong sets,” she tells Fit & Well. Article continues below You may like While anyone can do this workout and see results, this style of upper-body work becomes increasingly important in midlife. “From a physiological standpoint, women naturally lose muscle mass from their mid-30s and this accelerates as estrogen declines in perimenopause,” Jenner explains. “If you’re not actively preserving and building your muscles, you will lose them and that impacts everything from metabolism to joint stability.” Jenner’s routine focuses on movements that help build and maintain lean muscle, and improve muscle tone. At the same time, strength training workouts will support weight …

People In Midlife Say These 3 Tiny Habits Helped Them Finally Stop Being So Hard On Themselves | Christine Arylo

People In Midlife Say These 3 Tiny Habits Helped Them Finally Stop Being So Hard On Themselves | Christine Arylo

Published by Jenni Sidey

You know how to be a good friend and you give others the kind of grace you would never think twice about offering. But turn that same love toward yourself and something shifts. Suddenly it feels selfish, uncomfortable, or just wrong.  The truth is, being a good friend to yourself is not selfish at all. The more you fill yourself up, the more you actually have to give. And one of the biggest reasons people in midlife say they struggled for so long is simple: they never learned how to give themselves permission to do what they actually needed.  The next time you feel overwhelmed, depleted, or just off, try asking yourself these three questions honestly. If the answer to any of them is no, here is what to do about it. People in midlife say these 3 tiny habits helped them finally stop being so hard on themselves: 1. They started asking themselves, “Am I actually happy right now?” One tiny habit people in midlife say changed everything was simply pausing to ask themselves …

People Who Truly Love Themselves In Midlife Tend To Let Go Of These 5 Insecurities | Nadine Macaluso

People Who Truly Love Themselves In Midlife Tend To Let Go Of These 5 Insecurities | Nadine Macaluso

Published by Jenni Sidey

Loving yourself in midlife doesn’t happen all at once; it’s something you grow into, often after years of second-guessing yourself, people-pleasing, or carrying around insecurities you didn’t even realize were shaping your life.  Research suggests that learning to truly love yourself is one of the hardest things to do, but people who truly love themselves in midlife have learned to stop letting certain insecurities control how they think and feel. Instead of chasing approval or avoiding discomfort, they start to trust themselves, speak honestly, and let go of the habits that once held them back. Here are the insecurities people who truly love themselves in midlife tend to leave behind. People who truly love themselves in midlife tend to let go of these 5 insecurities: 1. The need to suppress or avoid their emotions Miljan Zivkovic via Shutterstock Recall a time when you felt anger, sadness, or anxiety. You probably felt it in your throat, chest, heart, or stomach — this is the core of your body. A study helped show how you can self-reference by …

How a midlife tune-up could help prepare you for a healthy old age

How a midlife tune-up could help prepare you for a healthy old age

Published by skeptic

Most people want to be healthier, but often our motivations for doing so are based on superficial, short-term goals, like fitting into a tight pair of trousers for a party. Once that goal has passed, we slouch back into poorer health – but perhaps we would look after ourselves better if we acknowledged that the lifestyle choices we make today, right this minute, can have ripple effects that influence health and well-being many decades down the track. Take Alzheimer’s disease. Because it is a condition of old age, many people don’t start worrying about it until at least their mid-60s. At that point, they may start doing brain-training games to try to stave it off. But the wheels of Alzheimer’s disease might have already started turning long before then. Rather than originating in the brain late in life, there are more and more clues that Alzheimer’s is triggered by persistent inflammation in “peripheral” organs like the skin, lungs or gut during midlife, around age 45 to 60. Inflammation caused by eczema, cold sores, pneumonia, gum …

A midlife coach loves this five-move upper-body workout for strong and toned arms

A midlife coach loves this five-move upper-body workout for strong and toned arms

Published by Jenni Sidey

Looking after your upper body is important throughout life, but especially as you get older to maintain your independence. That’s why midlife strength coach Kate Rowe-Ham created a five-move dumbbell upper-body routine to build strong arms. Rowe-Ham’s routine is less about aesthetics and more about building strength and confidence. You may like The trainer and author of The Longevity Solution, says this five-move workout is particularly important for women during menopause. “Declining estrogen accelerates muscle loss during menopause—but resistance training helps maintain and rebuild lean muscle, which is critical for strength, metabolism and long-term health,” says Rowe-Ham. Loading the arms and spine helps protect your bones against osteoporosis, while strength training generally offers mood-boosting benefits too. “It’s also associated with improved mood, reduced anxiety and better sleep quality, all of which can be disrupted during menopause,” says Rowe-Ham. Start your week with achievable workout ideas, health tips and wellbeing advice in your inbox. She recommends doing this workout twice a week with at least one rest day in between. How to do the dumbbell upper-body …