I found a good article at More magazine’s site. I have an on-again, off-again relationship with More, advertised as the magazine for “Women of Style and Substance.” It targets mainly the woman who is 40, plus or minus a couple of years. But there are still lots of helpful articles about health, style, and careers.
I did enjoy this piece, “Secrets of Aging Gracefully.” (It’s always secrets in lady-mags. Who is keeping all these secrets???)
The magazine asked four gorgeous over-40 women for their advice on aging with grace.
Here are some of my favorite suggestions, and I’d love to hear your views. The italics are directly from the article, the commentary is mine:
- Don’t sweat the small stuff. A lot of people my age are already dead. Life is a big wonderful ride, so don’t major in the minors.
- Relieve stress. Exercise daily, meditate, practice deep breaths, sing out loud, laugh a lot.
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| Source. |
- Make the Most of What You’ve Got. Do an inventory of your considerable assets and work with them. E.g., I have a nice smile. And I am a great listener, so I can bring that asset to any situation.
- Don’t Neglect Your Hands. I do feel better about aging when I look down and see nicely groomed hands. I do my own manicures 90% of the time.
- Hop on a Plane. Travel is invigorating for the senses. Even if it’s not a plane, but just a subway or bicycle ride to somewhere new.
- Trust Your Instincts. We can trust our inner voices now; we’ve got experience!
- Stay Active. Stretching, yoga, walking, biking, even gardening keep us feeling young.
- Eat Mindfully. My days of Pop-Tarts for breakfast are long over. Now my body needs balanced nutrition.
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| I still crave a Pop-Tart once in a while. |
- Own Your Age. I tell the truth about my age. There’s nothing embarrassing about having lived 59 years.
- Connect with the Young. I do this via music, sports, and staying involved with young people’s issues. I still care about accessible birth control for all.
- Bookend Your Day with Simple Pleasures. OK, here I must quote the article directly: “My one vice is coffee. OK, and wine.”
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| Source. |
- Wear What You Want. We don’t need a distinct style-label (Classic vs. Feminine vs. Dramatic, etc). We’ve earned the privilege to express ourselves and dress as we like.
- Never Stop Learning. This is my favorite. Learning/trying new things keeps us vital and vibrant.
Have a fun-filled weekend and stay fabulous,
Header photo by Antevasin Nguyen on Unsplash
Great points you represented! “Make the Most of What You’ve Got” is what I though when I discovered I still look a lot younger than I thought; it made me play up my assets rather than hide myself in clothes that “women of a certain age should or should not wear.” For “Stay Active,” I’d include following your interests, whether doing familiar things you love or doing new things you always wanted to. And for “Connect with the Young,” I thought of the vitality I felt within myself when socializing with younger adults recently. The “More” article is no longer available through your online link, so I don’t know what the beautiful women who were interviewed actually said. Anyway, your comments are good reminders for keeping in touch with who we are now in a vital way. Thanks, Angie
http://www.yourtrueselfblog.com
I too have a love hate relationship with More mag. I am also not ashamed of my age and I like to wear what I like even if it is not on trend. We are never too old to learn something new. Thanks for this post!
I read this article and was shocked at how three of the ladies went hard-core on the botox and other treatments. It sounds to me like they are trying to not age, despite the article's title. Why are wrinkles so bad? And two of the four are dyeing their hair.
Yet I wonder why I felt so put off by it. I have just turned 45 and have begun to see a few wrinkles on my forehead. Perhaps trying to reconcile my new wrinkles has made me more sensitive to this issue.
Yes, why do magazines consider such things "secrets"? Most of it seems like common sense to me. We're ageing from the day we're born but I don't think I'll ever be "graceful" about it. I intend to live the same way as I always have done with plenty of raucous laughter whilst gaudily clad with far too much black eye liner and silver jewellery. xxx
Great post, Patti, all so true! Sara
i dont even know what a pop tart is! very backwards over here. Maybe I'd better not learn.
I agree, why do we have to be graceful. Maybe they mean, accepting ageing and not getting annoyed at it?
I get annoyed when the people they select as role models are all thin and beautiful.
Reading this straight after writing my last post http://naturalmedley.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/the-other-side-of-me.html
makes me feel inadequate. Just jump on a plane! Hee! hee! no cares in the world!
Anyway, you are right, you do have a lovely smile and you use it a lot! I love to see it. It brightens my day 🙂 xo JJ
Once in a long while, I'll buy organic pop tarts .. you know, they've gotta be better than the Kellogg brand ~ right? 🙂
Monica, http://www.pear-shaped-gal.com
I used to pick up the occasional issue of More Magazine, but the women were all so beautiful it put me off. The suggestions in this article are good advice for any age, and certainly aren't "Secrets". I don't know that aging "gracefully" is my goal as I have never really done anything very "gracefully" my entire life 😉
Such awesome advice for aging gracefully! Thanks for sharing. I have to build more bookends and travel into my days:)
Robyn
http://feelgreatfashion.com/
Good advice. And we need it — choices have consequences and they become more serious in our older years. I see too many people diminishing their health from bad choices. Most important, we need to appreciate our present. Savor it consciously. There's no guarantee of a tomorrow. Great post!
I liked this list and I agree with Melanie. Just because we are getting older doesn't mean we have to be "graceful". There is something about continuing to rebel well into old age that invigorates ones spirit.
bisous
Suzanne
Hardly secrets, surely? Just reasonable suggestions for health and happiness (though by no means the only ones!) Is it just me who gets a little tired of the notion that any woman over 40 has to be concerned about how she's ageing? Gracefully or otherwise… It's not really something I think about, to be honest. Sure, I want to be healthy and relaxed and wear what I want and learn stuff. But I felt like that when I was 20 too. And oh how I wish I could hop on a plane, although I am not sure how that will help the ageing process! xxxx
I feel the same way about More, and I also enjoyed that particular article. My favorite is the last one, always keep learning and I will add, always keep trying new things. Thanks Patti for sharing these points with all of us.
I'd add – Stop adding "for my age" to all of your good qualities, like "I look pretty good", dot, dot, dot. "My legs are good", dot, dot, dot. Don't negate your assets!
They're all great, but I particularly like the "connect with the young". I found that one really invigorating and true and it most definitely works. I'm a photographer so often work with girls and boys much, much younger than me and it really helps both with keeping up to date with the current trends and maintaining the youthful spirit and outlook on life.
http://kikisparlour.blogspot.co.uk/
I don't know which is funnier. The "secret" part or the"gracefully" part! If we haven't got it figured out by now we are in big trouble!
Fabulous tips! Like you, I do my own manis–most the time. And, I think well-groomed fingernails are an essential feel-good item! 🙂 T. http://tickledpinkwoman.blogspot.com
I so agree. Especially like the one: wear what you want. YEAH
Greetje
Agree with all of these, and I appreciate you showing us the article (or some of it) because I seldom read More anymore. Too many botox/filler/stoptheclock articles and it just struck the wrong note with me. "Relieve stress"- the older I get (almost 58) the more I see how important de-stressing is. It's easy when you're younger to ignore stress- as I've gotten older it's clear that incorporating DAILY relaxation by meditating and yoga and beach walks is as important as drinking enough water. Kinda wish that wasn't the case, but at least I've come to accept it!
This is excellent advice for any age or gender, although men are conditioned not to be so body-centric. And, haha, you are so right, Patti, why all these secrets? And why do headlines often link the aging of women with being graceful? I wonder how Cher or Courtney Love or Tommy Lee Jones would respond to the grace/age question. Maybe the same?!
Thank you for this article. The advices are so true. I'm going to write about these things in my blog. But in Finnish. 🙂 Have a wonderful upcoming week!
Oh, they're all so beautiful! And very sage advice as well. I whole-heartedly agree with the last one and intend to practice it until the day I die. Thanks for a lovely Sunday read. 😀