Lovin’ Life After Sixty

There’s rarely a day that goes by that I can’t say that I’m lovin’ life after sixty. Although, the past few years of my life have been challenging, I still retain a positive attitude. I am basically not going to give into ageing or the mindset that I’m too old. As far as I’m concerned I’m going to make the rest of my life the best of my life!

Learning to accept the changes that affect us as we head into our golden years, is paramount to living a full life. As in, making lifestyle changes that can keep us fit and healthy into our sixties and beyond.

What Happens to our Bodies After Sixty

Following menopause in women our bodies become depleted of key hormones, including oestrogen and progesterone. This leads to a new set of problems such as mood changes, hot flushes, night sweats, fatigue and loss of libido.

However, there are also many other changes happening in our ageing bodies including:

– Bone density decreases and makes our bones more brittle.
– Joints become stiff and less flexible.
– Skin thins out and is less elastic. We get wrinkles and age spots.
– Hair can thin out and the greys appear.
– Muscle mass and strength decreases.
– Body fat can increase particularly on our abdomens.
– The heart can become enlarged, heart rate lowers and we can have elevated blood pressure.
– Our immune systems are not as efficient.
– Brain cells, spinal cord cells, and nerve function all decrease. Sometimes our memories aren’t as good as they used to be.
– Lungs become less effective.
– Kidneys shrink.
– Bladder and vaginal tissue may change.

So understandably, these changes are a lot to contend with. But, I am here to tell you that you can prevent some of these changes from impacting on your lifestyle.

How to Deal with our Ageing Bodies

There is loads of information out there these days about prolonging our lives, preventing the decline of our bodies and maintaining our fitness. Whilst we already know that keeping active, eating healthily and keeping our brains busy, all assists with longevity. I believe that there are additional things that we can be doing to age well.

I joined a sporting legends and wellness cruise in 2024 and attended a forum on longevity by a top researcher and scientist. He advised us that our genetics only contribute 30% towards our longevity. And here I was thinking that my Mum lived until she was 91 and my Dad is still kicking at 95 years of age. So when people tell me I’m from good stock I tell them that this is not true.

 “Biological age”, or how your body is functioning relative to your calendar age is the most important factor. Knowing your biological age can help deal with areas that need improvement and where you can actually make some physical changes. It is never too late!

Here are my top ten tips to fight the signs of ageing:

1. Don’t smoke, don’t drink to excess, cut down on sugar, bad fats, processed foods and greasy junk foods.
2. Take heed of the diets and lifestyle of the “blue zone” countries whereby they reduce their meal portions, eat plant-based diets, make exercise part of their days and stay community minded.
3. Incorporate resistance training into your exercise regime to prevent muscle wastage and to retain bone-building calcium in your body. But if you don’t want to do weight training, why not try reformer pilates?
4. Try to do some cardio exercises to strengthen your heart and lungs. This can be achieved by brisk walking, light jogging, swimming laps, scaling up stairs or hills.
5. Get plenty of sleep. Aim for 8 hours a night and have a nap during the day if you feel tired.
6. Keep your brain active. Never stop learning and stimulate your brain with new challenges.
7. Reduce stress in your life and remove yourself from people or situations that cause you stress.
8. Be social. Go out for coffee, lunches, concerts, play games, play sports, volunteer for a charity or join discussion groups.
9. Stay positive and passionate about your life. Plan events and holidays to break up the monotony and have things to look forward to.
10. Stay sexually active. It is very good for your health!

How to Deal with our Aged Appearances

This is a big one for me. Because when I look in the mirror I see the face of an old woman looking back at me. But inside I still feel young and vital. This sometimes triggers negative emotions and a sense of “whatever happened to me”?

Mostly, this is attributed to ageing skin, the emergence of fine lines and wrinkles, age spots, skin tags and sagging skin. Our skin loses its tone and elasticity as we age and the fat distribution on our bodies also shifts. Many older women start to develop a tummy. But it can also be evident in our hair becoming grey, brittle and thinning out.

There are a plethora of beauty products on the market that claim to reduce wrinkles, sagging skin and restore fullness. However, most of these do not do a thing apart from moisturise our skin. Whilst a good moisturiser is advised for our bodies as we age, there is no such thing as a magic lotion to rid ourselves of ageing skin.

Protecting our skin from the sun with a good sunscreen and our eyes with sunglasses is definitely important. Most of our ageing is as a result of too much exposure to the sun. Cosmetic creams containing Niacinamide may help with reducing uneven skin pigmentation and age spots.

Otherwise, there are heaps of different cosmetic procedures that can help ward off the signs of aged skin. Such as: Synthetic collagen injections, Botox injections, facial peels, skin needling and laser resurfacing treatments.

Grey hair can always be dyed and there are also hairpieces or wigs that can help with thinning hair in older women. Or, do what I have done, and embrace the grey hairs and allow your hair to have natural silver highlights. Find a good hairdresser and keep your hair styled.

As for the expanding waistline and newly acquired tummy, exercising will help and also following a good healthy diet. It’s not the time to start dressing frumpily in an attempt to hide the extra weight. It is important to dress fashionably and not be limited by what is termed as “age appropriate” clothing. Try some new fashion trends and embrace your curves. There are plenty of fashion brands now that offer clothing for the bigger woman.

Living our Best Lives in our Sixties

Being post menopausal and in our sixties is not the time to eat whatever we like and allowing our weight to blow out. Try to maintain a healthy weight, even though it’s a lot harder to keep the kilos off. Obesity is one of the greatest contributors to a number of health problems and can shorten our lives. Being overweight can make existing aches and pains worse by putting unnecessary strain on our joints and bones, and more stress on our hearts.

I see many older people that don’t move their bodies enough and became far too sedentary. Including physical activity into your day has so many health benefits. You don’t have to run marathons or go to the gym for hours every day. It’s just a matter of building movement into your day in any way that you can, and do things that you enjoy.

Keep yourself socially connected and in contact with your friends and family. Loneliness can contribute to a decline in our mental health. So make sure that you’re actively engaging with others whether by playing sport, joining clubs, meet ups and other social events.

Plan for events such as going to the theatre, concerts or festivals. These type of events break up the monotony and lifts your spirit. Planning and taking short trips or holidays is also extremely rewarding. I always have a trip planned, sometimes 6 to 12 months ahead of time. It gives me purpose and something to look forward to.

If you’re single like me, don’t give up on love, or dating for that matter. There is still opportunity to meet a man that you may like to spend the rest of your days with. Going on dates is great for your confidence and self esteem. There is still that “teenage rush” of dopamine when you meet an attractive man at our age. It is never too late to fall in love again.

Sixty is the New Forty!

Well, maybe not quite. Although, I’m a firm believer that age is just a number and that you can be young for your age. But, generally speaking you can’t wind back the clock. However, you can make the most of your life in your sixties and beyond.

Here’s one of my favourite quotes about being in my sixties:

“Embrace the beauty of sixty, where the wisdom of age meets the spirit of youth”.