Does the fear of death stop us from living?
Fabafterfifty: Lifestyle
With so many options available to us at this exciting stage of our lives- how do we make the best of them.
Do we take up brand new interests or return to those we had little time for earlier ? We can revisit how we see our working lives – do we return to work, change careers, set up new businesses? How do we go about it? What about money? Have we made the right decisions to give ourselves a secure future?
Our experts and guest contributors are on hand to help us through all these areas.
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Article by Sally Petch “Often we only find ourselves facing death when friends or family become ill” says Sally, “so I have written Death Matters, which deals with death in a positive way so we can live more fulfilled lives.” “Death is nothing at all.” So begins the famous eulogy by Canon Henry Scott Holland, but I have come to find that it is just the opposite for so many people in the Western world. It is everything, and our fear of it stops us from ever really living; as a society we go to great lengths to avoid anything to do with death or dying. Many of my friends and clients have asked who I think will actually want to read a book about death. Doesn’t it make you depressed spending so long writing about such a subject they ask? I can honestly say it doesn’t. Death is as...
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Is setting goals more effective than making New Year Resolutions to achieve success
Article by Ceri Wheeldon I have spent so many years making resolutions, only to have most fall by the wayside before we even hit mid January. Most of my resolutions seems to consist of doing ‘less’ of something – such as eating, or doing ‘more’ of things such as exercise. All a bit vague. Setting goals So this year I am setting concrete goals and not making resolutions. Last year I looked to do similar, but my career and personal goals took a back seat to renovating a new home, which although much loved by its previous owner, had been mostly untouched for nearly 50 years. So now, with renovations complete, I can focus on real life. So this year I am starting with a list of goals, with achievable milestones, and also potential mentors for each area. I realise that I need not just goals, but corresponding plans to...
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What do you buy the woman who has everything for Christmas or birthday?
Article by Ceri Wheeldon I know that every Christmas and birthday my own family panic over what to buy for me- so there must a million other people wondering what to buy women over 50 as a gift. I’ve put together a few ideas – some practical, some quirky and some very indulgent! I’m hoping my own hubby reads and takes notes!! Personally I am not a keen fan of salon facials etc, but do enjoy taking a quiet half hour to myself for ‘treats’ at home. Home beauty and anti-ageing gadgets Here are just some of the home beauty gadgets you may want to try: Jade Roller – natural, soothing, great for maintaining facial contours and pretty on a dressing table. Jade Roller Review and details Tua Trend – Facial exerciser – non-surgical facelift machine- great alternative to salon based treatments Tua Trend Review and details Clarisonic cleansing...
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Best Yoga exercises for Power toning your abdominals, midriff and waistline
Article by Barbara Currie For anyone needing a little motivation to start exercising, Yoga guru Barbara Currie looks fitter at 70 than I have ever looked in my entire life. Barbara shares with us some of her best exercises to improve our flexibility and tone our midlife bodies. Unlikely to be the case if you are over 50, but just in case we have some younger readers joining us, Barbara does not advise to attempt these movements if you are pregnant. 1. Yoga Abdominal Lift This is like a wonderful gift. It takes 30 seconds a day and is brilliant! This movement must be done on an empty stomach. The ideal time to do it is before breakfast. Stand straight with your legs about 1 foot apart and place your hands on your upper thighs. Inhale deeply then exhale fully and keeping the air out of your lungs pull your abdominals in and...
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What are the secrets to keeping young? The top 40 secrets of the fountain of youth
Article by Fabafterfifty Age is just a number and attitude is everything! So what does make us feel young? The study of 1,000 over 50?s unveiled the secrets of youth the older generation rely on- with having regular sex, fancying a younger celebrity and being on Facebook all likely to shave off a few years. Owning an iphone and being on facebook also help, while anyone feeling a bit stale could benefit from knowing what Twitter is, sporting a leather jacket and trying yoga. It seems having a broad and varied life are key. The research, which was commissioned by leading health and wellbeing mutual organisation Benenden Healthcare, found one in five places faith in a particular food, with broccoli, oats and blueberries offering the health boosts most swear by. Most of us feel younger than our chronological age And apparently age is just a number, with the average person...
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Is it realistic to expect the over 50s to have no need for paid employment?
Article by Ceri Wheeldon I attended an interesting event last week where the main focus was to identify how to support people over 50 through the path to self-employment. Much of the day was constructive (apart from the imput of an economist from the EU who insisted on referring to the over 50s as ‘older people’ or ‘old people’ throughout-(but that’s another post for another time!) but there was one part which provoked debate and for me concern. Should the over 50s volunteer and not be encouraged to do paid work One of the panel discussions was hosted ‘by Esther Rantzen who took the debate off course as she started the session off by saying that the last thing we should was encourage the over 50s to work- as they were needed in the voluntary sector- and how would charities survive without them? Suggesting that those in their 50s had...
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Does the colour of your kitchen reveal what type of cook you are?
Article by Fabafterfifty We have already talked in a previous article about how the colour of our front doors can reveal a lot about our happiness levels, now it seems that the colour of our kitchens can also reveal what type of cooks we are. Having spent most of this year renovating our house and mulling over colour charts and brochures for every last item- from cupboards and tiles to door knobs and paint samples – I can only wonder what the colour of my new kitchen says about my culinary capabilities – I changed the green kitchen for a cream one. Draw your own conclusions from the research below (I may not have too many dinner guests queuing at my front door): Colour of your kitchen reveals your cooking personality Research has found that the colour of your kitchen reveals your cooking personality- and it’s bad news for owners of...
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Interview: Jackie from 56 up talks about being one of the original reality TV stars.
Article by Fabafterfifty Reality TV programmes have become so commonplace that we hardly bat an eyelid when we see a new programme announced. 49 years ago, however, things were very different. When a group of 7 year olds were brought together to document their lives and ambitions for a programme called 7 up. Follow up programmes planned every 7 years to see how their lives progressed, and whether those childhood dreams and ambitions became a reality. So how has life turned out for those 50 somethings who opened up their lives for the cameras all those years ago? Jackie talks about the latest update and her participation in 56up. Nearly 50 years of her life captured on film: How would you describe your 7-up experience? On the whole my experience with the series has been good, you always look back and think, “why did I say that”, or “I wish I hadn’t said that” but...
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Women perfect the art of cooking at 55 according to new study
Article by Fabafterfifty Now I am feeling very inadequate on the domestic front! I have never been known for my culinary skills, and the latest study indicating that women are Women finally become ‘perfect cooks’ at the age of 55, indicates just how lacking I am in culinary talent! A new study shows that by her fifties, the average woman has become proficient at throwing random ingredients together to make something delicious, and has the confidence to host a dinner party for 12. Interestingly there is no mention of the culinary skills of men at the same age! According to the study, by this age, women are rustling up more than 15 meals on a regular basis – to include chicken casserole, steak and kidney pie and seafood linguine – all cooked from scratch. Soggy broccoli, tough beef, runny gravy and limp carrots are also firmly OFF the menu by...
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A Halloween story – by Pat Cox
Article by Pat Cox. A seasonal story from Pat – especially for Halloween , with a few words from Pat on the story behind the story. When did you start writing short stories? About two years ago, I had retired 6 months earlier and started a factual blog, but kept getting ideas about stories. However I wasn’t self confident enough as I had always dealt in facts during my work life, it was my youngest son who pushed me into it after I helped edit one of his stories. Thanks, James! Where do you get the inspiration for your stories? It could be a news article, a half heard conversation on a bus or something that has happened to me or my family – then I think “What if…” Were you imaginative as a child? Very, my parents were in their forties when I was born and...
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