6 Simple Ways To Shake Up Your Midlife!
Our experts lend their advice for simple ways to makeover your midlife in this article by Celina Murphy in this week's Irish Daily Star...
Dublin mum of 4 Aisling Grimley knows a thing or two about shaking up midlife – she set up Ireland’s only menopause website, My Second Spring, from her kitchen table when she hit 48. Here she shares some tips from her top experts at My Second Spring on how to put some life back in your 40s years.
A landslide of woes?
From the mid forties on, women can have what seems like a landslide of woes: from heavy periods and low mood of perimenopause (that’s the four to eight years in the run up to "the change") to hormonal weight gain, skin and hair that seems to age overnight. Throw in a drop in energy levels and a rise in stress levels and it’s no wonder we sometimes would like to take to the hills!
Ailsing Grimley: Put Yourself First
Put You first – for a change: As women we tend to be last on the to-do list after family, work commitments, ageing parents, housework. A little bit of selfishness can go a long way to restoring balance. Carve out an hour for yourself each day (and yes, you may have to say ‘No!’ to some things to make that happen.) Use that “found” hour to do something that’s good for you – a zumba or yoga class, a long walk-n-talk catch-up with a friend, start a night class or simply have an early night with your partner – or a good book! Things start to shift in your life when you make the space.
Emily Powers Smith: Have better sex
Time to spice up our bedtime routine – if you’ve been with the same partner for years, there’s a chance your luurve life may have become stale. Accept that you may need a little help in this department - and as Irish sexologist Emily Powers Smith suggests, be liberal with the lubricant (Sylk or Sliquid should replace K-Y jelly at this stage). Experiment with sex toys – check out Irish intimate toy website sexsiopa.ie for lots of ideas to get you started – and communicate with your partner about what’s working for you. A new lease of sex life can works wonders for your appearance and your mood too.
Paula Murphy: A new set of make up tricks
Wake up up your make up, says top make up artist Paula Murphy. It can take off ten years. “The biggest mistake I see with women in their 40s is that they’re still living their twenties. Their make up can be heavy – older skin calls for a delicate touch – their products can be ageing. Our complexions lose colour as we age and our eyebrows and lashes become sparser. That calls for a new set of make up tricks - a make up lesson can be a great investment – and a great confidence booster. If you are on a budget, take advantage of the free make-up lessons you can book at your local cosmetic counter.”
The Wardrobe Mistress: Shake out your wardrobe
Our clothes – and how we put them together can date us pretty quickly, Do a closet purge and ditch anything that’s old, dated, stained, too small, too big, or that you haven’t worn in a year or two, advises midlife personal stylist Maura McDonald. Make room for fresh, new ideas. As with make-up and hair, we have a tendency to stick with the tried and trusted things that might have worked for us twenty years ago. At midlife though, we are different people, with different shapes and different lifestyles. Change it up, take a few risks – think 80% classic 20% funky.
Audrey Redmond: Start moving:
Audrey Redmond of Physiofusion Pyshiotherapy makes this point: If someone advertised a pill that would make you feel younger, stronger, look better, have more energy and increase your chances of avoiding major illnesses like cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease, we’d be queuing around the block to get it. Well there is – it’s called exercise. Moving daily really is the key to everything once you hit your 40s. A 2015 North American study showed that after menopause you can shift your shape surprisingly effectively with a just a little more than the recommended 30 minutes 5 times a week. And women who work out regularly have a much easier menopause, evidence shows. Walk four miles daily, weight train three times a week, and stay limber with yoga or swimming once a week – that’s the secret sauce.
Take care of your hair.
It’s about to get grayer, coarser and possibly thinner, and if you thought you had the occasional bad hair day before, then get ready for a lot more. A great cut and colour is a no brainer. And it’s time to swap bleached highlights for more natural colour that’s kinder to the complexion and the condition of hair. Use a hair nourishment programme like the Irish brand Viviscal’s Hair Growth Programme, which counts Gwyneth Paltrow and Reece Witherspoon amongst its fans. Other simple measures Viviscal experts recommend: – a weekly home made hair mask of avocado, honey and olive oil left on once a week will be great for both scalp and hair shine. Skip the straighteners and invest in a silk pillow which will keep a blow-dry in shape for much longer.
WIN VIP TICKETS
Join Hair and Wardrobe Confidence Masterclass in partnership with Viviscal
If you are stuck in a rut in your 40s then our Masterclass in Hair and Wardrobe Confidence from My Second Spring this Thursday at the Merrion Hotel is the place to start. Consultant Trichologist Carol Johnson will help with all your hair and scalp issues ; top hair stylist Helen Kenny will show you how to nix bad hair days and The Wardrobe Mistress, Maura McDonald will help shake up your dress code.
Book Now: Eventbrite or visit www.MySecondSpring.ie for more tips on making the best of midlife.
Thu, April 07, 2016