I'm not! You won't find me in a gaudy Christmas themed jumper I'm sorry to say. But I do like a bit of sparkle or some sequins may be? So I'm sharing with you today a few tasteful ideas for the Christmas social season. I've just bought this one from Boden - it's black and gold and has a metallic yarn giving it just that nice bit of sparkle, I shall wear it with my coated jeans or my pleather trousers. Boden have 30% off this week - Renata Jumper. Boden also have these novelty knits which I think are quite tasteful and discrete, I do rather like the one with pom poms on! Boden Christmas Jumper. The second one I have purchased for myself is this 'Let it Snow' knit from Crew Clothing Company. I don't buy a lot from Crew, but their knitwear is good quality and this one is good value with the current discount, I also thought that it wasn't limited to Christmas and would make a nice outfit for when I go skiing in February. Let it Snow Jumper. And still from Crew, they also have some Christmassy knitwear too that isn't too over the top, take a look here. I spotted a few subtle choices at Oasis - these are all very good value for money as it is not something that gets worn much - Oasis knitwear. It's very unusual to see Mint Velvet offering a discount prior to their sale but for Black Friday they have 20% off everthing this week! There wern't any jumpers that I fell in love with but I did really like this blouse which if you are like me and suffer from overheating on Christmas Day then you might be tempted with something like this with some coated jeans. Take a look at the Mint Velvet Partywear edit - here. I spotted this Sparkle Back Split Jumper in The White Company today, I didn't buy it but I am very tempted especially as they currently have 20% off as well!
I'll be back soon with some lovely gift and stocking filler ideas - I have a few Christmassy scarves to show you from Sweet-Bea the online accessories shop I love and I will have an exclusive discount code for you too. Love Michelle xx
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At the beginning of September, once the summer holidays were over and it felt like a 'new year' I did a blog post talking about my goals - here. I had been rather unwell over the summer with stress and I wanted to start taking more care of myself and making sure I found time for me. So how did I get on - now we are two months into that 'new year', what have I been doing? Well my first priority was moving our business out of the home office and into a new rented office. This took place late September and it has been absolutely the right decision. We are now settled in the new office and it feels so much better to 'go to work' rather than just nip out the back door in my slippers. I have been working a bit more just recently while we recruit a new office manager and although it has made me much busier I have coped better with the office being away from home. So all positive there! Then with all that complete I got to take over the log cabin! I have had fun getting it organised how I want it. I have a large storage room which is shelved out and I have purchased new storage boxes and I now have out of season clothes, handbags, shoes, photo albums, memory boxes, storage for gifts etc. I love it! Finally these things are organised and accessible. We don;t have a big house, we have a character cottage so storage space isn't great, this has really made me feel a lot less overwhelmed and it has enabled me to de-clutter too. Then the main part of the log cabin has a sofa, comfortable chairs, a corner that is now 'my gym' and another corner with a desk that I can use for one off projects like doing my blog course or selling on eBay. I've also used the space to just sit and chat to friends on the phone or for Skype calls. The ladders lead up to a sleeping platform that my husband made over the storage room so that our teenagers can use it when they have friends round.
I still have plans to make it cosier, new cushions, a rug, fairy lights but it is a work in progress and time has been a bit limited but I am happy that the main structure is all organised. I've been back to exercise although I have not yet really started back to a proper routine but doing some weight workouts and lots of stress-busting walks in the autumn sunshine has been really good for me. If you fancy getting some ideas for workouts then take a look at my friends new Facebook page, Bev is going to do a guest post for me soon so she will tell you more, but I really love her content and helpful motivation and she is adding great workout ideas into the files section - Fifty, Fit and Fabulous. I've not really got on with my blog course yet but once I have trained our new office manager that is something I want to do when I can have some quiet time sat in my log cabin. I've got lots more to share with you over the coming weeks. More information on weights workouts, more nutrition and recipe ideas and of course lots of outfits and shopping tips. And I am spending less time mindlessly scrolling social media - it has a role in my life but I am learning to be a bit more balanced about it - see my post on Sleep if you have't already. Love Michelle xx Menopause is getting much more attention in the press than it used to, once upon a time it was a subject to be kept quiet and never to be acknowledged in public. But slowly opinion is changing and women are more prepared to speak out. This means that there is now more information available to help us navigate, what can for some women, be quite a challenging phase in their lives. Last week I attended a fabulous workshop - Wellness in the Menopause. This half day programme was put together by three inspiring women: Janet Padfield from Apples to Zinc Nutritional Therapy Chloe Leibowitz - Inspiring Women (Life Coach) Jen Roach from Fearless in the Kitchen They came together to provide a unique combination of support and advice during the menopause - based on nutrition and lifestyle. This half day workshop took place at Jen's pretty cottage in the Berkshire countryside (see my post about her cookery classes here), it included a presentation from Janet and Chloe and a practical cookery demonstration from Jen finishing with a delicious healthy lunch and a chance to chat to everyone. The focus of the day was very much on natural solutions and how we can help ourselves through nutrition and lifestyle. Janet (Nutrition and the Menopause) very clearly explained the processes, the myths and the symptoms (of which there are many and we are all different). Stress plays a huge part in how our body copes during menopause and a very good place to start with managing our symptoms is to address the stress. Once our ovaries stop producing oestrogen the adrenal glands take over and produce oestrogen (although not as much) so it is important that they are working really well and can take on this job efficiently. The key areas we need to address are: Nutrition Stress and sleep Environment and toxins Exercise Supplements Next Chloe gave a presentation on mindset and lifestyle during the menopause. Unfortunately we are all guilty of focusing on the negatives rather than the positives and Chloe encouraged us to look at it differently and explained how different cultures view menopause. How a woman perceives menopause in her mind and how her culture views aging can have a huge impact on how a woman feels mentally and physically during this time. I was interested to learn that in our Western culture menopause is viewed negatively but in many cultures it is seen as a positive thing and often these women report far less physical symptoms. Certainly something to think about. Chloe shared some really practical ideas on how to manage our lifestyles and create a positive mindset with suggestions for how to embrace the changes that our bodies are going through. Finally, Jen from Fearless in the Kitchen gave us a cookery demonstration, sharing how to make some nutritious recipes that will really help our health during menopause. Gut health is really important and Jen showed us how to make Sauerkraut - fermented food is really good for our guts and we should be including it in our daily diets. Jen runs a workshop that is dedicated just to fermented foods and gut health. This recipe was so easy! I will definitely be trying it at home. And no the stuff you can buy in jars at the supermarket is not the same! Jen also demonstrated a pancake recipe using yellow pea flour which is really high in protein (and we should eat lots of good quality protein). I've made these at home and they are excellent. And a sunflower seed ricotta served with high protein seed crackers - this was absolutely delicious! We enjoyed a few snacks too - we tried the sunflower seed ricotta, some apple and almond cake and tasted the pancakes. Jen gave us healthy hints and tips throughout the demonstration and shared lots of ideas to make life easy! Then we enjoyed a delicious lunch all made by Jen. I honestly can't recommend this workshop enough. It really was enjoyable and enlightening. Janet, Chloe and Jen did a fantastic job at sharing their knowledge and offering non-HRT solutions! The menopause is a natural process that our bodies go through, it isn't a medical condition and it is possible to treat the symptoms without resorting to medical intervention. Of course that isn't always the case and everyone is different but nutrition and lifestyle is absolutely worth looking at first. I have had a few messages from women who follow my blog saying they feel they have nowhere to go for support, unfortunately most GP's are not trained to help with the menopause and getting a referral to a specialist isn't always easy. If you do live near Berkshire then do get in contact with Janet, Chloe or Jen and sign up for their next workshop - they are hoping to run it again on a Saturday in March. I would also point you in the direction of this excellent blog post from Dr Chatterjee - have you seen his programme Doctor in the House on TV? Dr Chatterjee is championing lifestyle changes to common medical problems and has written a very good summary about how to help yourself during menopause - take a read here. The day was made even more fun by the fact that I met a lovely lady who has been following me on Instagram for a while now and when she read about my cookery day with Jen she decided to come along to this workshop - Jackie it was really great to meet you! I left full of inspiration to cook a bit more and work on more ways to help myself. And we got some lovely goody bags! Samples from Elemis courtesy of Sunrise in Marlow, a jar of Balsamic Fig Conserve made by Jen, primal pantry bars to try, herbal tea and lots of vouchers and special offers for follow-up consultations. We also got a copy of the slides from the presentations and lots of recipes from Jen so we can try them out at home.
For more details please visit: Janet Padfield - Apples to Zinc Nutritional Therapy Chloe Leibowitz - Inspiring Women Jen Roach - Fearless in the Kitchen I'll leave you with my top tips, my 'take-homes' from the day ... Manage your stress - for every stressful moment in your day make sure you balance it with some me time, some time for recovery, like a hot bath, time to sit with a book, have a massage once a month maybe. Work some sort of exercise into your routine - it has been proven that weight lifting is one of the best forms of exercise for menopausal symptoms but even just getting out for a 15 minute walk every day is a good place to start and will pay dividends for your health. Eat well - start small, sprinkle flaxseed on your morning porridge or add it to yoghurt, include fruit or vegetables with every meal, eat more protein, minimise caffeine, sugar and alcohol. Don't overthink it just start incorporating a more nutritious appraoch into your life. Supplements - there are many supplements that are promoted as good for menopause symptoms but it is best not to self-prescribe, I would suggest asking for advice from a qualified practitioner as there are lots of interactions with other drugs and it is best not to buy cheap - you get what you pay for. Don't beat yourself up if you are not perfect! Start slowly, introduce a few simple changes and work on changing your habits but we all lead busy stressful lives and it is important to realise that we can't do it all at once. Be kind to yourself. If you do decide to book onto their next Wellness in Menopause Workshop do let me know and mention where you read about it when you contact one of the ladies! Love from Michelle xx Last year when I met with my friend who is a stylist she said what was missing in my wardrobe was an animal print scarf. Now I have a scarf obsession and have hundreds but off I went in search of the perfect animal print scarf. I found one in John Lewis, I didn't need to think about it long and it came home with me. I have worn it and worn it and it goes with everything - she was right! Thank you Katherine! But whenever I wear it and post on Instagram I get asked where it is from. Sadly John Lewis discontinued it and I have struggled to find something similar I can recommend. But I have scanned the internet for you and I have a few suggestions: First just to compare, here is mine from John Lewis ... it does work very well with red. The first one is from Mango, I spotted this when Donna at I won't wear sludge brown featured it on her blog. Now as you can see this is a pretty rubbish image of it! But do click on this link and take a look - Mango Leopard Print Scarf £15.99. Next up a few from Oliver Bonas. Top is the Brushed Animal Print Scarf £28 then bottom left is the Animal Shimmer Scarf £42 and finally the Leopard Print Scarf £28. Then this Warehouse one is very good value at £19 and perhaps the closest in colour to mine? Leopard Print Scarf £19. As you all know I am a really big fan of the online scarf and accessories shop, Sweet-Bea but unfortunately they haven't got quite the right animal print scarf this year but do take a look at their belts! My sister had one on the when we met up last week and was very pleased with it. Plus they have a really good selection of bracelets and cuffs - great ideas for Christmas gifts, do pop over and explore their site! Hope this gives you a few ideas, let me know if you purchase one! I have been extremely busy these last few weeks running the office for my husband's business but it should all calm down again now and I can get back to blogging! I have a really good blog post planned later in the week, I want to tell you about the Wellness in Menopause Workshop I attended recently.
Love from Michelle xx |
Michelle ...Welcome to Fifty & Fab, a lifestyle blog designed to inspire and empower you. As a dedicated blogger, I share my passion for health, menopause, fitness, beauty, and style, with a special focus on women over 50. Categories
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Hi, I’m Michelle and my blog Fifty & Fab is all about my journey into and through my 50s. I started this blog in 2016 with the purpose of helping other women at this stage of life. I’m delighted that my blog has grown to over 13k visitors per month. Visit my Work with Me page and request my Media Kit for details of product reviews, blogging services and social media content creation.
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October 2024
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