GROWING OLDER

IF YOU THINK YOUR BEST YEARS ARE BEHIND YOU, THINK AGAIN. TODAY’S OLDER WOMAN IS STRONGER, FITTER AND HAPPIER THAN YOUR GRANDMA’S GENERATION

Most of us remember thinking that 29 was old – and then spent our 30s holding fast to the promise that ‘life begins at 40’. Well, the good news is, even if you’ll never see another 50th birthday, there’s every chance your best years are actually yet to come. We asked the experts about the best things that come with growing older.

MORE FREEDOM

As your children grow up, you no longer need to be responsible for their everyday lives and you can redefine yourself as a person, says Associate Professor Briony Dow, who heads Australia’s National Ageing Research Institute (NARI).

“Many women become more aware of the things they like to do and how they truly want to live their lives,” she adds. “For some, it offers an opportunity to think about themselves for a change and make choices about who they want to be.”

YOU CAN BE FITTER, STRONGER, FASTER

Before you consider leaving the gym, running track or beach to the younger ones, think of all the athletes who continue to win accolades well into their 70s and beyond for things like CrossFit, open water swimming and even ultra-marathons.

The idea that getting older means you should slow down or restrict the types of physical activities you can do is a myth, says NARI physiotherapist Dr Frances Batchelor.