Life Doesn’t Stop at 50!*

I turned 30 last year and it reminded me of my own mortality and getting older. I lost both my grandfathers in the space of 6 weeks a few years back, which was so hard as I’d always been lucky enough to have most of my grandparents. And although my anxious brain had me worrying, I just needed to look at my parents who are now living their very best life in their 50s! Their mortgage is paid off and they’re now looking towards retirement. This was a healthy reminder that getting older really isn’t all doom and gloom!

My parents aren’t alone, so many people really start living their best life at 50, and it’s been proven that people in that age bracket have less worries and cares than the younger generation. My parents are living a comfortable life, and they’re looking towards a future when they get to spend more time doing as they please. They make me feel inspired.

So here are 5 hobbies you can consider taking up in your 50s;

Gardening
At 30, making my garden look nice is the last thing on my mind. Working, raising a kid and keeping a house is enough for me. However, I’ve always taken an interest in growing my own fruit and veg (more so than ever with Brexit on my mind). If that’s you, 50 could be the time to do it! By 50 the majority of people have grown up kids who are off living their lives and no longer require the care they did when they were younger, you’ll notice your house is cleaner and easier to keep, so why not try to improve the garden? My uncle loves growing his own tomatoes!

Travel More
I love hearing about couples in their later years getting out and seeing the world. These days people do it before having kids, but the previous generations got married and started a family much earlier in life. At 50, without the cost of a family it’s becoming more and more common for our parents to finally do some travelling. My grandparents didn’t visit the US until they were in their 50s, and my Aunt often goes to Australia! These are places they never had the chance to visit while raising a family but now they have more time on their hands the world is their oyster!

Take Up a Sport
Keeping fit is an important part of staying healthy as you get older (and btw I need to do this myself!) so taking up a sport as a hobby is a great way to keep yourself active and fill your time. It’s also a fantastic way to meet new people. A lot of sports centres or community centres will actually offer sports and fitness classes for people in their 50s, so you won’t feel like you’re getting left behind by younger people. This is especially nice if you’re taking up a sport purely for entertainment rather than being competitive. A sport that has become more popular in the older community is pickleball. You can learn how to play pickleball then start a mini league among friends.

Give Back to the Community
When my Nanny retired in her early 60s, she found herself at a loose end and board. All her grandkids were in school and her kids were working. My Grandpa was just happy to do his own thing, but she needed something more. So, she started volunteering in a charity shop. She loved it. She was always finding bargains (she is a big fan of thrifting), and anyone who was in town could meet her for coffee on her break. She’s now 80 this year and has long since retired for good, but she always talks about how happy it made her to give back. You don’t need to work in a charity shop, you could join your local council or even offer to do odd jobs in your area.

Get Creative
If you’re creatively inclined in anyway but you were never brave enough to make a career, your 50s are the time to embrace it. Maybe you’re good at art and want to take a class. Or perhaps you always wanted to learn an instrument. Where I live, they have some local theatre troops that encourage people of all ages to join. Maybe your creative side is something you could make a small business form, like knitting or sewing. As you head towards retirement, you’ll have more time to get creative in whatever way best suits you.

Rather than looking at getting older as something bad, embrace it and look at it as the time when you can really live your best life however you want to!