Month: February 2025

Hello, I’m Nancy Lang Gibbs, and I just turned 65. And I’m wondering if the more I say it, and write it, the more it will begin to feel real?!

The day I saw “Nancy’s 65^th birthday” on my computer calendar I honestly took a double take, and if there had been a speech bubble over my tilted head it would have said, “Whose 65^th birthday?!” Seeing the visual of my name next to that number did not compute.

And I’m sure I’m not alone! This is why I’m passionate about rallying together all of us women in later life to discover how to love this time of life regardless of societal messages, and to become more aware of our internal ones as well.

Is Getting Older Easy?

Nope! And you could say that about any age!

We are all getting older. My baby grandsons are trying to sit up without falling over. Young kids beginning school are figuring out how to make new friends, college grads are faced with making a life for themselves. No matter our age, we all face challenges, fears, new stages… and new opportunities!

I will say, however, that society doesn’t make it easy. I get very frustrated with each commercial espousing how to fight aging and look younger as though getting older is a disease! Especially for women.

The Messages Are All Around Us

If we don’t use this cream and wear that make-up to hide all our “imperfections” then we won’t look beautiful. And it’s not just societal messages, it often comes from our friend and familial circles as well.

I’ll never forget one time when my grandma was visiting, and I didn’t wear any makeup that day. That night we got dressed to go out, so I put make-up on and when she saw me, she said, “Is this the same girl?” To be fair, she wasn’t intentionally trying to insult me, we’re all just so conditioned as to what ‘pretty’ is, that we pass these messages on from generation to generation.

And what begins as generational messages, can end up being believed as the truth.

Keeping Hold of Who We Are

As we enter our 50s, 60s and older, we get to a stage of life when many of us begin to feel invisible. We often don’t get the compliments we once did which can lead to feeling less attractive. Also, we can begin to feel less valued because our wisdom doesn’t seem to be as important as the influencers on social media.

We can lose sight of our beauty and importance because, perhaps, we unknowingly rely on external sources to fuel our fire, versus trusting our knowing to emanate from the fire in our belly.

This quote from Maria Shriver really resonates with me: “The truth is, we all want someone to see the jewel that is inside of us. We all long to be seen as valuable, no matter how old we are. And we work hard trying to get others to recognize our value, our worth, so often giving them the power to decide if we are, in fact, jewels to be cherished. But that power is actually our own. It’s yours. Don’t give it away.”

Yes!!

Here’s the thing: feeling appreciated, and hearing that we are valued and loved is a beautiful thing, and we’ve got to, got to, got to recognize and acknowledge it within ourselves first. We’ve got to love ourselves and know our worth without needing to hear it from anyone else; because if we don’t, we are giving our power away. And we cannot give others that power.

Prior to turning 65 last month, I had a sudden impetus to write, and what came out of me was completely unexpected. I have never been prouder of anything I’ve ever written. I have never, ever written anything like it, and it became the 95^th episode that is now the most listened to episode of my podcast Loving Later Life. It is called, “Spoken Word Poetry of Birthday Thoughts & Wishes Gone Wild as I Officially Become a Senior.”

If you click on that link you can listen to it from the play bar on the website page. You can also find it on whatever podcast platform you prefer.

I hope that you listen (not because I’m looking for external praise!), but because from all reports, it encompasses parts of all of us, and I want to share it with as many people as possible. So please feel free to share and to follow the podcast if you’d like.

No one else can provide the level of pride and love that we can give to ourselves. And it’s never too late. We have the power. Anything is possible. At any age.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Have you turned 65 yet? How does it feel to be a senior? What does it mean to you? How does it affect your life?

Suki Waterhouse & Michelle Williams-approved.

Don’t be funny with my money…

As a child, I was always told I needed calcium for strong bones. So, I drank lots of milk and made sure to eat foods rich in this mineral. As an adult, I took calcium supplements. I figured I was doing what I was supposed to be doing from a nutritional standpoint in order to protect my bones.

What I learned later as I matured in age is that while calcium is an important mineral for good bone health, it can’t do this job alone. It turns out that, like a lot of things in life, protecting our bones and warding off osteoporosis can best be described as a mineral “team sport.”

In addition to calcium, other players include trace minerals such as zinc, copper, manganese and magnesium. Not having enough of these other minerals may accelerate bone loss after women go through menopause and as people continue to age. That got my attention!

Let’s take a look at some of these other must-have minerals that may not be on your radar for good bone health.

Of course, everyone’s body is different, so please talk with your doctor before making any changes to your diet or using any supplements. Only they can tell you what is right for you!

Zinc and Copper

Zinc and Copper work together to protect our bones and minimize our risk of developing osteoporosis – especially after menopause. They need to be in balance to work best, so it’s important to make sure you check your zinc and copper levels regularly.

This is especially important with zinc since the quantity of zinc in our bones declines with age and especially after menopause (and if you smoke, you are decreasing your zinc levels even more).

Zinc helps keep our bones healthy by supporting bone growth. Without enough of it, our bones can’t maintain themselves. Zinc literally helps hold our bones together by providing the matrix on which calcium is deposited during bone formation.

A good analogy is when you help your grandchildren make sculptures by putting plaster on a wire mesh mold. Imagine trying to do this without enough mesh or with no mesh at all. That’s what happens in our bones without enough zinc.

It’s also necessary for good bone healing and for old bone re-absorption by our bodies, so that there is room for new, stronger bone to form.

If zinc helps create the matrix on which new bone is formed, copper helps ensure that the calcium deposited on this matrix stays put to keep bones strong.

Also, it is critical to the formation of flexible, strong and resilient connective tissue in your bones. This flexibility and resilience is what helps your bones bend instead of break, which can frequently happen if you suffer from osteoporosis.

Copper also helps other important bone minerals do their jobs better. For example, it interacts with zinc and manganese to create an antioxidant that protects your bones and helps maintain their strength and integrity. It also helps make sure that your bones get enough oxygen, which is critical for overall bone health.

You don’t need a lot of zinc and copper (about 8 mg and 900 mcg per day, respectively), and the good news is that you can readily get them from foods you probably already have on your shopping list. For zinc, these include Brazil nuts, oats, peanuts and split peas; for copper, you may eat buckwheat, peanut butter and vegetable oils.

Manganese and Magnesium

While manganese and magnesium sound a lot alike, they play very different roles in bone health and preventing osteoporosis.

Manganese is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, and it’s the fifth most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust. It is also an important mineral to have in your osteoporosis prevention and treatment arsenal since it plays a role in bone formation.

Recent studies have shown that manganese, when taken with calcium, zinc and copper, may lessen spinal bone loss in some postmenopausal women. Lack of manganese can also have a negative impact on cartilage growth and repair. Cartilage is a connective tissue found in many areas of your body including your knees, ankles and elbows.

Magnesium is one of the major minerals in your body, and it plays an important role in helping remove old bone cells and creating new ones. It makes up only about 1 percent of your bones’ mineral content even though most of your body’s magnesium is stored in your bones.

This mineral, together with copper, helps your bones better absorb calcium. If you don’t get enough magnesium, your bone density may decrease, and your bones may become more brittle and prone to fractures.

As with the other minerals your bones need to stay healthy, you don’t need a lot of manganese and magnesium. For manganese, women need about 1.8 mg a day, and for magnesium, if you’re over 51 years of age, you need 320 mg daily.

Foods that contain manganese are nuts and seeds, green leafy vegetables, tea, wheat germ and whole grains (including unrefined cereals, buckwheat, bulgur wheat and oats), legumes and pineapples. You can find magnesium in leafy green vegetables (like spinach), legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains.

Test, Don’t Guess!

It’s important to not only make sure your body is getting enough calcium, zinc, copper, manganese and magnesium but also that these minerals are in the correct balance. This is necessary in order to best protect your bones against osteoporosis or, if you have it, slowing down the negative effects of the condition.

The best way to do this is talk with your doctor or healthcare provider about getting nutrition testing that includes these key bone minerals.

All this information about the role various minerals play in keeping my bones strong was eye-opening. Now, I do not focus on just calcium. I also know that I can make some easy dietary changes to increase my chances of preventing osteoporosis. And if I do get osteoporosis in the future, I may be able to minimize its progression.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Have you made any dietary changes to prevent or treat osteoporosis? What steps have you taken with dietary changes to promote bone health? Have they been working? Tell us about it. Please join the conversation.

Choosing the right place to travel or settle down is a deeply personal decision. Whether you’re a retiree seeking relaxation, an aspiring digital nomad craving adventure, or someone who needs to relocate for financial, health, or personal reasons, your personality plays a key role in determining the best destinations for you.

By using the Enneagram personality framework, we can help match your unique traits to the perfect location in South and Central America, Asia, and Europe – regions popular with American travelers – as well as domestic options for those who need to move within their own country.

And if you’d like to hear my podcast on the topic, please click the player below.

Understanding the Enneagram and Travel Preferences

The Enneagram groups personalities into nine distinct types, each with unique motivations and travel styles. Identifying your Enneagram type can help guide your decision on where to go. Click the following link for a free Enneagram Personality Test.

Enneagram Travel Personalities & Matching Destinations

Key Considerations for Women Over 60

Healthcare Access

For retirees or those moving for health reasons, healthcare is a major factor. Consider:

• Quality of healthcare services (e.g., Portugal and Thailand have excellent public and private healthcare systems, while cities like Boston and Minneapolis in the U.S. have top-ranked hospitals).
• Proximity to hospitals and specialists.
• Affordability of insurance and medical care.

Healthcare Rankings by Country and U.S. Cities

Cost of Living

Retirement savings or digital nomad income needs to go far. Compare housing, groceries, and transportation costs before deciding.

Cost of Living Comparison (Global & Domestic)

Slow Travel vs. Full Relocation

If you’re unsure about committing to one place, slow travel is an excellent way to test different locations before relocating.

Slow Travel vs. Relocation

Women interested in slow travel often start in Mexico or Portugal, staying in Airbnbs for three to six months before deciding on a permanent move. Others try a U.S.-based trial move, such as spending a winter in Florida before committing to relocating there.

Final Thoughts: Embrace the Change!

Your dream destination should align with your values, budget, sense of adventure, and comfort level with cultural dynamics. Whether you choose full relocation, slow travel, or moving within your own country, the world is waiting for you!

Next Steps:

1. Research visa options and cultural norms for your top destination.
2. Join expat or relocation communities online to ask questions.
3. Download the Compatibility Checklist to start planning.
4. Consider a trial stay before making a permanent move.

By understanding your personality type, cultural expectations, and practical needs, you can confidently find a destination that feels like home. Adventure doesn’t have an age limit – start exploring today!

Also read, Uncover Your Travel Personality: Let the Enneagram Guide Your Next Adventure.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What’s your travel personality type? Have you tried a trial move to a location to test the waters? What was your experience like?