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I wonder how many times you have said ‘I hate having my photo taken!’ Well, this week I am going to give you some tips to help you look your trimmest, happiest, most relaxed… and fabulous! And yes, there is a bit of an art to it!
Springtime is a great time for weddings and whilst we love dressing up in our finery for such a special occasion, knowing how to stand, what to do with the handbag and wondering whether we have we chosen the right hat, are typical concerns that run through our minds.
Of course, if it is a wedding of a close member of your family – I’m thinking your children or grandchildren – where you are a key member of the bridal party, what you wear is even more important and you really want to get it right.
Then there is, of course, that big opportunity to lose the weight you might have been trying to lose for ages! There is nothing like a wedding to provide all the motivation you need to take action, particularly if you are a mother or grandmother of the bride!
Here are a few tips to consider on your journey towards the big day.
What to wear
- Recognise your body shape and dress accordingly. Take a look at our Dressing Well section that will help you recognise whether you are heart shaped, apple shaped or pear shaped. By learning the fashion tricks to help you accentuate your best bits and minimise those you would prefer not to highlight, you can transform your appearance and give the impression of a beautifully balanced figure.
- Before you buy your wedding outfit, it may be a good idea to check with the bride and groom as to what kind of wedding they are planning. Will it be a very traditional and formal ceremony or are they planning a more casual, low-key event?
- Select an outfit in a colour that really suits you – not just a colour that’s in fashion.
- When selecting your stunning ensemble try it on for size and make sure there is enough room for you to eat and drink on the big day. If we dress-shop in the morning, we are at our slimmest, but we all expand as the day progresses with the food and drink that we consume. Bear in mind how you might feel after a three-course meal and generous drinks later in the day.
- When you have chosen your fabulous outfit, check whether the sleeves need shortening and is the hemline the best length for you? You could ask for any alterations to be included in the price of the outfit. Fashion shops are often happy to do this.
- Next, it’s time to think about accessories. When selecting Shoes to Enhance Your Look, comfort is key as you will be wearing them for a long time. Colour-wise, before you buy, check the overall colour of your outfit from a distance as this will help you decide on the best colour for your shoes, bag and hat (if you are wearing one).
- Selecting a hat can be tricky and I am a big fan of hiring one. Not only will you find the right one for you, as the hat-hire person will know which suits you best, but in the end, I have found it cheaper and I have always found that I get a much more elaborate style than one I might have considered buying. Hired hats can be absolutely fabulous creations costing a fortune and you will have only paid a fraction of that. Do ensure it fits before you leave the shop. We can buy all kinds of mini cushions with double-sided tape to sit inside the brim to ensure your beautiful hat is secure and comfortable. Be sure to wear the hat correctly positioned with the brim tilting forward. Dress hats are not meant to be worn on the back of your head!
- It may be that you hate wearing a hat and you would prefer a fascinator. These days there is such an amazing range from which to choose but they don’t suit everyone. (They certainly don’t suit me!) Again, you can hire one if you wish.
- We all need a handbag and it may, but doesn’t have to, match the shoes. Just make sure it is big enough to hold what you will need including your mobile phone, and plenty of tissues!
- Gloves add a wonderful finishing touch to your outfit and they are available online in just about every colour of the rainbow. It's a good idea to check your glove size by trying gloves on in a store before you order online.
Wedding photographs - here are the golden rules:
- Try to think of the camera as your friend. Look at the lens and smile.
- When you are about to have a picture taken, don’t talk! We sometimes can’t help ourselves because we are nervous but if we just smile, the chances are it will be a fab photo!
- For wedding photographs, the question often asked is ‘how do I stand?’. There is a real knack to this. The golden rule is to stand front on, one foot facing forward with the other foot at a 45-degree angle positioned behind it, but keep it close to the heel of the front foot. If you are standing on the left of the bridal party, it is left foot forward, right foot angled at ‘ten-past-two’ position on a clockface. If you are standing on the right of the bride, it is right foot forward and left foot in ‘ten-to-ten’ position. Standing like this enables your hips to swivel slightly away from the camera, making you look narrower. Always a good look!
- Finally, remember to stand tall, shoulders back, hands relaxed and hold a clutch bag or handbag to your side and give your biggest smile.
For other photographs, here are some useful tips:
- Try to wear white next to your face as it reflects the light upwards to your chin which is more flattering.
- If you want to have a particularly flattering shot of your face that minimises a double chin, lie on the floor on your elbows and look up towards the camera. This is a really great pose.
- Men, if you need an official photograph, nothing looks better than a crisp white shirt to help you look your best.
- Finally, for general colour tips, pastel shades are more flattering to the older woman.
- Expect your photographer to take lots of shots. That way you'll get at least one great one.
Enjoy your celebrations and if you haven’t already, I totally recommend having a colour and style consultation. It will help you to only buy colours that flatter you and help you avoid those costly mistakes.
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Broccoli and Stilton Soup
Serves 6
Per serving: 182 Calories, 5.5g fat
Prep time 10 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
2 medium onions, chopped
2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into small pieces
1200ml vegetable stock, (use two vegetable stock cubes or stock pots)
340g broccoli, cut into florets including stork
84g Stilton cheese, crumbled
150ml semi-skimmed or skimmed milk
Freshly ground black pepper
- Heat a non-stick pan and spray with rapeseed oil. Dry-fry the onion with the freshly ground black pepper until the onion is soft.
- Add the stock and the potatoes and bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add the broccoli, including any bits of stalk, and cook for a further 10 minutes until cooked.
- Liquidise until smooth.
- Add the crumbled stilton and the milk and gently heat through without boiling and serve in warm dishes.
Chef's tip: This soup is suitable for freezing but is better frozen before adding the milk, then when reheating for use, add the milk but avoid boiling.
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Don't forget, you can download and print a copy of this recipe if you click on the image above to go to this recipe's page on the website.
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Fun, Facts & Fitness from Mary Morris MSc.
We are so fortunate to live in an age when we can have regular health checks that were unavailable to women in the generations before us.
I have always been a huge advocate of taking up the offer of any medical test that might measure where I lie on the 'health' spectrum and subsequently follow any advice given to me that has a sound scientific basis. The fact you read this newsletter hopefully means you are of a similar mind.
There are a number of health areas where tests are freely available to us and I would encourage you to find out more about what’s available. If we have the opportunity to be tested, we are then able to check and compare our results with what is considered to be a healthy 'range'. It may be that you already regularly check all of the areas listed below so, if you do, give yourself a big pat on the back for being so well-informed about the most fundamental measurements that affect your health!
Your Weight – a healthy BMI?
One of our regular readers recently brought to my attention what is called the Geriatric BMI – not a good title I admit, but basically there is now some adjustment to the usual range for adults if you are over 65 years old. Here are the ranges:
Adults under 65 years
- Underweight: less than 18.5
- Normal Weight: 18.5 - 24.9
- Overweight: 25 - 29.9
- Obese: more than 30
Adults over 65 years
- Underweight: less than 23
- Normal weight: 23 - 29.9
- Overweight/obese: more than 30
These new figures for the older age range are based on much research that has assessed at what point our weight is likely to cause severe illness and death. However, I do feel I need to put in a word of caution here, as I believe that if you are well exercised, following our recommendations of plenty of strength-work to maintain your muscle mass, then these figures do not apply to you. I prefer to allow a small increase to say a BMI of 25 - 27 allowing for a reasonable adjustment, for a fit and strong older adult.
It is so easy to check your current BMI. Just go to the NHS BMI Calculator and follow the instructions.
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Rosemary and Mary talk about BMI
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Your Body Fat Level
Just knowing our BMI is not enough as it does not take into account the level of body fat that we have and as with body weight there are guidelines as to what is the right level for our age. Methods of measuring the level are not totally accurate but are felt to be accurate enough to indicate when it is too high. Most of us are using a home set of scales to do this, and that method uses what is called Bio-Electrical Impedance (basically a sort of radio wave that recognises the density of muscle and fat in our body – muscle being heavier, and therefore more dense, and fat being lighter and less dense.)
Healthy ranges are:
- Age 40 - 49: 19.9 - 27.6
- Age 50 - 59: 22.6 - 30.4
- Age 60 - 69: 23.3 - 31.3
- Age 70 - 79: 25.4 - 35.9
I have always said to my older ladies that it is better to be at the top end of the range for your age, particularly age 70 plus, as that energy reserve in the form of body fat may be necessary if we were to fall ill and be off our feet for a considerable period of time.
Your Waist Size
Having too much fat around our middle is a considerable health concern as I am sure many of you know, as it means there is fat sitting around our vital organs. The increase in waist size following the menopause is a well-known issue for many women, and with the increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, it is important to keep a check on it.
The String Test is a very easy way to check that your waist measurement is right for you. Simply take a piece of string and cut it to a length equivalent to your height, (be sure to check your height as we all shrink with age!) Then halve the length by holding both ends together and the length of the doubled-up string should fit comfortably around your waist. Easy... and such a great indication that you have a healthy waist measurement! If the doubled-up string isn’t long enough, then you know you have some weight to lose.
All of these tests can be done in the comfort of your own home. Next week, I will encourage you to make sure you are up-to-date with all those scans and tests that are offered to you on the NHS that need a health professional to conduct them, and why they are so important.
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This Week's Fitness Challenge
- This week do all the different health checks above and if you are concerned that your result is unhealthy then resolve to improve those results. If you need to make big changes then plan a suitable period of time (say 3 months) to change those results for the better. Have you tried our DIY Fitness Test? Or maybe you did it some time ago and now it’s time to check it again and compare with your previous results.
- As well as your usual daily 30+ minute walk, try to find time for a long walk, possibly with a 'buddy', this week.
- Never underestimate the value of a Strength programme, particularly if you are in the older age group. Muscle loss is a serious issue for over 65s... but hopefully not for you if you regularly follow my weekly fitness challenges! Do 3 sessions this week.
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Did you know... 
How long is a piece of string?
Well, according to Mary, if you take a piece of string the same length as your height, it should go twice around your middle.
Obviously, the question How long is a piece of string? is supposed to be unanswerable, to demonstrate that some questions cannot be answered without further information, but if anyone asks you, you can always answer "Twice as long as half its length!"
 And while you are pondering on that one, I wonder how many of you played "Cat's Cradle" at school. Cat's Cradle is a game involving the creation of various string figures between the fingers, either individually or by passing a loop of string back and forth between two or more players. If you can't remember how to do it try looking it up on YouTube! |
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And finally...
This week’s Newsletter certainly gives you lots of information and food for thought. I hope you will find it useful for now and into the future and I hope you liked the pictures of Mary and me in our wedding outfits from over 10 years ago, which we wore for our respective daughter's weddings.
Have a great week.
With love and best wishes,
Rosemary Conley CBE DL
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LIVE LONGER | LIVE HEALTHIER | LIVE HAPPIER
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