Speaking of Easy

That’s right. Today is my birthday! I have reached the point (long ago really) where I don’t necessarily do a lot of celebrating on my birthday, but my sister is coming up for lunch and we’re going to do live music at a pop-up downtown during our Thursday Night Market with friends. My daughter is gone to Transplant Camp until Saturday, so it is just my husband and I. This will be my 57th birthday! I still feel shocked every time I say that. I am now much closer to 60 than I am to 50 and I never really got used to being in my 50s. But, I am celebrating that I am relatively healthy, pretty darned happy and still employed in a job I love.

Instead of setting goals or choosing 57 things to do (which always fails – even when I had far less than 57 things) or “becoming a new me,” I’m going for an aesthetic this year. A life “style” so-to-speak. And I’m choosing Coastal Grandmother! I am actually a mother still (late mom – had her at 40), but the style, aesthetic, etc. is definitely right up my alley. So, I want to live my best Coastal Grandmother life this year. What does that mean?

My Coastal Grandmother Plan for 57

• Wear cashmere and linen – I can’t afford this all the time obviously, but light weight, soft, and loose is where I’m going for this year’s fashion. Out with my skinny jeans (yes, I have mostly worn skinny jeans – I’m not sure why) and in with my linen pants. Out with my tight-fitting tee-shirts and in with my button-up oversized blouses.
• Start a garden – I have a lovely backyard that has plenty of space, but I’ve never been one for getting out there and making it pretty. This is the year for that! More flowers than veggies, but a few veggies as well.
• Walking a lot – unfortunately, I don’t have a beach near me to walk on, but I can walk along our creek or river or even some of our lakes, or just around our neighborhood.
• Hang outside more – on my back patio, maybe redo the front to have a place to hang out there as well.
• Go to Farmer’s Market on the reg – When my daughter was younger, we would go to the Saturday Farmer’s Market almost every week that we were in town. We would go to Thursday Night Market almost every week as well. Then, we fell out of that being our routine. But, I’m putting it back. It also helps with the walking and hanging outside. Three in one!
• Read – A lot. I want to read daily. Build it in to my routine. Stop scrolling and start reading.
• Travel – go to the coast since I don’t live there. Go to the lake more (we have a lot of lakes around us, but we don’t go very often). Go for day trips to aesthetic places and enjoy them!

A few more things for a healthy 57

• Intermittent fasting – I’ve been convinced that this is the healthiest route for me at this stage of my life. I probably will need to diet as well, but I started intermittent fasting at only a 14/10 right now (14 hours fasting, 10 hour eating window). I hope to jump up to 15/9 next month and get to 16/8 in September and stick with that. It took a bit to adjust and I think this incremental approach will make it stick. From all I read and see and thanks to Mix and Match Mama giving me the nudge.
• Walking 10,000 steps every day for a year – This will take some intentional planning and effort as well, but it is something I can do anywhere (even in my house if I have to) and any time. So, I feel like it is totally doable and will keep me active, stronger and my dog will love it!
• Read 50 pages a day – Again, this will take some intentional planning and effort. But it is something I can do anywhere (as long as I have access to a book, which my phone gives me as a last resort – it is a little small to read on long term). This will have me reading 350 pages a week, which is an average book I read. So, if I read a book a week, that means four books a month, and 48 books a year. This will be an incredible gain over my usual 6-8 books a year.

So, there you have it. My plan for 57. I think I will do a little check in each month and let you know how things are going. If you have other suggestions for Coastal Grandmother living or for goals that will keep me healthy and happy at 57, I would love to hear them in the comments!