Ropho — Health, Pleasure & Balance in Your Sixties, can you eat healthily in a restaurant, one of the great questions?

One of the greatest pleasures in life, at least for me, is eating out.

Not Michelin-star, dress-code, remortgage-the-house gastronomy.

I’m talking about a good local restaurant or a proper food pub.

Fresh produce, friendly service, and somewhere comfortable, where you can taste the food and still hear the person sitting opposite you.

We’re lucky here in the UK, despite what people say, there are fantastic eateries everywhere.

Whether you love traditional British dishes, a cracking curry, or, like me… Italian.

Beautiful pasta. A decent steak. Real coffee. Warm bread you swear you won’t touch… then touch.

But here’s the challenge:

How do we enjoy eating out without, expanding our waistbands further?

“Just eat a salad!” someone will shout.

Yes, but Mr. Calorie is often hiding in the dressing, the cheese, the creamy sauce poured politely by a smiling waiter.

So the answer isn’t restriction as is often the case it’s all about balance.

Preparation (The Healthy Halo Day)

Today I’ve been very good, preparing for tonight like a man entering a marathon:

• Walked an insane number of steps
• Low-fat Greek yoghurt with blueberries for breakfast
• Tuna & cucumber wholemeal sandwich for lunch
• Drank enough water to irrigate a small garden
• Did 45 minutes of resistance training
• Then sat at my laptop for six hours (balance, right?)
• Dog walked. Steps topped up. Feeling righteous.

Healthy body? Check.
Calorie budget? Saved.
Smugness level? High.

Which means…
Perfect evening for an Italian restaurant.

Did we plan ahead? Of course not.
Last-minute booking, quick taxi (raining, no driving excuse!).
We arrive. Found a table. Menus appear.

Then the first difficult question:

“What would you like to drink?”

This is where intentions and real life wrestle against each other.

We’d planned to be sensible.
Maybe a glass of wine each.

But the waiter says they have a special Merlot, hand-picked by the owner.
You know the one, described in poetic detail.
Black cherries. Velvet finish. Oak barrels. Irresistible.

Sharon looks at me.
I look at Sharon.

“This particular Merlot is sold by the bottle.”

Of course it is, It would be rude not to indulge wouldn’t it!

• MyFitnessPal
• Bottle of Merlot: approx. 640 calories.
• Half for me (I promise). 320.
• Today’s calories so far: 897.
• Left: 1475.
• Wine fits.
• So far, so good.

Starter: Yes please.

So… can you eat healthily in a restaurant?

Absolutely — if you make small choices that balance enjoyment with awareness.

Some realistic tips (realistic meaning “still fun”):

Starters

• Choose tomato-based soups, prawns, bruschetta, cured meats, olives
• Avoid deep-fried everything unless worth it
• Share starters — more variety, fewer calories

Mains

• Grilled or baked over deep-fried
• Swap chips for salad or half-and-half
• Tomato sauces instead of cream
• Add extra greens — volume without guilt
• Portion too big? Take half home for lunch tomorrow

Dessert

• Share one
• Or skip and enjoy another glass of wine
• Or skip nothing and enjoy your life — your choice

Wine

• Alternate with water
• Slow pace, savour it
• Good wine, oh well more wine

Health without punishment

After the meal:

• Short walk aids digestion & blood sugar
• Water before bed
• No guilt, one meal doesn’t ruin everything
• Consistency beats perfection

Health is built over months, not meals.

Why this matters to me

Since my pacemaker, I’m conscious of balance,
health, happiness, food, movement, pleasure.

I don’t want to live a life of “No.”
I want a life of “Yes — sensibly.”

Because joy matters.
Connection matters.
Good food with someone you love matters.

Final thought

You can eat out, enjoy wine, and stay healthy.
It isn’t about restriction. It’s about awareness, habit & balance.

Not diet. Not punishment.
Just living well but with pleasure.

Don’t forget to email me your stories of eating out healthily.

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Body Image in Later Life: Does It Still Matter?

 As we get older, many of us like to say,
“I don’t care what people think anymore”, body image is not important anymore.

We wear what we want, we stop chasing trends,
we tell ourselves we’re comfortable in our own skin.

But is that always true?

Does how we see our bodies, still affect how we see our lives,
or do we judge success by confidence and contentment, or by appearances, comparisons, and expectations we pretend no longer matter?

When Body Image Never Really Left Me

My relationship with body image started very early.

I was born with a sunken chest, pectus excavatum a structural deformity where the breastbone sits inward rather than outward.

From as far back as I can remember, taking my shirt off felt uncomfortable, school PE, swimming,the beach.

Moments that should have been carefree became moments of self-consciousness.

I learned early how powerful body awareness can be, and how long it stays with you.

This is something we don’t talk about enough, body image doesn’t disappear with age, it evolves.

Even in our sixties and beyond, we still live in bodies that change, reflect our health, carry our past, and interact with the world.

The mirror may hold less power than it once did, but it never completely loses it.

Changing Bodies, Changing Priorities

Ageing brings changes we can’t negotiate with,hair thins or greys, skin softens, muscles weaken, posture shifts.
Joints complain more loudly than they used to.

Illness, injury, or surgery can accelerate these changes, sometimes forcing us to confront parts of ourselves we weren’t ready to acknowledge.

Yet ageing also offers something valuable: perspective.

Now in my sixties (although I don’t always act it), I care far less about how my body looks, and far more about what it allows me to do.

Can I move comfortably?
Can I travel?
Can I work, laugh, think clearly, enjoy life?

Wrinkles and scars start to feel less like flaws and more like evidence of survival.

The Social Mirror We Still Live With

Our body image doesn’t exist in isolation.

We live in a culture that worships youth and quietly sidelines ageing bodies.

Advertising still pushes “anti-ageing” as if getting older is a problem to fix rather than a privilege to experience.

But that narrative is slowly shifting.

More older voices are pushing back, more real faces are appearing,more people are saying, this is what ageing actually looks like.

Community matters here, friends, family, peers who reflect acceptance rather than judgement. At any age, we absorb the messages around us.

Health, Identity, and the Ageing Body

In later life, health and body image are tightly connected.

Chronic illness, mobility issues, weight changes, medication, scars, all can reshape how we see ourselves.

For some, this brings grief or frustration. For others, resilience and adaptation.

Sometimes positivity means redefining what healthy looks like.

It’s not perfection, or aesthetics, instead it’s capability, independence and presence.

Relationships Matter More Than We Admit

Partners, family, children, grandchildren and friends,they all influence how we see ourselves.

A kind comment can reinforce confidence, a careless one can reopen old doubts.

Honest conversations about ageing, health, and self-image help bridge generations and remind us that none of us are navigating this alone.

Nurturing a Healthier Body Image After 60

A positive relationship with your body doesn’t mean loving every change, it means respecting the body that carries you.

Some gentle reminders that help:

• Practice self-compassion — notice feelings without judgement
• Focus on function, not flaws — movement, energy, independence
• Choose positive influences — people and media that value real life
• Challenge stereotypes — ageing is not decline by default
• Stay active in your own way — movement builds confidence at any level
• Express yourself — wear what feels right, do what brings you joy

When It Feels Hard

If negative body image starts affecting your wellbeing, talk about it.

Friends.
Partners.
Support groups.
Professionals.

Struggling doesn’t mean you’re failing, it means you’re human.

Embracing the Body That Got You Here

Body image doesn’t expire with youth, It grows, It shifts, and often
it challenges us again.

But later life also offers something younger years rarely do, the chance to choose acceptance over criticism.

If sharing this story helps even one person feel less alone, then it’s worth it.

I’d genuinely love to hear your experiences, especially moments where you’ve learned to accept or even appreciate your body, despite struggles along the way.

Because if a story helps one person, that’s a win.

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