08/19/26
Preparing for Whatever Life Throws at You After 50 | 15 Days After My Hip Replacement
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This article accompanies my latest Outlook for Life podcast episode:
Preparing for Whatever Life Throws at You | 15 Days After Hip Replacement
Fifteen days ago, I had my right hip replaced.
Yesterday I saw my surgeon, and I came away feeling enormously grateful — grateful for the progress I’ve made, grateful that the operation is behind me and, perhaps most of all, grateful for the lifestyle I had built before I ever knew how much I was going to need it.
Because I have to admit something.
I underestimated the enormity of major surgery.
I knew intellectually that hip replacement was a significant operation. But understanding something intellectually and experiencing it are two very different things.
The pain, fatigue, swelling, disrupted sleep and sheer amount of healing the body has to undertake gave me a new respect for what surgery demands from us.
And it has reinforced something I've spent years talking about:
We don't look after ourselves simply for today. We are also building reserves for the days when life doesn't go according to plan.
I didn't go into surgery at my fittest
Over the last three years my fitness and strength had fallen dramatically.
My hips increasingly dictated what I could do.
Exercises disappeared from my programme. Walking became more uncomfortable. My world gradually became smaller.
But I never completely stopped.
I continued strength training within my capabilities. I continued moving. I continued eating well. I continued doing what I could rather than concentrating solely on everything I could no longer do.
And during these first two weeks of recovery, I've been extraordinarily grateful for every bit of strength I managed to preserve.
There's an important lesson there for all of us.
You don't need to exercise perfectly for exercise to matter.
If injury, arthritis, illness or life circumstances mean you can't do what you once did, maintaining what you can still matters enormously.
Nutrition became one of the things I could control
I feel very strongly that my whole-food plant-based lifestyle gave me an excellent nutritional foundation going into surgery and has continued to support me during recovery.
That doesn't mean food magically removes pain or guarantees an easy recovery.
It means I have been able to give my body plenty of nourishing food, protein, fibre, plants and micronutrients while it does the enormous job of healing.
And when you're temporarily unable to exercise the way you normally would, nutrition becomes one of the biggest levers you still have.
You can decide what goes onto your plate today.
You can drink enough water.
You can prioritise protein and nourishing whole foods.
You can minimise the foods and habits that leave you feeling sluggish.
You can eat in a way that supports the body you're asking so much of.
Don't underestimate mindset
I've also been reminded how powerful our attitude can be.
I've tried to approach my recovery with curiosity rather than frustration.
What can I do today?
What has improved since yesterday?
What am I allowed to introduce next?
Where am I heading rather than what am I temporarily unable to do?
That doesn't mean pretending everything is wonderful.
There have been difficult moments.
A positive mindset isn't about denying reality. It's about believing that today's limitations don't necessarily have to be tomorrow's limitations.
My unexpected Instagram community
One of the biggest surprises of this entire experience has been what has happened on Instagram.
I've been keeping a daily diary of my hip replacement recovery.
What began simply as documenting my own experience has reached an extraordinary number of people and generated messages from men and women who are preparing for exactly the same operation.
Many are frightened.
Many have been quietly worrying about what surgery and recovery might look like.
And I had no idea just how many people were out there feeling exactly as I had felt before my operation.
I've loved being able to reassure them.
My recovery will not be everybody's recovery. Some people will have a more difficult journey. Others may progress even faster.
But sometimes simply seeing another person going through something removes some of the fear of the unknown.
If my diary can do that, I'm delighted.
My world is getting bigger again
This may be the part I'm most excited about.
For several years, almost without noticing it at first, my world had been getting smaller.
Where could I walk?
Would there be stairs?
How far would we have to go?
Would something hurt tomorrow if I did it today?
I had slowly started organising my life around my hips.
Now I can feel that changing.
Every day my world gets a little bigger.
I don't know exactly where my recovery will take me yet, and I certainly have plenty of rehabilitation ahead.
But for the first time in a long time, I'm looking forward to what my body may allow me to do rather than worrying about what it won't.
Five things you can do today to help tomorrow's you
You don't need an operation looming to start preparing yourself for whatever life might throw your way.
1. Preserve your muscle.
Strength becomes increasingly valuable as we age. You don't need to train like an athlete. Do what your body currently allows and build from there.
2. Nourish yourself properly.
Make whole, minimally processed plant foods the foundation of your meals and ensure you're getting adequate protein and overall nutrition.
3. Move in the ways available to you.
Can't run? Walk. Can't walk far? Do what you can. Can't train your lower body? Perhaps there are other areas you can safely work on.
Don't let “I can't do everything” become “there's no point doing anything.”
4. Protect your mindset.
Pay attention to what is improving. Ask what you can influence today rather than continually focusing on what you cannot control.
5. Give yourself something to move towards.
A holiday. A walk. Playing with grandchildren. Returning to the garden. Feeling confident in your clothes. Getting stronger.
Your health becomes much more meaningful when it supports a life you actually want to live.
What's your next goal?
I'm putting these lessons into practice myself.
On 1 September, I'm running a practical nutrition workshop for women over 50.
It leads into our pre-challenge nutrition week ahead of my next Lose 10 Kilos in 12 Weeks Challenge, starting 7 September.
If you've been waiting until you're fitter, more motivated or life settles down before you start looking after yourself, perhaps this is your reminder:
Start with what you can do today.
Find out about the 12-week challenge
And I have another goal on my horizon.
In July 2027 I want to arrive at our Outlook for Life Bali retreat physically and emotionally strong, able to embrace everything the week offers.
There are currently two spaces remaining.
Perhaps Bali could become part of what you are moving towards too.
The message I want you to take away
We don't know exactly what life will throw at us.
But every nourishing meal, every strength session, every walk, every good night's sleep and every decision to look after ourselves adds something to the reserves we carry forward.
Don't wait until you desperately need your health before deciding that it's valuable.
Do something today that tomorrow's you will be grateful for.