When asked what her younger self wished she knew about getting older, pro-aging influencer, fitness enthusiast, and model Ei Leen Simone threw her head back with reminiscent laughter. She recalled her 20-year-old self watching her parents grow old, thinking sixty was the “end of the rainbow.” As she turns 62 next month, Ei Leen can confidently say it was not the end, it’s just the beginning.
Retiring from her high-stakes corporate lifestyle at 50, she found the slow pace of life in retirement to be refreshing. However, once the fun in doing nothing wore off, she began to ask: is this all that’s left? After all, societal norms taught her there was no life past menopause. Her determination and drive found otherwise.
While Simone described her menopausal symptoms as “getting eaten from the inside out,” they are what drove her to become the content creator she is today. Namely, her 35-pound weight gain.
“When I gained all that weight, it felt instantaneous, even if it was over time. It made me feel self-conscious,” she says.
Ei Leen then started her Instagram, @livingmysilverlife, as a fun way to embark on her newfound wellness journey. Posting workout videos, food recipes, and documenting her journey through menopause, she sought to find an audience that resonated with everything she was going through. Just like that, her content evolved from a fitness journal for herself to a support group for older women.
“Feeling good in your own skin is key to accepting any change in mindset,” she says, in reference to her journey.
Soon thereafter, Ei Leen committed to going fully gray at 52. The growth of her Instagram, coupled with her commitment to her health and well-being erased any negative feelings she associated with growing older: she loves her grays, her wrinkles, all of it. Replacing helplessness with acceptance towards getting “old,” she felt more freedom than ever before.
On top of her training sessions 3–4 times a week at Orangetheory, and making her home maintenance her DIY project, Ei Leen gives back to her Floridian community by volunteering at her local church. She hosts weekly low-impact workout/nutrition tips classes, assists in neighborhood clean-up programs, and volunteers at local food kitchens when she can.
But she admits her active lifestyle isn’t perfect. There are days where she has to cancel plans, her body hurts, or she has to modify her exercises based on what her body tells her. She recognizes she can’t do it all at her age, but it’s not going to stop her from trying.
“[Getting older,] it’s not stopping me, it’s just limiting me. And I’m ok with that,” she explains.
Now, with a 20.2K following, a modeling contract, New York Fashion Week appearances, and a commercial acting gig booked in the months to come, Ei Leen admits she sometimes still looks in the mirror and goes: how did I get here?
One thing’s for sure: she’s made her retirement her next chapter in life, rather than calling it the last. At 62, she’s radiating confidence, both physically and mentally. And for those losing confidence in their abilities as they age, just know this: you’re capable, you’re able, and more than that, you’re ready. It’s a brand new world to explore.
There’s nothing but more life to live on the other side of the rainbow. And Ei Leen’s doing just that underneath the Florida sun.
Article Written by Anesa Feratovic
