Sponsored post.
True confession — I’m a magazine lover. There’s nothing better than flipping open glossy pages to find my new favorite outfit, the recipe for tonight’s dinner, or a decor idea that I can’t wait to try at home. There’s something luxurious about sitting down to relax with a magazine. It’s intentional, not mindless, like scrolling through a social media feed. And best of all — no worries if you drop it in the bathtub.
But not every magazine is for everyone, and at this point in our lives, we have to choose what we spend our time on carefully. So it’s with careful consideration that we present our list of the best magazines for women over 50. There’s something for everyone — the DIYer, the gourmand, and even the gossip hound. Whether you’re gifting a subscription to your mother, sister or just treating yourself, you’ll find something to love.
1. People Magazine
Admit it — it’s hard to resist the pull of celebrity news. Whether you’re a royal family watcher or want to keep up with what’s going on in Hollywood, People Magazine keeps you in the know week in and week out. It’s not just gossip, though —People magazine illuminates the health regimens of the stars, heartwarming human interest stories, and news.
2. Real Simple
Real Simple is like a deep breath of mountain air — calming and inspiring. With a clean aesthetic, the magazine offers ideas for the home, garden, and plenty of self-care, whether that means taking care of your health, style, or finances. Real Simple is a magazine focused on leading an intentional life in the best way. Gift this one to yourself and send a copy to your sister. You can swap recipes and favorite products each month!
3. Magnolia Journal
Oh, Joanna. How do you do it all? Design, bake, run a business, raise the kiddos, and heck, raise Chip? The Magnolia Journal is just one more miracle from the Gaines family, a magazine that manages to invite you to experience each season with them through recipes, decorating ideas, and thoughtful interviews and essays that speak to the beauty of life. If your favorite part of Fixer Upper was watching Jo Jo finish staging the house before the big reveal, this is the magazine for you.
4. Martha Stewart Living
This is the grandmother of magazines intended to celebrate living well. You know you can trust Martha Stewart to bring you only ‘good things,’ and she delivers twelve times a year. Martha Stewart Living thoughtfully curates recipes, product roundups, and design guides, with in-depth interviews with producers, artists, and innovators that inspire us to live our best lives. And don’t forget the holiday issues. I look forward to the Halloween issue every year, even if I don’t grow my own ghost pumpkins to decorate.
5. Travel and Leisure
Travel and Leisure Magazine is like a teleporting machine flattened into glossy pages. The editorial staff stays on the cutting edge of travel–where are the next big places, the most luxurious accommodations, and the hidden gems you have to find? With a healthy dose of dining coverage and news, Travel and Leisure is a monthly guidebook in the best of times and in the worst of times (hello, pandemic), a mental escape for when we can travel again.
6. Food and Wine
For pages that look good enough to eat, Food and Wine is the winner. The magazine offers news about up-and-coming chefs and restaurants you can’t miss for the savvy diner. For the amateur chef, Food and Wine’s recipes are rigorously tested and approved. Add in a dash of the latest kitchen gadget news and maker profiles, and even the most cautious palette will be tempted.
7. Better Homes and Gardens
Where Martha Stewart is aspirational, Better Homes and Gardens is inspirational and accessible. BHG has a long history of practical information — they first published in 1922 — and they have kept pace with the times. You’ll find actual news you can use, whether you’re planning your perennial garden or just dinner with friends. BHG also has great health features, so you can keep your diet healthy and your body active enough to enjoy that home and garden.
8. Eating Well
If Food and Wine is all about indulgence, Eating Well is about indulging sustainably. You’ll find plenty of tempting recipes, but you can trust that they will be a bit kinder to your body. Eating Well focuses not only on cooking healthy meals but also on ways that we can eat well and still live lightly on the planet through sustainable agriculture and responsible practices. Oh, and it will help you organize the kitchen, teach you techniques that will speed dinner to the table, and give you a peek into the daily meal plans of the famous. Why, yes, I do want to know what Michelle Obama eats in a day. Thank you!
9. Women’s Health
When you are ready to focus on your whole being fitness, Women’s Health should be the first place you turn. Women’s Health combines the latest in exercise science with healthy eating strategies, ways you can advocate for yourself and others, and even info to help up your intimacy game a notch. We love their reader inspiration stories — seeing real women succeed is always a good push to go another lap or stop with one serving. What we really love about Women’s Health is that it doesn’t stop with physical health. Coverage of mental health and social justice issues keeps the focus on personhood, not the scale.
10. Prevention
If you’re looking for mind and body health, Prevention Magazine has it all. With healthy recipes, exercise tips, and the latest news on health developments, Prevention offers real news you can use. Science takes center stage here, and it’s refreshing to see solutions-based editorial for people at all stages of health. If you’re looking for something to give someone on their path to health, Prevention will meet them wherever they are.
Whether you’re a foodie, a gym rat, or just looking for a monthly hit of relaxation and self-care, these magazines are great gifts for your mother, sister, or grandmother.
