Fifty, fabulous and flaunting it; men and women are redefining life after the "Big 0."

Ebony, Oct, 1989 by Renee D. Turner

FIFTY, FABULOUS AND FLAUNTING IT

A NEW breed of mature adult is rewriting the rules for life after 50. Unburdened by old stereotypes, they've accepted their age and are flaunting it. They dare to look fabulous, lead high-energy lives and lunge toward new challenges. And they've got the rest of the world wondering what they know about aging gracefully that others don't.

"I'm rather enjoying it," Carmen de Lavallade, the lovely, fiftyish dancer-actress says about the 50s. She's curtailed her professional dance career to concentrate more on acting, play writing and exercise routine development. Most recently, she played a healer in the Orleans TV pilot. "The minute you put a number on it [age] you're down the drain," Ms. de Lavallade says. "The minute I get rid of that and go on about my business, my body feels better, I feel better. There are lots of things still to be done."

Awe-inspiring half-centurians such as Ms. de Lavallade are dressing well, looking good and feeling great mostly because they maintain a positive outlook and pay close attention to their health. Good health, however, is more than a notion for the mature body. It's more a function of careful diet and exercise. Actor Billy Dee Williams, 52, says he fights the demons of ice cream and cake, lifts weights, plays racquetball and skips rope to maintain his seemingly eternal good looks. Keyboardist Joe Sample has lost his appetite for the hot dogs and chili-burgers he ate while on the road as a young musician with the Jazz Crusaders. Now, his diet consists of more "quality foods," such as vegetables, fish and chicken.

Maintianing a fit, lean look can be a struggle at any age after 25. After age 50, though, it can seem as hopeless an endeavor as trying to push a boulder up a hill with a toothpick. As Bill Cosby, TV's No. 1 dad, sees it: "It begins at [age] 40 when the body calls a meeting with the brain and tells it what it is not going to do anymore."

Few know better than Sample how painstaking the fitness process can be. After suffering the debilitating effects of Epstein-Barr disease, the pianist-composer forced himself -- aching muscles, fatigue and all -- out of bed and onto the ski slopes. His rigorous exercise regimen is bolstered by weight lifting, using muscle toning equipment and horseback riding. "I'm more active now than I was in my early 40s," says Sample, who this year celebrated his 50th birthday with bashes in Reno and Mammoth Lakes. "The bones and muscles have their problems, but I have to work on that."

Lifting wieghts and doing aerobics aren't the only strategies the mature set employs to battle middle-age bulge. They are biking, playing tennis and jogging. Exercise also can be as simple as doing knee bends at the kitchen sink or taking long, brisk walks, which are elements of Ms. de Lavallade's fitness regimen. "The beauty of growing older is that you don't have to throw yourself around anymore," she says. "I still dance and move around when I want to, but in my own way."

Some say stress reduction is an important as exercise and diet for successful aging. "You have to learn your limits and learn when to say no," insists singer Nancy Wilson, 52. "I don't allow myself to be pressured anymore. I try to keep the work balanced so I don't get stressed out. And I make sure I find time for myself when there is no one else around. I [use the time to] read or do absolutely nothing. This gives me more strength and energy to do the things I do," says Ms. Wilson, who, as her latest album suggests, is a Lady With A Song.

Those who are handling the 50s with relative ease say self-assurance is essential. As Ms. Wilson puts it: "If you're unhappy with yourself, it doesn't matter what age you are, you're going to start to look pinched and drawn." So you didn't land that sales deal that would have provided you with a nest egg to last the rest of your life. What's more important is what you do from here on out, say those who have hit the "Big 50."

When comparisons are made between her career and that of her Grammy-winning daughter, Whitney Houston, Cissy Houston says she can feel only pride in her daughter's accomplishments. "I'm the most successful woman I know," says the sultry soul and gospel singer. "I might not have the commercial success, but I have [been successful] in other ways."

Turning 50 was "a point of arrival" for Georgia Von Noble, a grandmother of eight for whom modeling is a second career. The 56-year-old former NASA computer expert from Los Angeles first battled "empty nest snydrome" by plunging into her budding career and renewing religious ties after her fifth and youngest child left home. Now, she shows high fashion for top designers in New York and Paris.

Those who are not blessed with ageless beauty must work at it. Ms. Von Noble advises rest to give mature skin time to replenish itself. Drinking lots of water also helps the skin retain moisture. Cissy Houston, 52, who is cutting a gospel album this fall, tries to squeeze a minimum of eight hours rest into a schedule that includes bicycling, charity work, recording dates and keeping an eye on her grown children.