Life After Retirement: Tips for Keeping your Mind and Body Fit

While the idea of retirement is both appealing and terrifying, it’s also a reality for many. The good news is that you don’t have to stop being active once you retire; in fact, staying healthy — mentally and physically — after retirement can be even more important than when you worked!

Retirement can be a time of fulfillment for many individuals as it brings with it new opportunities to try out things you never had time to do before like travel or work on your hobbies. With a few lifestyle changes, however, you might find  retirement to be one of the most rewarding times of your life. Here are some tips on keeping your mind and body fit after retirement so that you can have more fulfilling years ahead ;

Find a new hobby to keep your mind active

You may have heard retirement referred to as “the new second career.” Although retirement means you’ll no longer be working in a traditional sense, it doesn’t mean you can let your mind and body deteriorate. The key is to find something that keeps your mind active while also being stimulating and fun for you. We’ve compiled a list of fun hobbies that will keep your mind active and stop those pesky thoughts from creeping in!

• Take up gardening

If you’ve ever been stuck in a retirement home, you may have noticed how many people are at the window watching what is happening in their gardens. Gardening allows you to get out of the house and be in nature while also staying involved with something productive. You can work on a single project over time or choose to rotate between different projects depending on your energy levels. If getting outside to garden is a challenge, you can find one or two plants to tend to inside, like tomatoes, herbs, or strawberries.  

• Learn something new

It’s not just kids who can learn something new every day. If you are in retirement, it is possible to learn a language or instrument at any age considering that the older we get, the longer we have had time to absorb information. Learning a second language is particularly beneficial if it gives you the ability to travel to other countries.

• Start a business

If retirement makes you feel antsy and you have some money saved up, starting your own business is an option that gives you the opportunity to set your own hours while also keeping your mind active. Starting a business may seem like it’s for those who have no retirement savings, but retirement is the perfect time to start something new. The retirement savings you have put away can help with the initial costs, and if things don’t work out, you have retirement income to fall back on. Consider this, when you’re in your retirement years, you have a lifetime of experience to share, so it’s likely you can become a consultant for low overhead, and lots of flexibility.

• Volunteer your time

As a retirement activity that doesn’t require any money, volunteering your time may be the most fulfilling thing you can do. There are plenty of retirement communities that could benefit from your time, and not only will you be making the retirement process easier for those around you, but it may also help to put retirement in perspective. Volunteering is beneficial because it gives you something to do while also allowing you to make yourself a part of a community and socialize with others.

• Learn a new skill

Learning a new skill is incredibly rewarding, and retirement makes it easier than ever to learn something you never thought you could do. Whether you choose to learn an instrument, cook different types of foods or master the art of knitting, retirement gives you time that can be used for growing as a person. You may be older than you have ever been, but retirement affords your mind and body the opportunity to do things they couldn’t when you were younger.

• Create something

Whether it’s something physical like a new frame for your favorite picture or an item that requires some mental prowess, creating something on a regular basis is relaxing and rewarding. Retirement gives you the time to dedicate to doing something you enjoy, even if it means procrastinating on other retirement activities.

Join an organized sports team to stay active and meet new people. Get out there and take it all in!

If retirement is making you feel bored and you feel like moving around, then it’s time to get out there and do something active. Taking up a sport that requires you to be outside and active will improve your health while giving you an opportunity to meet new people. The right sport can give you a sense of purpose, even if it means just showing up for practice once a week. With retirement, you can choose your own hours and practice as little or as much as you please.

Eat healthier by cooking at home more often and avoiding fast food as much as possible

If retirement is giving you weight gain, then it’s time to start making better choices when it comes to food. Eating out and buying food at the grocery store can be tough for retirement-age people because they don’t have the energy for hours of cooking that was a regular part of their lives when they were younger. The best way to eat healthy is to cook at home more often, which allows you to control the ingredients that go into your food. Not only will this ensure that you are eating better, but it will help save retirement money in general since cooking at home is usually cheaper than going out to eat.

You don’t want to waste all that cash on fast food when there are so many amazing recipes online and ready for you to try. Plus, cooking from scratch will reduce pollution since it doesn’t come with those small baggies of MSG or any other questionable ingredients found in most restaurant meals these days.

Try meditation or yoga for stress relief

With retirement comes the freedom to do whatever you want whenever you want, but that means retirement-age people often feel overwhelmed by all the options they have. Because retirement can be stressful and difficult in many ways, it’s important to know how to relieve stress so that it doesn’t build up too much. Meditation or yoga are great for reducing stress and improving your overall health. There are plenty of yoga classes at retirement communities or retirement centers, so it’s important to check with the people that run the facility before signing up. Not only will this allow you an opportunity to meet new people, but it makes retirement a little more fun because everyone is participating in activities together.

Meditation helps take a break from the day and have some peace of mind. Yoga is great for your health as well, so try it out if you’re looking to do something good for yourself!

Get plenty of sleep every night, even if it means going to bed earlier than usual

It’s a fact that sleep is an important part of life. It provides you with the energy needed to function at your best, and it also helps keep both mental and physical health in check. I’ve just learned about something new called “polyphasic sleeping.” This means taking two naps during the day instead of going to bed early for one solid 8-hour stretch each night. You may be surprised by how this idea could change everything!

Of course, retirement will have you taking naps in the middle of the day if you want to. This is something I especially love about retirement – it’s a time where there are no rules! As long as you don’t have commitments like work or family life that demand your attention all day, retirement provides an opportunity for some freedom and relaxation.

Your health will depend a lot on how well you sleep, so be sure retirement isn’t giving you insomnia!

Take care of your health – go see the doctor regularly, get regular physicals, and visit the dentist twice a year

It’s never too late to start taking care of your health, whether retirement is the reason for doing so or not. If retirement has made you more aware of your body and its needs then it’s important to check out all your options before making a decision. You should talk to retirement counselors about all available resources that could be beneficial, such as retirement medical plans, retirement nutritional programs, retirement exercise classes, and retirement support groups. Be sure to consult retirement planning professionals , too – they have experience helping people in retirement so their advice is very useful!

We know that retirement can be a time of fulfillment for many individuals. It brings with it new opportunities to try out things you never had the chance to do before like travel or work on your hobbies. But if you want those years ahead to be more fulfilling, the above tips for keeping your mind and body fit during this stage in life can help you truly enjoy what’s left of them. If any of these sound interesting, you can either give us a call at (678) 494-8129 or email us at info@SilverCompanions.com and let our team help create your personalized plan today!