Post Work Potential: Retaining An Active Lifestyle After Retirement

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Retirement is a brand new stage of life full of possibilities and new opportunities. While it can be challenging to acclimatize to a work-free future and remain social and active, it is most certainly an exciting new step. Retirement is an opportunity to learn new things, find new passions, make new friends or even follow a dream you’ve been thinking about for quite some time.

Make sure you create a routine that works for you.

Throughout our lives, we have always lived with some sort of schedule. Get up. Go to work. Go home. When we retire it is important to build a new routine for ourselves, this time more focused on our own preferences and wants. That early morning coffee with the newspaper or Thursday afternoon catch up with friends is an important part of staying active and enjoying your life.

That’s not to say you can’t overcommit in retirement. Don’t sacrifice your free time to do jobs or chores that you don’t enjoy. Find an excellent community care program that can help you do more of what you love. If that’s spending more time with the grandkids, or spending their inheritance, that’s up to you.

Find a hobby that brings you happiness.

Finding a new passion or craft can bring you closer to others and you can gain new skills to keep your brain sharp. Pottery, knitting or woodworking are great hands-on pastimes that will improve dexterity. Looking for something to broaden the mind? Book clubs, chess groups, and language classes are great for those that want more conversation and relish a new challenge. There’s a hobby out there for everyone. From movie clubs to model trains, you will be able to find something that makes you happy. Investigate your local community center for classes and clubs that might suit you.

Get moving.

If you’ve always wanted to get fit or just exercise a little more, there’s no reason you can’t do so in retirement.  Put some spare time to good use and get out of the house. Exercise can be an excellent social motivator, doing good for your heart and mind. As we age, movement is very important for maintaining balance and flexibility.

It is very important to make sure you find a way to exercise that you truly enjoy. If it isn’t fun exercise can be hard to maintain. Walking, yoga and swimming are great low impact options that will fit into almost any routine. If you prefer team sports, many gyms offer group fitness or sports competitions. Getting fit can be a great way to socialize and reap other great health benefits.

Connect with others.

Making sure you are keeping in contact with friends and loved ones is important. Feelings of loneliness post-retirement can develop into serious conditions such as depression. Staying social these days can become hard, sometimes our location or health can inhibit our ability to leave the house or see the people we love. Finding friends via social media platforms or joining online groups can be a wonderful way to reconnect with people. Facebook and Skype can enable you to find and stay in touch with friends and loved ones, new and old.

For many of us, retiring brings up a whole range of questions. The most common seems to be: what do I do now? We spend our working lives dreaming of the days when we can take it easy and enjoy life, but we often fall into the trap of slowing down too much. However, by making sure you have a plan in place for how to spend your days and a strong support network, you are guaranteed to be making the most of your retirement.

 

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