10 Tips For An Active Retirement

1. Eat Healthy

Great health starts with a healthy diet. As you cook, purchase groceries, and order from restaurants, you should avoid sugar, starchy foods, and sodium. The more you can cook from scratch, with whole ingredients, the better.

Try to consume plenty of fruits and veggies, especially veggies high in antioxidants. Retirement is the perfect time to develop a love for cooking as you’ll have more free time to experiment in the kitchen.

2. Don’t Stay At Home

There’s so much happening outside your front door, but many retired individuals tend to become more housebound when they retire. To stay active during your retirement, make sure you leave your house on a regular basis.

Social time is important for your emotional wellbeing, and a full, enjoyable schedule will help keep you fit and happy during your golden years. Go for a daily walk, find a place you love to volunteer, or visit your grandkids.

Now that you’re no longer working, you can have more adventures than ever before!

3. Don’t Smoke

If you have a smoking habit, now is the time to let it go. It can be hard to break any habit, especially a smoking habit, but your future could depend on it.

Smoking puts you at risk for lung cancer, but it can also contribute to other health issues, even heart disease. If you’ve been smoking for many years, some damage has undoubtedly been done.

However, the sooner you quit, the healthier you will be.

4. Drink in Moderation

Many people enjoy alcohol and there’s nothing wrong with having a glass of wine at dinner with your spouse or grabbing a margarita with your pals as you catch up.

Heavy alcohol consumption, though, is a health concern at any age. While moderate consumption can actually show some health benefits (and may be a part of your all-important social life), having more than one or two drinks a day will harm your health.

5. Keep Learning

As you age, the need to learn new skills fades. You’re no longer working and may not feel pushed to increase your skills. It’s important during your golden years, however, to keep your mind active.

Make sure you’re learning new skills on a regular basis. You can take up knitting, make a coffee table in the garage, or study the Civil War.

Whatever you choose to do, make sure you’re always learning something new to keep your mind agile and your days exciting.

6. Exercise Regularly

Exercise is critical to physical health, and it’s even more important as you age. Since your body is older now, you should talk to your doctor before committing to any exercise routine.

You should, however, be getting good aerobic and cardio exercise every week, so talk to your doctor about a good exercise plan for your lifestyle.

Take up a hobby that involves moderate exercise or explore your new retirement city of choice. The more you stay active, the better your body will feel.

7. See Your Doctor

Speaking of consulting your doctor, it’s also important that you see him or her regularly. As you age, your risk of chronic diseases goes up. Your doctor can catch a health concern before it’s too late and can counsel you about healthy habits.

Make sure you’re going in for your colonoscopy, mammogram, and any other regular checks your doctor recommends so that health concerns can be addressed before they become crises.

8. Manage Your Stress

Everyone experiences stress at one point or another. For a lot of people, their stress is caused by work or raising a family. Now that you’re no longer working, you might have thought you’d be stress free!

Stress, however, could still be a part of your daily life as you deal with health concerns or your brand new lifestyle. Stress can have serious side effects, especially for your immune system and heart.

Manage your stress by meditating, talking to a therapist, or performing another relaxing activity like gardening.

9. Exercise Your Brain

The human brain is an amazing thing and it needs to stay active as you age. Many retired individuals spend their days in front of the television and allow their mental acuity to decline.

Try to make a daily effort to do a daily crossword puzzle, enroll in a class at the community college, or read a literary book with multiple characters or plot lines. An active brain not only keeps you happy and engaged, but it also reduces your chance for developing Alzheimer’s and dementia.

10. See Friends and Family

Staying socially active is an important part of your emotional wellbeing. As a senior, you might live alone, and it’s even more important to get out and see friends and family. Isolation isn’t safe since no one is around to report a fall or home accident, and isolation can contribute to depression.

Consider setting weekly ‘dates’ with your kids or grandkids if they live nearby or with your friends. You could meet for breakfast or lunch, explore a new area of town, or launch a weekly bridge or poker game.

Retirement can be a wonderful time to explore new places, learn new things, and reconnect with old friends and loved ones. To ensure you enjoy yours to its fullest, make sure you stay active and healthy with these 10 tips.