You’ve worked hard all your life, and now’s the time to kick up your feet and relax!
After weeks of doing this, though, you can start to feel bored and stiff.
You can still have fun even though you’re retired. You now have extra time to enjoy all the things you may have missed out on because of your responsibilities at a nine-to-five job.
Also, it’s important to stay active after you retire. There are a lot of benefits to exercise, and older adults should take advantage of them.
Do you want to keep your brain sharp and your joints and bones strong? Staying active can help you achieve all of those things and more!
Let’s brainstorm some of the best exercises and activities you can do after retirement to keep you in your best health.
1. Go for a Stroll
Walking is the best and oldest form of movement. This simple activity comes with many benefits, including better circulation, improved sleep, and stronger bones and joints. It’s even known to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
You can walk on the beach for an added calf workout, and it strengthens the joints and ligaments in your ankles and feet. And who doesn’t love the sound of lapping waves nearby?
If you want a more leisurely stroll, you can walk around your neighborhood or through the park. And you don’t have to walk alone — invite a friend or take the dog with you!
If you want to take things up a notch, hiking is a more strenuous version of walking. It shares all of the same benefits, but it offers more potential for muscle growth.
2. Water Activities
Swimming and water aerobics are popular activities for older adults because they’re safe ways to build muscle. Water is amazingly powerful, but due to its buoyant nature, it offers a soft force of resistance against the joints.
Swimming is good for the heart and the lungs, and water aerobics can help improve balance and coordination to prevent falls.
3. Dancing
If you are looking for a fun way to get moving, dancing is the winner. Put on your dancin’ shoes and show the young ones how it’s done!
Dancing is great for balance, and it’s a good cardiovascular workout. Whether you enjoy ballroom dancing, line dancing, or simply cutting a rug, enjoying this age-old pastime does wonders for your health.
4. Work on the Yard
If you want a daily pastime that doesn’t require leaving the house, both gardening and landscaping are great options. Light digging, carrying, and walking around your backyard is enough activity to help keep your metabolism up.
This work helps keep you active while also helping to relieve stress. Spending time in the outdoors helps to bolster your immune system, and sunshine increases your vitamin D intake.
There’s a kind of pride that comes with growing your own food and enjoying the taste of your own labor. No flower looks better than the ones you bloom yourself.
5. Yoga or Tai Chi
These two types of Asian exercise have similar benefits but marked differences.
Both help keep you flexible, strong, and balanced.
Tai Chi is considered a martial art that balances the body for supreme health. It includes a mix of deep breathing, movement, and meditation. Tai Chi is supposed to help every system in the body function at its best.
Yoga is a type of exercise that involves holding poses, stretching, and deep breathing. As with Tai Chi, the main purpose is to connect the mind and body.
Both are good options for older adults because they can be adapted to any fitness level and are low-impact exercises. Plus, they’re both easy exercises to do at home!
6. Biking
Why not make biking a new hobby? This activity can be leisurely, but it also provides a good cardio workout while strengthening your core and leg muscles.
Find a community trail to bike, and pack a picnic for a full afternoon. Remember to bike out only as far as you can bike back, and if you are going alone, tell someone where you are going in case of an accident.
7. Join a Club or Activity Group
Some people struggle with retirement not because they want to work, but because they miss the social interaction.
Joining a group allows you to stay connected to a community while helping you to keep your mind and body active.
Whether you join an aerobics class, an activity group, or a social club, this group of people can keep you healthy on an emotional and mental level.
If you join an exercise or activity-focused group, you’ll stay busy and keep your muscles and bones healthy.
Conclusion
All of these activities lend themselves to a happy retirement.
Just remember:
If you’re going to engage in strenuous exercise, make sure to consult with your doctor first. The last thing you want is to injure yourself when trying to stay healthy.
Once you’ve got the okay from the doc, live it up!
Maggie Litka is a business manager at Marvelle at Southcenter. She received her bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Business Management from Washington State University.