Retire Early
Lifestyle
Retirement; like your parents, but way cooler
In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age
of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this
financially independent lifestyle, they invite you
to take advantage of their wisdom and experience. |
|
5 Effective
Ways To Preserve Good Health In Retirement
Cassidy Bletcher
image credit
One thing many people worry about in their
retirement years is their health and cognitive function. While your body and
brain will experience changes as you get older, you have the power to support
good health and brain function. This can slow down physical and mental changes,
giving you the control you need to enhance your quality of life during
retirement.
It doesn't matter where you are in your
retirement journey—whether you're planning for early retirement, about to retire
at any age, or are already enjoying the new pace of life—checking your health
should be a top priority. These tips can help.
Stay Social
Loneliness is the silent killer amongst the older generation. Many people in
this position confirm that a lack of social activities or conversation is way
worse than anything else. Your ability to stay fit and healthy depends on a good
level of social engagement. You need the companionship of others to stay
mentally focused and keep your brain healthy.
Luckily, you can do this in many ways, from
spending time with loved ones to joining groups of like-minded people,
volunteering, joining community organizations or initiatives, or even choosing
to reside in a retirement community geared towards a more social way of life.
It's entirely up to you, but make it your mission to be as social as possible
during retirement age, or actually any age, to help you avoid any loss in brain
function.
Get Moving
Physical activity is crucial at any age,
but as your body naturally undergoes changes and declines, it becomes even more
vital to keep moving and active. Even if you have health conditions that limit
your abilities, engaging in physical activity within your capabilities can
enhance mobility and fitness levels, thereby supporting good health.
Strength training can help you retain or regain strength and muscle mass, which
can decrease as you get older. The stronger and more mobile you are, the
easier it will be to do day-to-day activities such as standing up from a sitting
position, carrying groceries, or even climbing stairs. Pair this with mobility
exercises for maximum impact to shape your muscles, move properly, and retain a
full range of motion.
The trick for exercise and movement is to
find something you enjoy doing on a regular basis. Ensure it gets your heart
rate up, leaves you slightly out of breath, and even makes you a little bit
sweaty. Do this for at least 150 minutes per week to notice the health benefits,
both mentally and physically.
Do Brain Exercises
There is a lot of debate about the efficacy
of brain exercises, with some people questioning their benefits while others
champion them as the best defense against conditions such as dementia and
Alzheimer's. However, there are clear advantages to engaging in brain exercises
and games. By challenging your brain and making it work, you can help support a
healthy brain.
Different brain exercises to
include:
• Playing memory games that force
YouTube to remember things.
• Strategy games where you need
to use your critical thinking skills to solve puzzles.
• Playing games against the
clock.
What you do needs to be fun, and again,
it's entirely up to you. Games like chess,
solitaire, crossword puzzles, and
more are all excellent brain games that can go towards supporting improved
cognitive function.
On top of that, learning something new can
be massively beneficial, too. When you learn new things, the neurons in your
brain form new pathways, which support memory and cognitive function. The more
you do this, the healthier your brain will be, and the slower it will decline
with age.
Eat Well
Your body as an entire unit needs to be
provided with all the nutrients it requires to help it stay fit and healthy at
all times and regress in age. The more nutritious your diet is, the better
health you can expect to be in. Plus, eating more brain-boosting foods such as
blueberries, leafy green veg, and oily fish can help you to keep that grey
matter in shape and ticking over to ensure you are firing on all cylinders well
into retirement age and beyond.
Sleep
Sleep is the magic elixir that can cure
many health-related ails. It can help you reduce stress, stay more alert,
improve energy levels, and simply feel better. Ask any doctor; if there is one
thing they could bottle into pill form, it would be sleep. Your body and brain
need around 7-8 hours of sleep per night, and chronic sleep deprivation will
impact your cognitive functions and result in poor memory and recall, slower
reactions, and difficulty engaging with others. This isn't what you want in
retirement; you want to be in as good a shape as possible to enjoy everything
retirement age has to offer. So get out of bed and get a good sleeping routine
in place.
Find A Hobby
A hobby can be anything you wish to do
alone or with others. It's completely your choice. But finding something to do
that you enjoy can be highly beneficial for brain health, mental health, and
your overall quality of life.
A hobby can be discovering a love of art
and indulging in it on a frequent basis, bird-spotting, trainspotting,
gardening, cooking, or dancing. If you enjoy it and have a passion for it, then
make it your next hobby and see how it can enrich your life and keep that brain
of yours fired up.
Being able to support your brain and your
body to be in the best possible condition come retirement is the accumulation of
many different healthy habits you need to have in place and, of course, a
healthy dose of good genes, too. If you want to make sure you're fighting fit
for as long as possible in retirement, then these tips can help you do just
that. Getting out, staying fit, being social, and eating a well-balanced diet
while getting some good quality sleep will play a part in helping you to have a
happy, healthy retirement.
About the Authors
Retire
Early Lifestyle appeals to a different
kind of person – the person who prizes their
independence, values their time, and who doesn’t
want to mindlessly follow the crowd.
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