Elevate Your Physical Activity in Retirement

We are living longer and that is good news. To take advantage of our new longevity we need to keep healthy. To get healthy and to stay healthy we need to elevate our physical activity when we retire. Here are some ideas on how you can do this. Remember, if you have not been active or you are thinking of changing your activity level, always check with your doctor before starting any changes.

Be active. Regular exercise can help relieve stress. Exercise releases endorphins into your system and will give you a natural boost. Endorphins are sometimes called "the happy chemicals" because of their stress-reducing and happiness-inducing properties. Competitive sports such as squash, tennis, badminton and circuit training are excellent examples of physical activities.

Walk or jog regularly. Walking or jogging for 30 minutes each day may help to ease stress and anxiety and improve cardiovascular health.

Relax, or practise relaxation techniques. Listen to some soothing music you like. Soak in a nice warm bath. Simply take a break from your stressful workload and spend the day just goofing around doing the things you love.

Stretch. Take up yoga. Yoga is an ideal form of exercise that melds the body, mind, and spirit. It promotes good health, a positive self-image and teaches relaxation.

Breathe deeply. Inhale through your nose (5 sec), hold (5 sec), exhale slowly (5 sec): repeat 5 times. Deep breathing can relieve anxiety and pressure.

Get a daily dose of sunlight if you can. Lack of exposure to sunlight is responsible for the secretion of the hormone called Melatonin, which could trigger a dispirited mood and/or a lethargic condition. You could go have lunch outside the office for a change or take frequent walks in the early afternoon instead of driving your car over short distances.

Go for acupuncture treatment. By using various pressure points, it is believed to enable a calming effect and promote a healthier emotional balance.

Take up gardening. Work in the garden, watering plants and pulling up weeds; each is calming in its own way.

Play with your grandkids. Take part in activities with family, have an active playtime with your grandkids and make plans with them for what you will do together when you are feeling better.

Get an exercise buddy. Find a partner and sign up for community exercise sessions, Zumba, Yoga etc. Working out in a large group will keep you motivated to keep on going and not give up.

How to cope with your upcoming retirement

You are going to retire now or one day in the very near future. Retiring is scary for some; I know it was for me. To cope I was lucky enough to go back to work, but many do not have that opportunity. It took me over 7 years from the time I retired until I started to appreciate my retirement. What I had to do was transform my behaviour. Here are some things I did that helped me realize that retirement with good health is a wonderful opportunity to do what you want.

1.                Connect with people. I looked for support, advice and validation from people I cared for. If you can hug or embrace someone today.

2.                Make facetime a priority. I took the time to talk to friends or family face-to-face, sure I use the Internet but I prefer personal contact and it helps me stay grounded. If you can plan to spend more time with your loved ones.

3.                Go out with friends. I meet with friends at least once a week and sometimes I go out even if I do not feel like it. No man is an island. Your inner circle of friends is there to give you moral support. Spending time and engaging in worthwhile activities with them gave me a very satisfying feeling, it might help you as well.

4.                Establish closer ties with your family. The love and care expressed by others could tremendously contribute to boosting your immune system and fend off illnesses.

5.                Take on different responsibilities. Start with taking care of a few small tasks, but learn your limits and stay within them. In other words, learn to say no.

6.                Smile. Smiling lifts your mood and lower stress.

7.                Laugh. Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the brain's "feel-good" chemicals. Try to have fun. Social activities such as chatting, joining a support group, sports, and other hobbies can do wonders towards healing a stressed out and busy mind.

8.                Use ‘ME-TIME’ positively. Occupy your mind by tackling a jigsaw puzzle, a logic problem, a crossword, painting, playing a musical instrument or whatever you have interest in.

9.                Be active. Pick up a sport, you liked or wanted to try. My sport is golf, but we have removed the stress of the game, by no longer keeping score.

10.           Get creative. Express yourself through music, art, or writing.

11.           Be entertained. Read a good book, watch a funny movie or TV show.

12.            Get  moving. Listen to upbeat music.  Just move to the beat and let all your stress flow out of your fingertips and toes.

13.           Explore. You have time, so use it to explore your community, make a day trip to a museum, the mountains, or the ballpark.

14.           Travel. Go on an epic adventure, we have been on 8 epic adventures since I retired and I have been on at least 14 small week-long excursions with friends and family. Travel does open your mind and awakes you to the wonders of the world and the joys of coming home.

15.           Consider volunteering. Busy hands are happy hands. Volunteering at a local hospital or becoming involved in some type of community activity could offer personal satisfaction and enjoyment.

Ideas on how to have more money when you retire

Save More. Most people do not think about financial matters from a long-term perspective so they do not estimate how much money they will need for retirement, or if they do, they vastly underestimate how much they will need. The experts shy away from hard and fast rules about what you will need but aim to have between 60 and 70% of your income when you were working. In Canada and the United States, we have government programs in place for most people that aim to replace anywhere from 18 to 33% of that income. The good news is that you don’t have to try to save enough to cover 70% of your work income, you only have to save the difference between what the government income and what you think you will need.

The bad news is we are living longer, you have to accept that you will probably live longer than you expect. In many countries’ individuals are expected to manage their own retirement funds. Many of us will plan for average life expectancy, not realizing that this means that half of the people will live longer. The big risk is that you will outlive savings.

Learn about various sources of retirement income. Workers misunderstand what their primary sources of income will be in retirement. In Canada and the US, there are government programs in place to help. In Canada, we have the Canada Pension Plan, and the Old Age Security income, in the US you have Social Security. In Canada the Old Age Security and Income Supplement is the most important source of income for many people, in the US it is Social Security.

Educate yourself and learn how to manage your retirement savings plan. Due to the growth of retirement savings plans, individuals are now responsible for managing their investments. Most of us lack basic financial knowledge but need to become experts about work benefits and investing

Look for good advice. A significant portion of retirees and pre-retirees do not seek the help of a "qualified professional." Don’t’ be like most people who ask friends and family for advice.

I have many friends who retired then went to work, but they are in the minority. Don’t count on working. Plan early! Many of us will retire before we expect to and before we are ready. Nearly four in ten people retire due to poor health, caring for a family member, or job loss.

Deal with inflation. Inflation is a fact of life that workers usually deal with through pay increases. After retirement, it is up to people to manage their own assets or secure guaranteed income. Few people have the skills to manage income to keep up with inflation.

Face facts about long-term care. Many people underestimate their chances of needing long-term care. Relatively few people either own long-term care insurance or can afford to self-insure a long-term care situation.

Provide for a surviving spouse. Many married couples fail to plan for the eventual death of one spouse before the other and the resulting drop in income at the time of widowhood. Many more single women live in poverty in old age.

Make your money last for a lifetime. People often pass up opportunities to get a lifetime pension or annuity, failing to recognize the difficulty of making money last for a lifetime. People say guaranteed lifetime income is important, but in practice, they usually choose a lump sum.

Are we as individuals and communities ready for an ageing population? 3

Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1960) are still a force and the last batch is approaching their 60’s and is close to retiring if they haven’t already done this. So, the big question facing us, individually and as a society is

Are we as individuals and communities ready for an ageing population?

To examine this question, the National Council on Ageing (NCOA), UnitedHealthcare and USA TODAY created The United States of Ageing Survey. In its inaugural year, the survey included 2,250 U.S. adults aged 60 and older who shared their perspectives on their own individual readiness for ageing as well as their perceptions of their community’s resources for senior residents. 

I have looked at some of the responses to the question in specific areas and I think we are ready as individuals but I am not sure we are ready as a society/

Health and Wellness

Older Americans are optimistic about their health and say they are healthier than ever.

More than three in four seniors aged 60 to 69 expect their quality of life to stay the same or get better over the next five to 10 years.

Nearly two-quarters of respondents (65 percent) say the past year of their life has been normal or better than normal.

More than eight in 10 agree with the statement, ―I have a strong sense of purpose and passion for my life and my future.

A large majority of older Americans give themselves high marks when it comes to maintaining their physical and mental health.

Ninety-two percent report that they manage their stress levels well.

Eighty-four percent say they are confident that they will be able to do what is needed to maintain their health over the next five to 10 years.

Eighty percent of older Americans are confident in their ability to manage their health conditions on their own, reducing their need to see a doctor.

More than half of respondents (52 percent) exercise or are physically active at least four days per week. A quarter is active one to three days a week, 11 percent are active only a few days per month, and another 11 percent are never physically active.

The vast majority of respondents – 94 percent – are confident of their ability to find a primary care physician in their community, while 60 percent believe they would be able to see a geriatric care physician.

More than nine in 10 seniors (92 percent) report that they communicate well with their doctors regarding their health questions and concerns.