The senior members of our society are more and more driven to prove that age is just a number – and rightfully so. The situations where we describe someone who fits into the ’elderly’ category as incredibly ’vivacious’ and ’zestful’ are so common these days. In fact, we ought to seriously reconsider our prejudices towards golden-agers.
Long gone are the days when we thought of those that are advanced in years as decrepit and incapacitated. We should change that false image as soon as possible, and we also need to keep encouraging our hoary loved ones to continue to enrich their lives. Here are some ideas on how to improve the quality of life after 65.
Physical Movement and Exercise
This is something that should be mandatory for all age groups, but it becomes especially important for those who are past their prime. People who are 65 and older are more prone to developing various mental health-related problems, such as depression, unless they are active enough.
The sedentary lifestyle doesn’t help anyone, but the lack of physical activity can lead to issues with obesity, diabetes, and even memory loss. This doesn’t mean that you have to hit the gym 6 times per week and train rigorously. Just make sure to lace up your shoes and go outside for a walk most days. You can also consider light exercises such as swimming, yoga, Pilates, biking, ballroom dancing – whatever you feel like doing.
Continue to Learn New Things
It’s so common to hear the excuse ’I’m not a spring chicken anymore’ with regard to lack of interest to learn new things. But even if you feel like you’ve explored and learned enough things in your life, this is an illusion you need to shake off immediately. The insatiable thirst for new knowledge that we as human beings inherently possess doesn’t just stop at a certain point in our lives. This kind of behavior and way of thinking is also learned, which means that it can be reversed with the right mindset.
So, make sure to opt for learning a new language or a skill you’ve always dreamed of having. It’s not just about keeping your brain sharp, but about having fun as well.
Make Sure to Socialize With Others Frequently
Don’t let yourself become completely isolated from the outside world, especially if you’re living alone. There are so many examples of elderly people sitting in front of their TVs all day long, that they soon start to feel all the negative consequences of the fact that they don’t have a chance to talk to someone on a regular basis. We strongly embolden you to go out and start meeting new faces. Slowly but surely you’ll start to reap all the benefits from new friendships you’ve made.
A strong support system is crucial as you age, so we need to be extra careful about how we spend our time. It’s understandable that you can’t socialize 24/7, but you need to make sure that your children and loved ones are not worrying excessively, nonetheless. If you’ve already made a decision to live alone, medical alarms can help you feel safer in case of a fall, or any other emergency situation. Living single shouldn’t mean that you’re unaided and can’t rely on anyone or anything but yourself. That’s why you need to make sure that you don’t feel isolated or secluded, even when you’re alone.
Explore Hobbies and Other Opportunities
Remember how you’ve always dreamed of having more time to spend doing the things that you like while you were still working? Well, retirement is a perfect chance for you to pick up a hobby or start doing the stuff you’ve always wanted to, but just couldn’t find enough time.
For instance, if you were into music, continue to develop this passion in whichever way you can. Learn to play an instrument of your choice, start singing in a choir, etc. That way you’ll never feel bored, depressed, or as if though you don’t have any life purpose any more.
Travel as Much as You Can
While we’re on the subject of life’s purpose, retirement is your perfect chance to enjoy life. Try not to think beyond that. Ever so often we get stuck in our daily routine and jobs we have to go to and do, day in and day out. This can seriously limit our free time and opportunities to travel and explore other places.
That’s why retirement is also great: it opens up time for traveling. Even if you don’t feel like doing this at first, we recommend you to at least try going for a day trip and see how you like it. Pretty soon you’ll realize just how invigorating the whole experience can be. And if you get hooked onto traveling, you’ll also get a chance to be physically active, meet new people, and learn something new. This can turn out to be a perfect combination for aging well.