How To Invest Time In Your Health Just After Retirement

When we retire a lot of us decide that we’re going use some of that extra time that we have to get fitter and healthier. It might be that during our working lives we were too frazzled to focus on self care. I certainly was. But how do you go about this?

Here’s some ideas that might take off some of those extra years that you put on your biological age because of the stresses and strains of working. Of course it’s sensible for me to put in the proviso that this post is not a substitute for proper advice from a proper professional. I’m not one of those anymore!

Get Up To Date With Health Checks

Do you need to have routine blood tests? Are you happy with the medication that you’re taking? Have you got any symptoms that are concerning you that you’ve been ignoring? When was the last time that you went to the dentist or had your eyes tested? Maybe people are commenting on the fact that your hearing doesn’t seem to be as sharp as it was. Is your pain, physical or emotional, under control?

Sometimes when you’re working long hours it’s difficult to keep up with appointments. I know that I struggled to fit these in and neglected myself whilst telling my clients that this was a bad thing to do. Oops! Now’s the time to get up to date with all those health related chores that you’ve been putting on the back burner.

Work on Your Sleep

This was a big one for me. The stresses of my working life and some unhelpful habits played a part in ensuring that I hardly ever got a decent night’s sleep or woke rested. But I tackled it successfully. Here’s a link to another post explaining how I did this. This improvement meant that I had the increased energy that enabled me to address some of the other health improvements that I needed to make.

Count Your Steps

Use a Smartwatch to count the number of steps that you do and see if you can improve each month. I loved to play this game to mark the improvement that I made after treatment for two debilitating foot conditions.

You don’t have to spend a fortune on one of the leading brands. I’ve been really happy with the very reasonably priced Xiaomi Smart Band that I’ve had for over two years. The link will take you to an updated version of my own watch.

Losing Weight

I’ve added this one in because it’s a biggie for a lot of us, including myself, a yo-yo dieter extraordinaire! Maybe now is the time to go out with losing weight once and for all focusing on changing dietary habits, increasing exercise and changing your mindset. There’s lots of help out there, including GP lead initiatives, online apps, slimming clubs and health coaching.

I’ve found the Glucose Revolution by Jessica Inchaupse an interesting resource to help me think about making lasting change and lose weight by stealth. It was recommended by a practice nurse. In fact I’m reading it for the second time at the moment. This time around I’m going to consider how to incorporate more of the strategies into my routine to even out those glucose spikes which over the long-term can put excessive strain on our poor body’s systems.

And even though the book above doesn’t view calorie counting as helpful, I’ve personally found it a helpful practice. I particularly like the free version of the ‘My Fitness Pal’ app.

Get Therapy or Counselling

Getting healthy isn’t just about improving your physical state. Perhaps the new you that you’re working towards would benefit from being more emotionally robust. Seek appropriate professional help urgently if your mental state is seriously affecting your ability to function on a day by day basis or if your thoughts are so distressing that you are thinking of harming yourself or others.

But you don’t have to be at crisis point to benefit from counselling or therapy. Now might be the time for you to work through past trauma, relationship issues or improve emotional states such as anxiety that may even have troubled you for a lifetime. This can be free in the UK if you self refer to NHS depression or anxiety services. However there are also low cost options such as charities or working with students under supervision.

Join In

Attend an exercise class or weight loss programme, consider membership of a sports club or gym, join a team or see if there are local walking or wild swimming groups near you. Joining with others could help with that crusade to become healthier and you may even expand your social circles too.

Now seems a good time to mention that participation in non physical activities can also be beneficial for your wellbeing. The negative effect of social isolation on physical and mental health is well researched.

Tackle Bad Health Habits

Is it now time to give up smoking, cut down on alcohol or give it up altogether, or steer away from reaching for ultra processed foods? Local health services are likely to have funded projects to help you in your quest to nip those bad health habits in the bud once and for all. There are also excellent self help books available if you feel that you’d prefer to go it alone.

I’d also direct you to the book Tiny Habits that I’ve written about in the past post. It’s been a great resource for me to change unhelpful behaviours one step at a time. I was particularly bad at taking my prescribed medication. I just forgot. But by hanging it on my bedtime routine I’ve clinched it.

Develop Mindfulness Practice

Over twenty years ago, before the word became common parlance, I went on an eight week mindfulness stress reduction programme. Despite being has had a lasting effect on my life ever since, reducing my anxiety and lulling me into a state of helpful acceptance when the brown stuff hits the fan.

The other thing that I’ve noticed is that I’m able to identify negative emotions and nip them in the bud much earlier than I used to. I’m not surprised that mindfulness is now mainstream as it’s so helpful.

There are so many resources out there now: apps on phones, books, podcasts, online and in person courses. Personally I found the discipline of an intensive eight week programme very beneficial in establishing a lasting mindfulness habit. With extra time on your hands I’d heartily recommend investing in developing a mindfulness practice that suits you.

Get Back to An Old Activity…

Have you given up participating in a much loved sport because there isn’t time? Or maybe your health prevents you playing to the standard that you attained when you were in your prime. Fear not. Many sports have ways in which veterans can participate.

Sometimes health issues may prevent us participating in a much loved sport. I’m a Couch to 5K graduate but meet a lot of people of around my own age who can no longer run. Their poorly joints can’t take it anymore. In these instances is there a similar activity that could take its place?

In some instances there are adapted versions of traditional activities. On the face of it they may seem less onerous, but could be a good match with your current ability. I recall a conversation with a man who was a member of a walking football team. It was far from being undemanding and he said that he got a really good workout. I suppose that my e-bike comes into this category too.

…or Try Something New

Is there a sport or exercise programme that you’ve always wanted to try? Well now may well be the time. This is on the back burner for me because of my current caring role but I really fancy having a go at one of the gentler martial arts such as aikido or qi gong.

I hope this little list has given you food for thought. And remember you don’t have to tackle everything at once. You’re not working to deadlines anymore!

Disclaimer

This post contains links to companies and organisations just because I’m happy with the products or services that they supply or I’m spreading the word about what they do. There may also be affiliate links to Amazon for books and other items that I am personally recommending. If you decide to make a purchase from them, I might get a little bit of commission at no cost to you.