Life Begins At...

The Retiree Magazine Summer 2011-12

Life Begins At.....

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YOUR RETIREMENT developing a hobby into a small business. The list is endless. A good place to start looking for ideas is in your local newspaper. The spaces between holidays need to be filled with new routines and structures so that you enjoy every day of your retirement, not just sitting around waiting to go on the next holiday. 2. Fitness This is a vital ingredient – the foundation for cooking up a great life in retirement – not just physical, but mental and emotional fitness are so important as well if we are to lead a healthy life and keep our brains functioning effectively. Physical fitness – One of the best things you can do to maintain and improve your health can be something as simple as a daily walk. A regular two kilometre walk can be a defence against dementia, tones up the physical body and if you can, walk with a friend or in a walking group. The social interaction is also very beneficial for your mental and emotional wellbeing. 1. Focus This is a very important ingredient. What gives meaning to your life? For many years things like your job and raising a family gave purpose to your life, interspersed with annual holidays. "So what do I do now?" When you do retire there are many options to give your life meaning. Give yourself time to adjust and re-invent yourself. It doesn't happen overnight. It can take on average five years to create a new way of living in retirement. Take into account all the skills, knowledge, experience and wisdom you have developed over the period of your working life, which can now be used to create a purposeful and interesting new life and still go on holidays. There are so many inspiring stories in the media of people well into their 90s and older who still lead active, healthy and happy lives because they have a reason to get up in the morning – whether it be still working part-time in a job they love, volunteering, mentoring younger people, learning new things or Watch your thoughts – Research in the past few decades has shown that our thoughts impact on our emotions and then on our physical health. Eighty per cent of our health problems can be attributed to constant worry and negative thinking. It has been found that people who live to over 100 years have had positive mental attitudes, looking more on the bright side of life rather than dwelling on what's wrong. THE RETIREE SUMMER 137

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