Fall 2015 Active Living

Fall 2015

Active Living:

The Retirement Years In This Issue:

Preparing for retirement as a couple Finally, some time to travel Volunteering: rewarding “work�

Five tips for a healthy retirement

A Supplement to the Anacortes American and the Skagit Valley Herald

Active Living |

Table of Contents

Preparing for retirement as a couple

PLAN AHEAD: Preparing for retirement

2

What do I do with all this time?

PLAN AHEAD

3

KEEP ACTIVE: There’s still time for your childhood dreams 4 Finally, some time to travel

4

Volunteering: rewarding “work”

5

Five types of activities to do with your grandchildren

6

Leisure activities: the key to a happy retirement 7 STAY HEALTHY: Five tips for a healthy retirement 8 Talk about your hopes and expectations with your spouse when planning your retirement.

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Active Living: The Retirement Years

etirement is an important milestone in life that involves a lot of changes. During this time, people rediscover not only themselves but their spouses as well, which can cause tension within a couple. Some careful preparation can help both parties enjoy a happy retirement together.

To prevent any problems in your relationship during the early years of your retirement, you should discuss your expectations with your spouse before you retire. Knowing what each other’s hopes are will allow you to make plans together and experience a better transition when the time comes.

Since you’ll be spending so much time together, it is important to have some common interests. Now is the time to start looking for activities you can do together and hobbies that you both like. Similarly, you could plan projects, large or small, for your retirement.

While it’s essential to spend time with your partner, it’s just as necessary to have activities of your own, to keep time for yourself.

Plan on having somewhere you can go to be alone occasionally, such as a study or workshop.

Planning for retirement is not just a matter of finances. You also have to get ready to experience a significant change of pace. And since you’re not used to being with your spouse all day, you’ll need an adjustment period. A bit of good planning is the best way to avoid conflict and start off on the right foot.

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Active Living |

PLAN AHEAD

What do I do with all this time?

F

or most people, work is their main activity and interest throughout their lives. They dread the thought of retirement out of fear of boredom. And for good reason; when you leave the working world, you lose your established routines, your social network, and a sense of belonging. You lose the pleasure of having found your very own niche somewhere in society. Suddenly, you’re deprived of all your reference points, and you’re just not sure who you are anymore. You might feel useless with all that free time on your hands. And you know that in order to adapt to this new reality, you’ll have to learn to restructure your life somehow.

If you want to be able to look forward to retirement, it can help if you prepare yourself. How? Take stock of your life and flush out which things are really important to you. This kind of discernment will help you determine what stimulates you and meets your needs. When you’ve figured out what’s important to you and what your real values are, it will be easier to find activities, causes, and projects to get involved with once you retire.

But finding a hobby isn’t enough. To avoid isolation, try to

Think about your folks • Is Dad getting enough nourishment?

• Is Mom socializing enough?

• What about their health?

• Are they really safe?

Take stock of your life so you can define your needs and prepare for retirement.

expand your social network before retiring. Even though your job allowed you to build friendships, working relationships rarely last after retirement, despite our best intentions.

Progressive retirement can be a good way to ease the transition between work and retirement. Volunteering and mentoring are also options that can allow you to stay active and continue to be involved in your field of expertise or interest.

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KEEP ACTIVE

There’s still time for your childhood dreams Y

ou’re never too old to dream. In fact it’s just the opposite. Retirement is the perfect opportunity to achieve your wildest dreams, your youthful dreams, or to pursue new ones that are more in line with your latest interests. While some people dream of climbing in the Himalayas, others prefer something a little more relaxing; the constraints of your physical abilities are the only limitation. Whatever your dreams, it’s time to believe in yourself and give yourself the means to achieve them.

You could embark on a major project that is close to your heart, such as going back to school or training for a new job; you could start a small business, go abroad for a year, make the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, or write a novel.

Living out your dreams also means doing some simple things that you just never had time to do before: learn to play an instrument, see all your favorite director’s movies, read the great literary classics, or learn to make wedding cakes. It also means spoiling yourself by doing a few of the once-in-a-lifetimethings that you always promised yourself, such as going on an Alaskan cruise, a ride in a hot air balloon, or a trip to Las Vegas to see a show.

Dreams can be satisfying without having to be grandiose or out of your comfort zone. Whether you crave adventure or relaxation, the important thing is not to have regrets, to not say later that you should have done this or that when the opportunity presented itself. So, what are you waiting for?

Finally, some time to travel Y

our retirement is fast approaching and with it the opportunity to travel—at last! What a great project, especially as traveling during your retirement years has lots of advantages. Be careful, however, to stay within your limits, as well as your budget. After all, you want to be able to make the most of this opportunity for as long as possible.

Leave when you want

Now you can go away whenever you want, which allows you to take advantage of last minute deals or take part in events that you’ve always dreamed of, such as the Rio carnival or Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Or maybe you’ve always wanted to see the Monaco Grand Prix or tennis at Wimbledon.

Take your time

Since there’s no limit to the duration of your vacations now, you can take the time to do everything you want. Traveling no longer has to be an exhausting marathon, a whirlwind of visits where you cram in as much as possible in a short amount of time. In other words, travel doesn’t have to be synonymous with exhaustion anymore.

When you retire, you can take the trip of your dreams at your own pace.

Travel your way

Not only do you have time to travel, you also have time to plan your own trip. You can now put together the trip of your dreams, a journey that will be tailor-made to meet your best expectations.

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Active Living: The Retirement Years

So what to do? Will you soak up some sun in southern climes, explore Europe, or enjoy a total change of scene in Asia? Will you discover some African cultures, take a Mediterranean cruise, or visit Italy’s most famous museums? Whatever your destination, you’ll now have the time to admire the world’s great monuments, pedal along the most beautiful bike paths, and see all the new and ancient wonders of the world.

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KEEP ACTIVE

Volunteering: rewarding “work” A

re you looking forward to your retirement but are worried about having too much free time on your hands? Maybe you could invest your time in a cause close to your heart; give a few hours a week to an organization or help someone in trouble, for example.

Volunteering is a way to keep inertia and depression at bay when your professional work life comes to an end. And the benefits of volunteering are many, both for you and for those with whom you interact. Here are just a few:

Volunteering is rewarding.

Being a volunteer lets you feel useful and appreciated. It improves your quality of life and allows you to put your experience and expertise at the service of your community.

Volunteering lets you develop as a person.

It gives you the opportunity to expand your horizons, develop new skills, gain more knowledge, widen your social network, and cultivate a strong sense of belonging in your community.

Volunteering gives you the opportunity to help people while doing something you love.

For example, if you love to travel, you could participate in an overseas international development project.

Volunteering is good for your health.

In addition to helping you to stay active, volunteering helps you avoid feelings of isolation, and it also reduces stress, anxiety, and symptoms of depression.

Whether you volunteer several times a week or just an occasional day here and there, volunteering is a great motivator and gives you a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Best of all, it can really give meaning to your life.

Volunteering allows you to have an active and fulfilling life, even after retirement.

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Five types of activities to do with your grandchildren W

hen you retire you’ll finally have plenty of energy to devote to your family. Here are some suggestions for activities that will allow you to spend some quality time with your grandchildren.

Outdoor activities.

What could be better than an outing to the park for some family fun? A picnic, Frisbee, ball games, and blowing bubbles will be a hit no matter their ages.

Retirement allows you to spend quality time with your family.

Games of all kinds.

To keep children busy on rainy days, pull out the board games and card games. And hide-and-seek never gets old.

Arts and crafts.

Crafts, drawing (with colored pencils inside or chalk outside), coloring, painting, or modeling clay are all great for developing creativity. You could also make a story book, read a good book together, or just invent stories to tell each other.

Knowledge sharing.

Share your passions with your grandchildren. Depending on their interests, you can share family recipes with them, teach them to play the piano or sew, or take them out to the garage to poke around in the car engine.

Fun things to do.

For something out of the ordinary, take them out for a day at the zoo, museum, or farm. You could also go ice skating, eat out, or go see a movie.

There’s no lack of ideas for having fun with your grandchildren. Camping in the backyard, a trip to the library, a day at the beach, or a movie night at home—they are all small pleasures the children will remember for years to come.

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Active Living: The Retirement Years

Fall 2015

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Leisure activities: the key to a happy retirement A

re you approaching retirement? You need to start thinking about what you’ll do with the priceless gift of time that you’ll be receiving. To fully appreciate this new stage of your life rather than dreading it, you just have to be well prepared. So take stock of your interests, and take control of the situation now by listing all the activities you would like to indulge in when you’re well rested.

Fun activities

Consider a variety of activities that you can do alone, as a couple, with family, or friends. This is a great opportunity to take up knitting in order to relax, try new restaurants with your spouse, go to shows or sports events with the family, or contact friends you haven’t seen for ages. Quilting, poker, reading, golf, movies, jigsaw puzzles, hiking, museums—the possibilities are endless and so you’re sure to find a hobby that is in tune with your interests.

Classes for enriching the mind

You never had time to pursue your passions? The time has come to remedy the situation; take a class in music, art, sports, computers, language, cooking, or sewing.

Take classes to develop a long-neglected talent, to perfect an art that you’ve already familiar with, or to get acquainted with a new discipline.

Discussion groups

Will you miss all those discussions with your work colleagues?

Join a group to share your passions or just to meet people and exchange ideas and opinions. You might want to join a book or bridge club, a bowling or hockey league, or do lawn bowling or sing in a choir.

If you take the time to plan your leisure activities, your retirement will be relaxing but never boring!

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STAY HEALTHY

Five tips for a healthy retirement S

taying active and healthy is essential if you want to make the most of your retirement.

Here are some tips to help you enjoy your retirement for years to come.

protein, fiber, calcium, and vitamin D. Refer to the USDA’s MyPlate food guide for recommendations related to your age group (visit www.choosemyplate.gov).

Remain active.

Sleep well.

Physical activity is not only beneficial to your health; it’s also good for the morale and great for relaxing. Golf, gardening, swimming, walking, dancing, and cycling are all simple options. Find activities you enjoy and do them on a regular basis.

Take care of your health.

Go for regular checkups and screenings for diseases such as osteoporosis, breast cancer, or prostate cancer. Don’t forget to have your eyes, hearing, and teeth examined as well. Quitting smoking would also be a good idea.

Eat healthy.

Ensure that your diet includes enough

To promote better sleep, avoid caffeine and cigarettes before going to bed, develop a bedtime routine, and try to always go to bed and get up at the same time, including on weekends.

Boost your memory.

Here are some good memory strengtheners: physical activity; sleep and relaxation; games such as scrabble, Sudoku, crossword puzzles, and cards; an active social life; and intellectual work such as reading, writing, and analyzing.

By following these tips on a daily basis, you’ll help yourself stay healthy and you’ll be able to live your life to the maximum.

You’ve earned it. So, flaunt it. Have a ball. But don’t stop there. Move into Washington Oakes Retirement Community and you can keep the celebration going every day. That’s what Living Better Than Ever is all about–enjoying life to the max. We’ll make life easier so you can have fun in your own way.

Call (425) 399-3300 now to schedule your complimentary lunch and tour.

And then prepare to let your fun flag fly.

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Active Living: The Retirement Years

Fall 2015

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