The golden years – Have a routine (III)

Today, we will be taking up some of the activities that can feature in a retirement routine.

First, we need to understand that everyone’s routine in retirement is different. This is understandably so because people retire at different ages, under different circumstances, and have different retirement purposes and objectives. So, as mentioned earlier, there is no one best routine. Any routine is good if it works for the individual and pushes them toward achieving their purpose and objective in a healthy, efficient, and productive manner.

There are different activities that could fill up the time of a purposeful retiree. However, the activities should support the following:

1. Improve or at least manage any health conditions of the retiree
2. Not jeopardise the retiree’s finances
3. Improve the retiree’s relationships
4. Help the retiree achieve their retirement purpose and objectives

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Based on the foregoing, the following should be some of the activities that a retiree might involve as part of their daily, weekly, monthly or annual routines.

Go out for a walk: Having an exercise routine is a must for every retiree depending on their health conditions and what their doctor may specifically advise. Based on medical advisory, start ‘small’ in a way that you can handle and enjoy whatever exercises you do. With time and improvement, you can stretch and do more. Exercise can be as easy as a morning walk in your estate, evening tennis at the club, or whatever physical activity may be appropriate. Irrespective of what physical activity you include in your routine, block the time allocated to it and stick with that as much as is practically possible. If you miss your exercise for one valid reason or another, ensure that you make it up at some other time in the day or night as may be possible.

Include house chores: Depending on our responsibilities, interests, and what other things we do in retirement, domestic chores like cleaning up the home is another way we can get physically active which is good for our health. It can also reduce the operational expenses that we may have to incur by hiring external hands to help us out, which in itself might be good for the security of our household. Other domestic activities like gardening also help us physically and may reduce our feeding costs if we produce fruits and vegetables like cabbage, lettuce, banana, mango, etc. that we would otherwise have to drive out to the markets to purchase. In addition, we get happy and satisfied producing them right in our backyards.

Go out every day! Irrespective of where we live, from a block of flats in a city to a large expanse of compound in the countryside, we will need to spend some time in nature to help boost our moods and benefit from the elements. An early morning walk around our estate as mentioned above, or to the corner shops to buy the little things we may need at home all help. The fresh morning breeze is a great mood enhancer and sunlight is known to be good in helping our bodies to make vitamin D, strengthen our bones, boost our immune system, etc.

Socialize:  As individuals, we all have need for sociliasation with the right persons and groups even if at different levels. Consequently, a retiree should create a steady and regular window for socializing with different social circles in their lives. One window might be for extended family members while other windows might be for friends from way back in school, current members of your tennis club, immediate community members, etc. What is important is for us to relate well with those we are happy relating with and for whom we create value and also enjoy certain benefits.

Include medical checkups: Some medical situations can be assessed at home. For instance, persons managing their blood pressure or sugar levels can include a daily self-check after training by qualified personnel on how they can do that in the comfort of their homes with the right equipment.  Beyond that, however, they may need to include visitation to their medical doctor if their domestic tests reveal off-range results or as may be required depending on the details of their situation.

Continue to learn: As long as we are alive, we must continue to learn and develop ourselves. In retirement, we definitely should continue to read. Depending on our generation, we may be comfortable holding our physical books or our tablets. Do any that you are happy with. Beyond reading which is the minimum, those opportuned and interested can take up formal education programmes such as certifications and postgraduate programmes. You can also begin to learn some art such as painting or music as may be of interest to you. Keeping both the body and the mind active is important to health and longevity.

Sleep well! Studies at Harvard University showed that lack of sleep can contribute to medical concerns such as cardiovascular diseases, obesity and diabetes. It can also jeopardise the immune system, and negatively affect memory and concentration. Along the same lines, many specialists agree that sleeping is as essential to our general health as good nutrition and exercise. Sleeping through the night is essential in giving our body the opportunity to recover from daily wear and tear. Consequently, we should include a reasonably consistent and sufficient (in quality and quantity) pattern of sleep at all stages of our lives in our routines and definitely as we age. Making our bedrooms tidy, dark, quiet, at temperatures in the range between 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit and generally comfortable can help improve the quality of our sleep. If we have any sleep issues, however, we should consult with our doctor.

We will continue next week with activities we can consider including in our retirement routine.