Just What Do Retired People Do?
I don't know about other retired people and it all depends upon age and circumstances, doesn't it? I mean, Prince Phillip's retirement seems to be going swimmingly.
Others... well.
We make do as best we can with the resources available to us.
I'm one of the lucky ones. I actively planned for my retirement early on, so not only was I able to retire a few years early, with care and proper budgeting, I will be reasonably comfortable for years to come, God give me life.
The Transition Was Hard
It was much harder than I thought it would be, and losing family members around the same time did not help.
Beforehand, I was nervous about money, even though I had plotted my budget down to the penny and could survive until my Canada Pension and Old Age Pension activated at age sixty-five, which will happen in a couple of months.
Afterward, I found the lack of structure very disconcerting and struggled to balance my day.
Daily Exercise And Nutritional Meal Planning
Making daily lunches and dinners for my spouse who still slogs off to work each afternoon, really helped.
It not only made me feel useful, it put a little structure in my day - like a tiny part-time job. Then I would go for a walk.
I would really look forward to that walk - and still do.
Since I was grossly out of shape and quite obese, I made it a project to lose weight and get healthy, starting with a visit to my doctor.
As it turned out, my labs were far from good; I was pre-diabetic and had fatty liver. No surprise... I had been a truck driver for decades, over-eating and eating mostly garbage food at that.
I Smarten Up
My dentist had mentioned Keto at some point just before my retirement and it seemed like a good starting place. Lots of vegetables (leafy) and meat... I could do that!
At first I was afraid to be hungry so I would fill a huge bowl with greens, chop some meat - any meat - into it with home-made salad dressing, and eat the whole thing at one sitting. I had decided to try OMAD (One Meal A Day) because I knew, at least once a day, I would feel full.
Amazingly, I began to lose weight!
So I kept it up, being more careful of my ingredients and counting calories. I tried to stay around 1500 per day and continued walking, which was coming more easily to me as I had dropped about 20 lbs by this time.
And The Rest Is History
Yes, as they say.
When winter came along, I nearly slipped on the ice a few times and decided to join a nearby gym. Now I work out regularly and walk the neighbourhood on my days off.
I am more active now than I have ever been, and feel better than I did in my twenties. Of course, in my twenties I was raising two children and suffering from a severe lack of sleep. So there was that.
Now I often wonder how I ever had time to actually go to work; my days are so busy. And I am exhausted at the end of them, sleeping like a baby, waking up excited to learn new stuff.
Retirement opened up new opportunities and new possibilities; I am doing things I've always wanted to do but never had the time or energy because... working.
My Advice
Plan for your retirement as well and as early as you can. Become as healthy as you can and endeavour to stay that way.
Say "No!" to cake.
Cheers, everyone!
Others... well.
We make do as best we can with the resources available to us.
I'm one of the lucky ones. I actively planned for my retirement early on, so not only was I able to retire a few years early, with care and proper budgeting, I will be reasonably comfortable for years to come, God give me life.
The Transition Was Hard
It was much harder than I thought it would be, and losing family members around the same time did not help.
Beforehand, I was nervous about money, even though I had plotted my budget down to the penny and could survive until my Canada Pension and Old Age Pension activated at age sixty-five, which will happen in a couple of months.
Afterward, I found the lack of structure very disconcerting and struggled to balance my day.
Daily Exercise And Nutritional Meal Planning
Making daily lunches and dinners for my spouse who still slogs off to work each afternoon, really helped.
It not only made me feel useful, it put a little structure in my day - like a tiny part-time job. Then I would go for a walk.
I would really look forward to that walk - and still do.
Since I was grossly out of shape and quite obese, I made it a project to lose weight and get healthy, starting with a visit to my doctor.
As it turned out, my labs were far from good; I was pre-diabetic and had fatty liver. No surprise... I had been a truck driver for decades, over-eating and eating mostly garbage food at that.
I Smarten Up
My dentist had mentioned Keto at some point just before my retirement and it seemed like a good starting place. Lots of vegetables (leafy) and meat... I could do that!
At first I was afraid to be hungry so I would fill a huge bowl with greens, chop some meat - any meat - into it with home-made salad dressing, and eat the whole thing at one sitting. I had decided to try OMAD (One Meal A Day) because I knew, at least once a day, I would feel full.
Amazingly, I began to lose weight!
So I kept it up, being more careful of my ingredients and counting calories. I tried to stay around 1500 per day and continued walking, which was coming more easily to me as I had dropped about 20 lbs by this time.
And The Rest Is History
Yes, as they say.
When winter came along, I nearly slipped on the ice a few times and decided to join a nearby gym. Now I work out regularly and walk the neighbourhood on my days off.
I am more active now than I have ever been, and feel better than I did in my twenties. Of course, in my twenties I was raising two children and suffering from a severe lack of sleep. So there was that.
Now I often wonder how I ever had time to actually go to work; my days are so busy. And I am exhausted at the end of them, sleeping like a baby, waking up excited to learn new stuff.
Retirement opened up new opportunities and new possibilities; I am doing things I've always wanted to do but never had the time or energy because... working.
My Advice
Plan for your retirement as well and as early as you can. Become as healthy as you can and endeavour to stay that way.
Say "No!" to cake.
Cheers, everyone!
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