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The baby boomer generation - is it your generation ? If so, you are probably facing retirement very soon. Most people only prepare for some kind of financial stability and don't think much about staying healthy in retirement. The health and lifestyle choices you make - now, in the past, and for the future - will impact dramatically on enjoying a happy retirement. There are many reasons beyond just aging that can cause you to be less healthy in retirement; in this article we look at some of them and how you can combat them. Most people don't think about how to keep socially active after they retire. As a result they become more and more isolated. Isolation by itself won't make you sick but it is often listed as one of the reasons that people don't think of as critical to their health. They don't see other people, so they may let their diet slip, and many gain weight. Often the exercise you got while working and being socially active ends very soon after retirement. Maintenance of social contact is imperative to wellness - and often needs a degree of planning. When you lose work colleagues, you need to take steps to replace them, such as joining new clubs and / or community organisations, or taking up new hobbies and interests. To stay healthy in retirement, it is important that you maintain your social activities. While you may not stay in contact with work colleagues, you can make new friends and start new activities. To many people retirement means you stop working. What it should mean is you stop working at your old job and start a new life. Retirement is a great time to start own small business, do volunteer work or take up a new hobby. So don't let retirement mean the end of your active live; just head off in a different direction. When they retire, many people do things they never did when they were working, like watching more TV and generally becoming more inactive. Often, symptoms of illness may be discounted as just getting old - instead of getting a medical checkup. Feeling less and less hungry is often a result of being a lot less active and can cause health problems. Diet and exercise plans are fundamental to having the good health to enjoy your retirement. When you retire, if you continue consuming the same number of calories, while burning far fewer calories because of reduced activity, you will put on weight . If you are going to staying healthy in retirement you need to stay active physically, socially and mentally. Walking or jogging is easier for you to do and prevent you settling into a no-activity life-style. It is much harder to get back into shape than it is to stay in shape - and it does not have to be strenuous exercise; regular moderate exercise is preferable as we get older. Very often we are in pretty good shape when we first retire but then let ourselves go when we have less to do. As you ease into retirement, there will be more time to play with the grand children - but if you can not walk a 100 yards without getting out of breath you have no chance of getting maximium enjoyment from your grand children. Maintaining a high level of physical and mental fitness will allow you to play golf and tennis, enjoy holidays and long walks, and generally get the most out of retirement. Another thing that retirees tend to do is start skipping their regular medical checkups. This allows any problems that may develop to get farther along before they are discovered. If you keep up with regular check ups you will find you stay healthier even as you get on in years. Doctors are very good at letting you know that you need to exercise more and keep control over your diet. If you listen to them you will be staying healthy in retirement. You should also take steps to pro-actively take control of your health - learn all you can about your body, nutrition, exercise and stress management. Another aspect to consider is rest and relaxation - perhaps learning yoga, tai chi or meditation, to help recharge yourself both physically and mentally and reduce stress levels. Staying physically fit is always a work in progress; the same applies to mental activity. While we are working, our brains are being continually exercised; once we stop working we need to find new ways to replace that mental activity. Perhaps it is taking up a new hobby or leisure pursuit, playing a new sport or musical instrument, joining a club or community or simply engaging in some regular mental activity such as crosswords. You can view retirement with dismay, as the end of a useful working life - or with excitement as the beginning of the rest of your life where you are free to do whatever you want. Looking upon retirement is an exciting new adventure is the best way to guarantee fulfilling retirement; free of all shackles, the world is your oyster. Enjoy it!
Article Source: http://www.mycontentbuilder.com
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