7 Ways to enjoy quality of life after retirement:

The lifestyle which many Americans have accepted as the norm works okay through our first three or four decades. However there are certain characteristics about it that tend to catch up with our physical bodies and cause problems in our latter years. Let me say up front that I am not a physician and have no formal training in medicine or physical fitness. The points listed below have been extrapolated over the years by simple experience, old fashioned horse sense, and anecdotal evidence.

There are countless Americans who work their whole lives looking forward to their retirement years. When they finally retire their bodies are worn out, weak, sickly, and frail. They end up spending much of their retirement funds on medical care, surgeries, and medication. Now is the time to create proper habits and life-style before you get to your 50’s and 60’s. These seven points are simple, practical, and doable and will aid you in experiencing a quality life-style in your latter years.

1.       Watch What You Eat:

There’s nothing like a burger and fries to satisfy a growling stomach. It just seems like if it’s fried, it tastes better. In fact, that’s the problem with what we eat – we want it taste good. No one seems to be concerned about whether it’s good for the human body. Even if it is fattening and loaded with toxins it’s okay as long as it tastes good. The average restaurant encourages you to order an appetizer then a meal of huge portions followed by dessert. You end up eating enough for three people and walk out grimacing with pain. When you visit a grocery store you are overwhelmed by the never ending variety of snack foods available. All of them are engineered to taste good. But what about nutritional value? The result is that two thirds of Americans are overweight or obese (http://www.win.niddk.nih.gov/statistics/index.htm).

The results of a prolonged overweight and/or obese existence includes (in many cases) diabetes, aching backs, feet, legs, joints and everything else that can ache. Yeas of abusing feet, knees, and hip joints result in costly joint replacement surgeries. They seem to occur in the 5^th and 6^th decades well after youth is used up. It is comparable to using a small four-cylinder import pickup truck to pull a huge fifth-wheel trailer across the country and through traffic. The suspension, engine, and transmission are not engineered for that kind of load. The abuse isn’t limited to the musculoskeletal areas. The heart, when required to pump blood to multiple times the body mass for which it was designed, is overworked and more prone to breakdown. The lungs, working with the heart to oxygenate the blood are overworked as well with all the extra flesh.

2.       Eliminate All Tobacco Products:

The use of tobacco is one of the worse things you can do to your body. Nicotine is an addictive substance and countless millions of people are addicted to it. Tobacco is the other thing the doctor always asks about – “How much do you use?” Years of smoking damages sensitive lung tissue that is required to oxygenate the blood. This oxygen is carried to individual cells of your body. Have you ever witnessed a long-term smoker that has just climbed a flight of stairs? In many cases their lungs have only 50% (or less) of lung tissue available to introduce this oxygen into the blood stream. With just rudimentary physical exertion the smoker is panting and needs to sit down.

Some prefer the smokeless tobacco thinking that they are safe from lung cancer and emphysema. They may be, however according to http://www.tobaccofreeu.org/facts_figures/documents/spit_fact_sheet.pdf “Spit tobacco contains at least 28 cancer-causing chemicals such as benzopyrene and formaldehyde... It contains 3000 other chemicals such as acetone (paint stripper), ammonia (toilet bowl cleaner), and cadmium (battery acid). Spit tobacco produced by American tobacco companies is traditionally fire cured, thus increasing the presence of nitrosamines (the organic chemicals that are cancer-causing).” Additionally, “Possible long term-effects (however, some symptoms can occur earlier): Cancer of the lips, tongue, floor of mouth, cheeks, gums, throat, voice box, and/or esophagus, receding gums, tooth loss, lips and gums crack and bleed, as well as associated with cardiovascular risk and sexual dysfunction.” I recently read (CSD of Oklahoma) where one tin of snuff has the same amount of nicotine as 3 packs of cigarettes. I read another place where one lip-full of smokeless is equivalent to 10 non-filtered Camel cigarettes. The long and short of this point is simple: Tobacco in any form is not good for you and should be eliminated to insure quality of life after 50.

3.       Exercise!

A piece of complex equipment that never gets used generally doesn’t work when you want it to. An aircraft that sits in the hangar and gets flown once every other month probably isn’t a safe aircraft to fly. On the other hand, one that is flown daily will prove more reliable. So it is with the human body. If you never exercise muscles, they will atrophy. The older we get the more important it is to utilize and stretch all the muscles in our bodies. Walking or running regularly as well as stretching exercises will help you stay limber into your senior years. There are many health clubs with low prices that make it economical to stay in shape with free weights and nautilus equipment as well as tread mills. There are many ways to get regular exercise that are fun and enjoyable. Kayaking, swimming, hiking, walking, tennis, softball, and golf (without a golf cart) are just a few examples of easy exercise. Sadly, most Americans come home from work every day and ensconce themselves on the couch to watch television and eat cheese puffs.

4.       Find a productive and satisfying hobby or cause:

This may sound trite, but let me explain why it is important. I’ve known some friends who looked forward to retiring after years of the grind. Typically, they said they were going to play golf every day or go fishing every day. That worked out great for a couple months then they became board and went back to work. Why? Weren’t they doing what they loved to do? Yes! But those fun things are just that – they’re fun! After a lifetime of going to work and being productive in some manner, we need to have something to occupy our time so that we can be productive or achieve a goal. Some examples of productive hobbies include: A vegetable garden – It requires hard work in preparing the ground, fertilizing, planting, cultivating, harvesting, canning, etc. and your labors produce food to eat, give away, sell or all three. Another example might be restoring an antique automobile. This represents lots of work, but it is fun work as well as satisfying. When it is complete you can sell it or add it to your collection and start on another one. Another similar hobby is building an airplane in your garage. They are available in kit form or scratch-build with plans only. Even building bird-houses is something that allows you to be productive and accomplish something. Ever try writing? Maybe you could set up a website and blog. Is there an area in which you are an expert? Maybe you could write a book about your skill and pass on what you know to the next generation. Do you have handy-man skills? Put some tools together in your pickup and operate a handy-man business – just enough to stay busy. It keeps the mind occupied and thinking. It keeps your body shaped up and healthy.

Let me quote CBS Money Watch blogger, Steve Vernon who wrote, “… And actually, it seems that engagement with life is what helps prolong life. You can get engagement with life from working, but you can also get it from taking up causes, volunteering, hobbies, and contributing to your family and community. Here's the takeaway for me: Finding powerful reasons for getting up in the morning in my retirement years is as important as my financial planning.” (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505146_162-39940199/does-working-longer-increase-your-lifespan/)

5.       Fear God and read His word:

Regarding the fear of God, Proverbs 3:8 says, “It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.”  Regarding the regular reading of Scripture, Psalm 1:2-3 says, “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

6.        Minister to Others

There is nothing better than using your time and talent to serve others. The local church is a great place to find a place of ministry. Approach your pastor and ask him what you could do to help others. All across the country there are rest homes and assisted living complexes housing lonely people. These places represent opportunities to minister to others. Can you play an instrument? Many rest homes have a piano already there, waiting for someone to play it. Take a guitar and play it for them. Can you draw or paint? Take your craft to them and teach them.  Many of them don’t know the Lord and are simply waiting for someone to come and tell them the Good News.  Go and visit church members in the hospitals. Visit the shut-ins. Do something for others. There are many people out of work these days. Purchase bags of groceries and deliver them to these people. Be a blessing to someone else. Make brownies and take them to someone who’s hurting. Opportunities to minister are all around us. Look for them. Ministry to others is ministry to God.

Summary:

No matter what age you are, now is the time to get ready for the final years of life. If you are 35, out of shape, and flabby start now and get rid of unhealthy habits. Start eating right, get a nutrition book and find out what you need to be eating daily in terms of protein, carbs, and general nutritional value. Ask anyone over 60 and they will tell you it seems like just yesterday that they were in their 30s. Start walking or running. Drop those extra pounds, lose the tobacco, pills, and all the stuff that’s bad for your body. When you are 75 and still running 5K’s and all your friends are in assisted living complexes, you will be glad you took these seven points seriously.