Cross “get fit” off your bucket list.
You’ve worked hard all your life, followed a financial plan to put money aside and grow it to build your life in order to be able to retire. But do you have a plan in place to have the health and vitality to enjoy that wealth? In addition to your financial plan, it’s time to put together a retirement fitness plan.
Even if you’re still working toward retirement, it’s important to have a fitness plan in place to improve and maintain your health so you can get maximum enjoyment from your retirement. You want to make sure you have the strength, energy, and agility to do all the things you want to in life.
Whether you plan to travel across the country or to other countries for sightseeing adventures or spend more time with the grandkids, complete your bucket list with confidence. Take a look at the main qualities you can improve by developing and sticking to a retirement fitness plan customized to fit your individual needs.
Strength
Don’t settle for being frail and feeble as you age. If you want to be able to pick up and play with your grandkids, keep up with the activities and sports you enjoy, travel the world, or work in your garden, it’s important that you maintain or even improve your strength into your retirement.
If you’re already in a fitness routine and maintaining weight successfully, consider a monthly challenge to increase your strength in small increments. Think you’re too old to challenge yourself? Check out this 67-year-old’s fitness success story.
Don’t ignore your core if you hope to stay fit in your retirement years. Your core strength is the key to stability, flexibility, and balance.
Balance
Falls and trips can result in some of the most debilitating injuries that often occur later in life, especially when you’re spending a week at the ski lodge or touring Alaska; you never know when you’ll fall victim to that black ice. Creating a retirement fitness plan that includes simple weight shifting exercises is a great place to start when you’re looking to improve coordination and balance.
If you’ve experienced a debilitating fall recently, support from a personal trainer can assist you with recovery and even suggest exercises to improve your balance and help prevent future falls.
Flexibility
Now that your schedule during retirement can be more flexible, so can you.
Did you know gardening is not just a rewarding hobby in retirement? It’s a bona fide exercise that can enhance and maintain hand strength, upper body strength, and flexibility. The pushing, tugging, raking, and bending keep your body in motion, all while offering a rewarding experience.
Yoga is another way to maintain and improve your flexibility throughout your retirement. And it serves as an excellent form of stress relief. AARP offers these 10 easy yoga poses to start flexibility improvement in your daily routine, or you can sign up for a local class.
Endurance
As you age, you may notice a change in your endurance. It may be challenging just to climb a flight of stairs these days. This is most likely because your body can’t use oxygen as efficiently. If you plan to go sightseeing or take your grandkids to Disneyworld, walking long distances is unavoidable. Boosting your endurance will help you better enjoy making memories that will last a lifetime.
Your retirement fitness plan doesn’t have to be restricted to indoor exercises. Lower impact sports, like rowing, help preserve your endurance and aren’t as hard on your body. Taking kayaking adventures also gives you time to enjoy the outdoors, so why not add some stunning sights to your routine?
Nutrition
It’s important to add a nutrition component to your fitness plan because as your body changes, your nutritional needs will change as you age, as well. It doesn’t mean you need to give up great meals or wonderful tastes. Just ask a certified nutritionist!
For instance, smoothies make for a nutritious and tasty breakfast. Use the fruits and vegetables you’ve grown yourself (while benefiting from the exercise) or fresh local product whenever available to avoid preservatives and support local growers. Be sure to rinse all produce thoroughly and blend in some leafy greens, like spinach or kale—just enough to get their antioxidant benefits without overpowering that delicious fruity taste.
Choose foods fortified with vitamin B12 to avoid anemia and prevent feeling tired and weak. B12 is integral for bone health and nerve/artery function and B12 deficiencies become more common as we age.
As you age, it’s not uncommon for your sense of taste to decline. Instead of reaching for the salt, consider seasoning your foods with herbs and spices to avoid the risk and dangers of high blood pressure.
Contact the professionals at Cause and Effects Fitness for a free consultation today to learn more about how you can develop and implement a retirement fitness plan customized to fit your specific needs.
*We encourage you to visit your physician before beginning any new exercise routine or changes in diet.