Retirement used to be the cue to close the curtains on life as you knew it; nowadays retirement is largely embraced as a time for personal growth through new opportunities.
But the ability to open your mind to exciting new interests depends as much on your personal well-being as much as the genes bestowed upon you by your parents.
‘Glass half full’ people with their positive spin on life’s twists and turns may have a head start over those with a negative ‘Glass half empty’ disposition, but it’s not too late to take a new ‘Why not?’ approach to the best years ahead.
And what better way to begin achieving a happier, more rewarding retirement than with a focus on the widely acknowledged three best self-help keys – diet, exercise and attitude.
Diet
“The number one goal for a long, healthy, rewarding life is being at a healthy weight. Diet is ninety percent of that,” says Real Nutrition’s Jacquie Dale.
Good nutrition from childhood lays the foundation for lifetime good health, but from the age of 60 it is especially important because a poorly maintained body may be less able to absorb all the nutrients from food, she explains.
Among Jacquie’s elderly clientele are men and women who will almost certainly have been under-eating, rather than over-eating during their life.
“If they’re missing out on all the vitamins and minerals the body needs to maintain and renew itself, they may need nutritional supplements to help while they readjust their eating patterns.”
Good nutrition begins, she says, with a balance of ‘pure’ food; good protein sources (chicken, fish, red meat and legumes), vegetables of all colours for disease-fighting anti-oxidants, and complex carbohydrates such as grainy breads and brown rice rather than the refined carbohydrates found in cakes and white breads.
Moderate your alcohol intake and aim to give up smoking. Put the money you’ll save towards a new hobby, a holiday or an exercise class.
Exercise
“People of all ages don’t understand what exercise really means,” says Jacquie. “Fitness for life is ‘functional fitness’ – being able to get out of the car easily, getting up out of a chair without leaning on the arms, or being able to carry shopping bags up the stairs.”
These everyday activities are actually weight-resistance exercises that keep your muscles toned. This, in turn, supports your joints, stops your bone density depleting further which, in turn, keeps you physically balanced and less likely to suffer falls.
“That’s what ageing healthily is all about,” says Jacquie. “Weight resistance exercise is not hard ‘huff puff’ exercise and it’s never too late for anyone to take up resistance training that builds muscle. The results are immediate and it plays a role cosmetically as well. How toned you are has a big bearing on how well you feel.”
Whether your preference is for yoga, walking or pulling weeds, it’s important that you do it regularly. Experts suggest 30 minutes a day, three to five times a week.
Regular exercise reduces obesity and lowers the risks of the major lifestyle diseases of heart disease, strokes and even dementia and is believed to help build new brain cells that improve memory.
Attitude
Whether it’s learning French or ballroom dancing or doing crosswords, there are endless choices for every age and ability.
“It’s about not giving up. It’s about having a relaxed attitude to life and managing,” says Jacquie.
The Neurological Foundation’s ‘Ten Tips for Living Longer’ list says: “Several studies have older adults who regularly participate in cognitively stimulating activities and who appear to have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.”
Age Concern lists adaptability, having a sense of pride, keeping your sense of humour and maintaining social relationships as factors in ageing positively.
Importantly, knowing that depression is not an inevitable part of growing old can be a big step forward. Chronic ill-health, loss or trauma can cause depression.
Useful links
Neurological Foundation www.neurological.org.nz
Real Nutrition www.realnutrition.co.nz
Age Concern www.ageconcern.co.nz