Retirement isn’t simply a matter of financial planning important as that is. But you also want to be fit and healthy especially when you make the mental and physical adjustment from a structured working life to the potentially unstructured retired life. Retirement Planning is as important as your present daily life!
The Absolute Basic - Finance
You need to know what you have to live on. You may need to reduce your spending on ‘luxury’ items. There may be pensions and investments that you have forgotten about – track them down, check any state pensions, consider downsizing your house to realise capital. You might be pleasantly surprised about how much money you have but don’t get carried away rushing into expensive activities!
Cut Down Gradually
One way to make sure the transition is smoother and less of an upheaval is to consider retiring in stages. Start several years before your planned retirement date by cutting down to 4 ½ days a week and a week’s extra holiday. Continue in this way, delegating responsibilities (mentoring a junior colleague is useful for this). Obviously consulting with your employer and HR is critical to follow this strategy and presenting it as a development opportunity for a rising star is a sound approach.
It Won’t Be a Smooth Road
Unfortunately, even with the best planning there will be times when things don’t go as planned. You may find it difficult to mentally adjust to the lack of status and structure or you may be missing your colleagues and work relationships such reactions and emotions are quite normal. Unexpected ill health or changes in the dynamics of your relationships may temporarily disrupt your plans. Be prepared for this and don’t hesitate to share your worries with those close to you. It’s not to get sympathy but to articulate the situation and explain changes in your mood or behaviour.
You Now Have that Free Time
Remember the times you said to yourself “I wish I had the time to improve my french, read that book, learn the piano etc”? Well now you have the time. Your brain needs the intellectual stimulation you used to get from work, your brain is plastic and you are never too old to learn something new.
Eat Better
You may have been guilty of snacking or eating fast food at work or eating irregularly, whatever it was your waistline may show it! Retirement is the ideal time for a new and healthy eating regime. It’s also the time to improve your cooking, or even start cooking. You have time to experiment and explore different styles and new ingredients. But remember, if the kitchen wasn’t your domain when you were employed, don’t go barging in and upsetting the system. Negotiate and compromise.
Time for a New Routine
When you were working, your daily timetable was probably dictated by travel and office hours. Now you can readjust your day around relaxed mealtimes, exercise, voluntary work, meeting up with friends and family, having coffee with people.
Keep Physically Active
Fresh air and exercise are an instant mood booster and essential for maintaining your wellbeing. It is recommended that everyone needs at least 2 ½ hours a week of moderate exercise. If you don’t, or haven’t exercised recently, start gradually, and build up your routine. Too much exercise, too quickly will inevitably lead to pulled muscles etc. and put you right off exercise. You’ll feel and look better with a gentle start. If you need motivation, there may well be a fund-raising event locally involving walking, cycling or running that can give you the drive to get fit. Investigating a personal trainer my appeal and encourage you work at fitness. For many people, work can form a big part of their social life and it’s common to feel at a bit of a loose end once you retire. Consider joining activities like walking groups. They are usually graded so you can choose where to start.
Go for a Health Check
Prevention is better than cure, and now is the perfect time to get your midlife MOT.
Keep Up the Networking
Retiring doesn’t mean losing the friendships you had at work. Make sure you have regular catchups to keep up with developments in your industry as well as to exchange news. There will be people you haven’t seen for a while and now is a good time to repair fences and rebuild bridges.
Time for Payback
There are plenty of charities that would welcome a helping hand with fund-raising and at different types of events. Local charities are always short of volunteers and your professional experience may be just what they are looking for.
Get a New Pet
Could you give new start to a rescue cat or dog in need of a new home? There is plenty of evidence that a furry pet has a positive effect on our health and wellbeing. Allen R. McConnell, a professor of psychology at Miami University, people with pets are generally happier, more trusting, and less lonely and visit the doctor less often for minor problems. There are local animal rescue centres, and national bodies like he RSPCA or Dogs Trust. You might be interested in volunteering to walk or foster an elderly person’s dog or offer short term holidays it pets when their owners go on a holiday. If you don’t have experience of puppies, Dogs Trust always has older dogs looking for a forever home.
Don’t Just Sit in Front of the TV
We are all guilty of being in a routine or we get ourselves stuck in a rut, both health-wise and in general, and doing something different can liven us up and make that necessary change. Recognise your self-imposed limits and push yourself out of your ‘comfort zone’. You will surprise yourself with what you are capable of.
Take up a New Project
As a final thought, get round to those projects you meant to do but never quite managed to. Don’t make an exhaustive list otherwise you will intimidate yourself and not do anything. Begin with a small task which will give you satisfaction when finished. A word of warning: Don’t take on a new DIY project that you don’t have the necessary skills for.
