One thing that about retirement, you have plenty of time. Time to read the books you always meant to get to, time to take up the hobby you always wanted to try, and time to improve your health.
One thing about retirement and aging, health becomes very important. Eating right, exercising and proper rest are important in maintaining a healthy lifestyle so you can enjoy retirement. Retirement is no fun if you are aching and unable to get around because of health problems.
Because your time is your own, you can schedule your day more affectively to integrate healthy habits that will make retirement so much more pleasant.
I subscribe to the Circadian Rhythm Method of managing my health. Circadian Rhythm is a natural cycle in the body of all animals that regulates It consists of three cycles, Appropriation (eating), Assimilation (extraction of nutrients), and Elimination (passing waste). These are biological processes that occur at regular intervals in a 2 hour period and are affected by light, sleep, exercise and rest.
Basically, I follow a schedule roughly like this:
6 AM-Wake and do some exercise
6:30 to 7:30 AM-Breakfast, protein and/or fruit
11:45 AM-fruit
12 Noon-Lunch-Salad
5:45 PM-Fruit
6 to 7:00 PM-Dinner, protein, green leafy vegitables, carbohydrates
10:00 PM Bed
Notice that you minimize carbohydrates and eat no carbohydrates until after noon.
In addition, I take a multi-vitamin and 400 milligrams of Fish Oil, drown everything in olive oil, and drink no soft drinks or artificial sweeteners. You want to stay away from fast foods mainly because they are nutritionally barren.
It is important to establish a routine similar to this because the body adjusts itself continuously and it wants intake of nutrients around the times listed. Do not eat anything after 8:00 PM, as the body is processing what you have eaten during the day and more food throws the cycle off. Get outside and get some sun for at least an hour during the day, say during a walk around the neighborhood. Most important, go to bed at the same time every night if at all possible, the body needs 8 hours of sleep but try not to go longer at a time, the body needs routine to function at peak efficiency.
Exercise is also important to good health. Personally, I am lazy and don't do enough. At minimum, I try to take a walk in the neighborhood for about 45 minutes every day and I lift free weights 3 times a week. You don't need a gym membership, steroids, or every piece of exercise equipment on tv. Your biggest expense is a pair of tennis shoes. Remember, this is a minimum. If you want to run, run. If you want to belong to a gym, spend your money, but make sure you do the minimum if you don't do anything else.
Finally, this is not about loosing weight, getting 6 pack abs, or running a marathon. It is about getting back to a natural rhythm of living in your body and getting enough stamina and physical ability to enjoy your retirement, not just exist till it is over. Bottom line, you cannot be a couch potato and eat Big Macs and expect to have an enjoyable retirement. Take care of yourself.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Setting Sail
One thing I want to mention, if you are going to be retired, you need to start keeping a "Commonplace Book". As you know, it is important for Seniors to keep their minds sharp, and you don't want to forget important things. One thing that will help is a journal.
This is not your sister's "Dear Diary". You aren't recording your dreams about the boy in the next row in Algebra. A "Commonplace Book" is a journal in the sense that it is a database of information that you want to remember or keep track of. It works for anyone, regardless of their level of computer literacy and requires very little to maintain and operate.
Basically, you buy a small notebook that is easy for you to carry around with you and a pen to use with it (pencils are ok also), and you are ready to go.
What goes in it? In a word, anything you might want to remember. This would include: thoughts, quotes, ideas, questions to ponder, dates to remember, people's names, expenses, sketches, recipes, phone numbers, whatever, in no particular order. When you want to know something, you just skim through until you find your note. You date the first page when you start, and the last page when you fill one up. Then you buy a new one. Richard Branson, the CEO of Virgin Atlantic, uses notebooks and a cell phone in lieu of a laptop because he cannot operate a computer. He has filled 54 8-1/2 X 11 black notebooks which he keeps on his shelf for reference and carries one with him wherever he goes. You should also.
The Commonplace Book is a tradition that goes back to the Middle Ages. It used to be taught and required in all the European universities. Other notable people who kept Commonplace Books are: Thomas Jefferson, Mark Twain, Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, John Milton, Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, and Vincent Van Gogh.
You can spend any amount of money you want, (especially if you go with the classic Moleskine, which are nice but a little expensive). I find that the little 3 pack of pocket notebooks they sell at Target for $2.99 are fine. The key is to get something you will be willing to carry with you everywhere. I also recommend a gel pen because they make a print that is a little easier to read. the trendy people have to have a Muji from Japan, but a Pilot or Bic works just fine.
The key take-away from this is, writing things down helps you improve your memory and you have a database to draw upon when necessary if you need a little hint sometimes about what you were trying to remember. Also, this helps improve your eye for detail and it is not dependent upon a computer if you are a person who has some issues with the technical aspects of modern life.
You can find Moleskine notebooks at Books-A-Million or on-line: http://www.moleskineus.com/
Muji pens and notebooks, on line only: http://www.muji.us/store/stationery.html
Target and Staples offer good, inexpensive pocket notebooks also
good luck, and happy writing!
This is not your sister's "Dear Diary". You aren't recording your dreams about the boy in the next row in Algebra. A "Commonplace Book" is a journal in the sense that it is a database of information that you want to remember or keep track of. It works for anyone, regardless of their level of computer literacy and requires very little to maintain and operate.
Basically, you buy a small notebook that is easy for you to carry around with you and a pen to use with it (pencils are ok also), and you are ready to go.
What goes in it? In a word, anything you might want to remember. This would include: thoughts, quotes, ideas, questions to ponder, dates to remember, people's names, expenses, sketches, recipes, phone numbers, whatever, in no particular order. When you want to know something, you just skim through until you find your note. You date the first page when you start, and the last page when you fill one up. Then you buy a new one. Richard Branson, the CEO of Virgin Atlantic, uses notebooks and a cell phone in lieu of a laptop because he cannot operate a computer. He has filled 54 8-1/2 X 11 black notebooks which he keeps on his shelf for reference and carries one with him wherever he goes. You should also.
The Commonplace Book is a tradition that goes back to the Middle Ages. It used to be taught and required in all the European universities. Other notable people who kept Commonplace Books are: Thomas Jefferson, Mark Twain, Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, John Milton, Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, and Vincent Van Gogh.
You can spend any amount of money you want, (especially if you go with the classic Moleskine, which are nice but a little expensive). I find that the little 3 pack of pocket notebooks they sell at Target for $2.99 are fine. The key is to get something you will be willing to carry with you everywhere. I also recommend a gel pen because they make a print that is a little easier to read. the trendy people have to have a Muji from Japan, but a Pilot or Bic works just fine.
The key take-away from this is, writing things down helps you improve your memory and you have a database to draw upon when necessary if you need a little hint sometimes about what you were trying to remember. Also, this helps improve your eye for detail and it is not dependent upon a computer if you are a person who has some issues with the technical aspects of modern life.
You can find Moleskine notebooks at Books-A-Million or on-line: http://www.moleskineus.com/
Muji pens and notebooks, on line only: http://www.muji.us/store/stationery.html
Target and Staples offer good, inexpensive pocket notebooks also
good luck, and happy writing!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Maiden Voyage
Good Morning!
welcome to the Maiden Voyage of the USS 21st Century Retirement Blog.
On this blog I will be charting my adventures in the wonderful world of retirement, 21st Century style.
Post Economic Meltdown, Retirement in America has changed radically.
To begin with, you may not get to choose the time of your retirement. I was fired at age 55 from my job in Corporate America. I am ten years too young to draw my Pension, Social Security, or 401k money (well, not exactly, more on 401k's later).
One of the biggest challenges retirees face is what to do about healthcare.
There is also the issue of what to do with all your time?
There is the "Baby Boomer Factor", wherein people of my generation have a reputation for reshaping every cultural and social institution in which they come into contact.
Finally, there is the 2008 Economic Meltdown and the ways in which it has both temporarily and permanently changed the face of American Society as a whole
Over my subsequent blog posts, I will attempt to deal with many of these issues as I tread cautiously down the path of 21st Century Retirement.
I invite you to join me.
welcome to the Maiden Voyage of the USS 21st Century Retirement Blog.
On this blog I will be charting my adventures in the wonderful world of retirement, 21st Century style.
Post Economic Meltdown, Retirement in America has changed radically.
To begin with, you may not get to choose the time of your retirement. I was fired at age 55 from my job in Corporate America. I am ten years too young to draw my Pension, Social Security, or 401k money (well, not exactly, more on 401k's later).
One of the biggest challenges retirees face is what to do about healthcare.
There is also the issue of what to do with all your time?
There is the "Baby Boomer Factor", wherein people of my generation have a reputation for reshaping every cultural and social institution in which they come into contact.
Finally, there is the 2008 Economic Meltdown and the ways in which it has both temporarily and permanently changed the face of American Society as a whole
Over my subsequent blog posts, I will attempt to deal with many of these issues as I tread cautiously down the path of 21st Century Retirement.
I invite you to join me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)