Six Tips to Keep on Living Your Best Life After Retirement
You’ve probably been on social media and come across the phrase, “live your best life.” You stop mid-scroll because you’re wondering to yourself, “What does that even mean?”
First, you can thank Oprah for the phrase, which she coined way back in 2005. Second, if you’re searching for suggestions on how to live your best life, especially if you’re retired and considering a move to a senior living community, Oprah would say it has nothing to do with how much wealth or status you have.
Instead, it’s about discovering and honing your passions and sense of purpose, and caring for your overall emotional, physical and mental health so you can enjoy clarity, balance, and a richer quality of life.
That’s the definition — as for tips on how to live your best life at an independent living community, let’s turn from Oprah to these experts: Rolling Green Village residents. Here’s an aggregation of their advice that we’ve turned into six tips on how to live your best life. This insight is from active older adults just like you who, not so long ago, were also trying to find their best lives as new senior residents moving into their new retirement senior living community.
Tip #1: If you’re not used to regular exercise, get moving. If you’re not used to staying physically active, a senior living community is the perfect setting in which to focus on your physical health and increase your energy level. A sedentary lifestyle doubles your risks of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, depression and anxiety. The best way to reduce your risk is to increase your amount of physical activity. Senior living communities offer wellness centers with certified instructors, senior-specific exercise equipment and fitness classes. Some retirement communities, like Rolling Green Village, even have a heated saltwater pool and aquatics classes.
Tip #2: Find something that interests you and give it a try. It sounds so simple, but it’s true. If you’ve always been interested in something, there’s no better time than now to try it. Don’t believe that old saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Research has debunked that myth. Learning new things in your so-called golden years can actually make your brain seem decades younger, ward off dementia, and increase your cognitive abilities.
If there are already activities you enjoy, a retirement community is a great place to find people who share your interests. Many senior living communities offer monthly calendars of events and activities, and have dedicated common spaces where residents can explore and share their interests with other residents.
Tip #3: Nourish your spiritual health. Good spiritual health simply means you have a sense of purpose and peace. And researchers say having something called “positive spirituality” can help aging adults stay emotionally healthy and better cope with some aspects of getting older.
Tip #4: Keep your brain engaged. Harvard Health lists a number of ways to maintain good mental health and keep your brain young. Right at the top of the list is “get mental stimulation.” Some of the best ways to stimulate your brain are learning new things — see tip #2 — but also making sure you get enough quality sleep, eat well, and stay socially connected.
Tip # 5: Feel good by doing good. Volunteering has been linked to better emotional health, improved quality of life, and increased physical activity. It also helps older adults stay connected (and social isolation is nearly as detrimental for older adults as being physically inactive).
Tip #6: It’s never too late to change your life for the better. Many active seniors choose Life Plan Communities because they want to age positively. They want to achieve and maintain good physical, emotional and mental health. They want to stay connected to other people, feel good about each day, and have a sense of purpose. And they want to live happier and healthier for longer.
In short, they want to live their best lives.
You can discover how to live your best life, too. To get started, learn more about independent living at Rolling Green Village. Then contact us, or RSVP for our upcoming special event, “How to Add More Life to Your Lifestyle” with clean comedian and motivational speaker Larry Weaver.
One more tip: Take full advantage of all the offers. Like this one at Rolling Green Village, where you can get $10,000 off entrance fees for select apartment homes.