Keeping Active
Retirement doesn’t mean watching tv all day
Staying active once you retire is really important. It’s beneficial to both a persons mental and physical health. Learning new skill, developing a new hobby, traveling, staying physically active - all these help cognitive functions and aid in allowing a person to stay mentally active.
Since retiring in July 2022 I’ve been teaching myself photo editing software and traveling to places I’ve never been before. In the last two weeks I focused on adding physical activity to my daily routine. I’m trying my best to keep my cognitive abilities intact and mental decline at bay.
HIKING AND WALKING
A few weeks ago I went camping in western Colorado with my friend Sharon. We spent 2 days in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, then two days near the town of Ouray. We brought my dog Dexter with us on this camping trip (it was his first time sleeping in a tent!).
Dexter 15 years old and has a hard time walking. This limited our ability to hike any further than 1/4 mile while at the Black Canyon. Once we got to Ouray we met up with two friends, Adeline and Vanessa. Adeline is an avid hiker, and she invited me to hike the Chief Ouray Mine Trail with her.
Sharon and Vanessa agreed to stay at the campsite and babysit Dexter, so off I went. The town of Ouray sits at an elevation of almost 7,800 feet. The elevation of the mine is at approximately 10,000 feet. I wound up hiking 3 miles of the 4.5 mile out and back trail, faltering on the steep, narrow switchbacks. Adeline is in much better shape than me, and she would have made it up to the mine if the trail hadn’t gotten too narrow and dangerous.
When we got back home, I started planning my hiking/walking schedule. There are 27 open space parks in Jefferson County with great hiking trails within 20 miles of the house. There are also small ponds, creek side trails, and other parks that are great for walking. The weather has been perfect for outdoor activities - sunny and clear but not too warm. This past week I hiked or walked 5 days. My goal is to get out every day and do a hike or walk. Walking is a great way to exercise. A regular routine can be beneficial to a person’s health in many ways, including improving cardiovascular fitness, maintaining or reducing weight, and strengthening bones and muscles, just to name a few. Even if you’ve been sedentary for an extended period of time, you can start walking today. And if you stick to it and make it a regular routine, you will eventually see results. The Mayo Clinic website has some great information about getting started with a walking program.
THE RECREATION CENTER
I joined the city rec center last week. My main goal was to use the pool and get back into swimming. It’s recommended that people my age and older do at least 30 minutes of moderate activity every day. To get started I decided to go to an early morning stretching class. I knew this class was listed in the section of the website as the “55 and over” classes. When I got there I looked around and had the feeling that I was in a class with a bunch of old people. I see myself as having lots of energy, and most days I feel like I’m at least 20 years younger than my actual age. I remember what my mother said when she was about 78 years old and I tried to get her to go to a senior citizens center. Her comment was, “I’m not hanging around with those old fuddy duddies”. Apparently she had it in her mind that she was still young, that she was nothing like those other old people. I guess I got those “attitude” genes from her because I feel the same way. When I stood there on my mat midway through the class I just started laughing to myself and thinking, “why am I in this class with these old people?” But then as the class went on and I struggled with my balance and other stretches, I looked over at the other “fuddy duddies” who were doing the different motions just fine.
Why do we perceive ourselves as younger than we actually are? Apparently this phenomenon is quite common. Our “chronological age” is the actual number of years we have been alive. But once we reach our 25th birthday, we begin thinking of ourselves in terms of “subjective age”, which can be about 20% younger than we actually are. So what causes this feeling? Scientists found that people who stated their subjective age lower than their chronological age scored better on memory tests, reported less depression, and had more grey matter in key spots of the brain. This means that in some people the body ages faster than the brain does And it’s not only people in good shape that feel younger than they actually are. Even those in poor health put their subjective age lower than their actual age. 1
I’m sure I will keep thinking (and acting) younger than my actual age. I’ve established a routine to exercise every day, whether I hike in one of those 27 parks or ride my peloton bike in the house. As long as I make an effort to stay active I will continue thinking I’m a kid who can do anything.
Why Our Minds Never Catch Up With Our Bodies, Robert Roy Britt, April 19, 2021, https://elemental.medium.com/why-our-minds-never-catch-up-with-our-bodies-81a06bdf2abe