Staying Active in Retirement
Michael Jordan is notoriously competitive.
In his fifteen-year NBA career, along with his brief sojourn into minor league baseball, Jordan gained a reputation as one of the most competitive people of all time. Whether it was a perceived slight from an opponent, the pursuit of his first NBA championship, or a game of quarters with his body guards, he always found a way to motivate himself to be better and work harder.
In retirement, Jordan had to find new outlets for this competitiveness. Notably, as he approached his fiftieth birthday, Jordan set a fitness goal to return to his playing weight—218 pounds. No longer competing against other NBA superstars, Jordan’s competition with his younger self motivated him to get in better shape.
Although few of us are professional athletes, we all go through a similar process. We generally understand that remaining physically active as we age can help improve our health, mobility, and quality of life, but each of us needs find something that motivates us to get off the couch and get moving. Tapping into this motivation is key to maintaining consistent physical activity during retirement.
You’re likely familiar with some of the most common retirement pastimes, such as golf and tennis, but here are a few other activities that might spark your interest and get you excited about being active.
Disc Golf
An alternative to traditional golf, disc golf is a game in which players attempt to throw specially designed frisbees into a target (called a basket) in as few throws as possible. Disc golf involves a similar level of fun, socializing, and physical activity to golf, but without the high price tag.
Where golf clubs cost hundreds of dollars, a starter set of discs costs around $50. Additionally, disc golf courses are often free, so you can play without worrying about the cost of green fees.
More and more disc golf courses are popping up in cities and towns across North America, so keep an eye out and if you’re interested give disc golf a try.
Pickleball
Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in North America, particularly amongst retirees.
Pickleball is best described as a mix of tennis, racquetball, and ping pong. Although played using a tennis net, pickleball differs from tennis in various ways. The court is smaller, the ball is plastic, and the players use paddles rather than racquets. Played in both singles and doubles, pickleball is accessible for players of all skill and fitness levels and is a great way to blend physical activity and socializing.
Like disc golf, pickleball is affordable. You can get equipped with a beginner paddle and balls for under $50 and access to municipal courts is often free.
CrossFit
If you’ve heard of CrossFit or watched even a few minutes of a CrossFit competition, you may be surprised I’m including it on this list. But, give me a chance to explain. For retirees that want to continue to go to the gym, be part of a fitness community, and get the satisfaction of seeing improvement over time, CrossFIt might be an intriguing option.
CrossFit is a fitness network where each member completes a standard daily workout, which changes every day. The beauty of CrossFit is that each exercise can be modified or adjusted to your personal fitness level and goals.
If you’re someone motivated by competition, CrossFit might be a good fit. Many CrossFit gyms keep a scoreboard or tally of people’s performances, so you can chart your progress over time or compete with fellow gym members. Memberships at these gyms is often pricey, but if you enjoy the workouts and environment the cost may be worth it.
Yoga
Yoga is a practice that combines physical poses that stretch and strengthen the body with deep breathing. Although perhaps not as strenuous as many other forms of physical activity, it can be immensely beneficial.
As Dr. Mark Hyman points outs, “slow and mindful practices like yoga and tai chi, additionally benefit our body through decreases in blood pressure, body mass index, and even cholesterol. Science is also showing additional physical benefits from movement, ranging from supporting brain health and cognition to balancing our stress response signals.”
Over the last few decades yoga has become a worldwide phenomenon and there are either in-person or online classes at your disposal wherever you are. If you are looking for something more intense, try hot yoga, where the studio is heated to above 30°C.
These are just suggestions. There are of course hundreds of other activities you could participate in during retirement to stay active.
You may be asking how much activity is enough? It’s a good question.
Health Canada recommends that older adults try to get two and a half hours of moderate to strenuous aerobic activity weekly, while including some sort of muscle strengthening activity twice a week.
If reaching these goals seems impossible, don’t worry, it’s a process. Start slow and try to build up your physical activity level progressively over time. If you’re surpassing these goals already, great! Keep enjoying the flexibility and fitness opportunities retirement offers.
As Michael Jordan has shown us many times, retirement is not the end. It simply presents new opportunities and challenges. Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter what you do for exercise during retirement as long as you find activities that motivate you to get up and get moving.
Maintaining physical health is important throughout retirement. But many Canadian retirees are concerned about their financial health and the tax bill they might leave for their kids. If you’re looking to reduce your lifetime tax bill in retirement, I invite you to check out my workshop by clicking the link below!