Six Keys to Staying Young at Heart in Retirement
The legendary baseball player Satchel Paige famously asked, "How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?" Chronologically, the calendar may say we're a certain age, but how old do you feel?
Today, we're going to share some thoughts on staying young at heart no matter what the calendar says your age is.
We all know how important it is to have a hobby and stay social. You hear that in all the different retirement planning pieces that come out, but I wanted to go a little deeper today and share things that I've seen in my 25 years of practice that are working for people.
These are things that I'm seeing my clients do to keep themselves staying young, productive, happy, content, and growing in retirement.
As we start the new year, I want to thank you for being part of the Keen on Retirement community and taking the time to listen to our podcasts and read our blog posts. We are truly grateful for the opportunity to work with you and we look forward to an amazing 2017.
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Insights On Staying Young
Here are several keys to staying young in retirement. Listen to the podcast for the full list.
1. Be a mentor to young people.
Mentoring can provide a young person with a positive outlook on their life and give them direction and focus. At Keen Wealth Advisors, we have interns on staff throughout the year and it's a great opportunity to show them how the business world works and provide them with some real-world skills that will help them throughout life. I had a mentor when I was young and he helped me get my start in the financial industry. Many of our clients act as mentors and it's a wonderful experience for everyone involved.
2. Break a sweat every day.
Studies have shown that moving around and staying physically active reduces stress. It also boosts brain power, sharpens the memory and helps you sleep better. People often say they don't have time to work out, but here's what I've found. By getting my exercise done first thing in the morning, I set the stage early for a more productive and effective day and in essence gain back the time it took to do the actual exercise and then some. And as I've talked to clients who are retired, many of them do it first thing in the morning too. I also encourage you to take a look at the 7-minute workout app. You can do it at home and it only takes 7 minutes, plus, you'll work up a sweat. CLICK HERE to learn more about it.
3. Try several new things each year that get you out of your normal routines.
Stretching yourself is a great way to keep you staying young at heart. I went over a list of 12 suggestions during the podcast. Here are a few that I mentioned.
- Learn a new instrument.
- Visit local museums.
- Attend live theater.
- Become a docent.
- Learn a new language.
- Take an adult education class on a topic that's always interested you.
Trying new things and being a continuous learner can help you stay young at heart and engaged with life.
4. Have a deep-rooted belly laugh on a regular basis.
Laughter has been proven to lower blood pressure and reduce stress hormone levels. And we know how anxiety and stress impacts our bodies. It can be brutal. Laughter can also improve our cardiac health and it even works our abs! When you're laughing, the muscles in your stomach expand and contract and it stimulates what are called T cells or the specialized immune system cells. When you laugh, you activate those T cells in your body and that helps fight off sickness. Laughing releases endorphins and overall produces a general sense of well-being--which is great for staying young. And when you're going through a tough time, a little laughter might be just the medicine to help you through it.
5. Gain "practical clarity" by updating your wardrobe, cleaning out your garage, cleaning out your closet and keeping your car shined up inside and out.
Marie Kondo, author of a popular book called The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, says that by clearing out objects that weigh you down mentally and emotionally, you make space for new people, new things, and new experiences. It has a detoxifying effect. If you have't read the book, I encourage you to look it up. And let me know what changes you've made.
Bill Keen on staying young...
Retirement can open up the time to be a mentor to a young person. The ripple effects can be priceless.
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About Bill
Bill Keen is a CHARTERED RETIREMENT PLANNING COUNSELOR℠ and independent financial advisor with more than 25 years of industry experience. As the founder and CEO of Keen Wealth Advisors, a registered investment advisory firm, he specializes in providing personalized retirement planning designed to help people thrive before and during their retirement years. With a passion for educating others, Bill regularly blogs about retirement planning, hosts the podcast Keen on Retirement, and has contributed to U.S. News and World Report, Reuters, Wall Street Journal’s Market Watch, Yahoo Finance, and other publications. Based in Overland Park, Kansas, Bill and his team work with clients throughout the greater Kansas City area and across the nation. To learn more, connect with him on LinkedIn or visit www.keenwealthadvisors.com.
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