The joints stiffen, the brain gets stuck in die-hard habits, friends both old and new move away. It can be hard to maintain an active lifestyle as the years add up – by the time commitments to work and children are finally at an end, new hurdles and problems appear to take their place.
It’s not all doom and gloom, however! With age comes opportunity, and there’s plenty to be done to motivate and activate both body and soul. From sticking to a schedule both varied and fun to throwing the calendar out the window and setting out on an entirely new adventure, here are five ways to hold on to your momentum and enjoy life all the more because of it.
1. Stick to Your Socials!
Coffee in town every other Friday? Chess at the park with your old pal from work? How about a game of tennis doubles or a dinner party, all black tie? Whatever your hobbies, whatever your interests, staying social is important for both health and happiness.
Age can be isolating at times, and one of the best ways to counter that is to surround yourself with company. Find someone interesting? Be open to a new acquaintance, trade contact details and make some plans. Better yet, go digging through the old black book! Find that friend you haven’t had a natter with in years and plug in the telephone. Gossip is good for the soul, after all.
2. Grand Outings
Small town life is all well and good but new experiences and events are going on all about the country every day. Punctuate your year with a special trip or several. If you’re from further out, visit the capital and see some culture: museums, art galleries, plays on at the West End.
If you’re already an urban settler, see some green! Or better yet, some blue. The coast is beautiful even in the roughest of weathers, with wildlife not available anywhere else.
Then, of course, there’s sport. See your footie team play live, why don’t you? Grab a ticket to the next Wimbledon and ready the strawberries and cream! You don’t have to watch everything on the tele, as convenient as it can be. Ever been to the Grand National? Make it so! You can look up info and odds when at timeform.com and then see the results flash live before your eyes.
3. You Can Definitely Teach an Old Dog New Tricks
We’ve talked a little about sticking to old and current commitments but that doesn’t mean you should limit yourself, however!
If you’ve ever wanted to learn a language, get good at cards, play rounds of golf on end, now’s your time. Don’t let grey hair or a bad hip be your excuse; let it be your motivator! Embrace life to the full and engage that brain.
4. A Little Cuddle Company
So: pets. In a way, they encompass all of the above so far! They get you moving and walking at the park, meeting new people, learning how best to communicate and train.
From kittens to puppies to a baby snake, new life invigorates old, and a pet doesn’t come with quite the same responsibility as children. And, if there are children on the scene, these guys are great company! When you have a pet, you have someone to wake up for in the morning. You have somebody that’s dependent and reliant on you – and that feels good.
5. A World Awaits
There are one hundred and ninety-five countries in the world today. How many have you been to? Depending on your finances, increasing that total is as easy as pie.
In fact, even with strained finances travel isn’t totally out of the question. It might not be luxury four or five-star hotels and taxis about Paris but sometimes, that’s not the best way to get to the heart of a new place, to begin with.
If you can save up a little, or have already saved up a lot, get on a plane! Don’t let your time go to waste. It can be scary, yes, but it can be one of the best ways to be active that’s possible.
Let curiosity overtake you. Hear the stampede of Grand National horses, the rush of Niagara, the bark of a happy dog at your feet. You might be getting older but that just means you’re all the wiser!
