The message is to approach retirement with a positive attitude.

4 things that really matter

1ADAPTING TO CHANGE 2MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR TIME 3LEARNING TO RELAX 4KEEPING HEALTHY

Whilst many people look forward to their retirement with eager anticipation, others dread the prospect. The main reason why some people fear retirement is because they have made no plans or preparation for what after all should be the most interesting and exciting phase of their lives.

The retirement age in the United Kingdom is traditionally 65 for men and 60 for women to coincide with their entitlement to receive a state pension, although this will be equalised to 65 for both sexes in 2020. However, an increasing number of people are opting to retire earlier, either through personal choice or their employer‘s policy.

Retirement will mean many changes to your lifestyle. It is important to recognise and adapt to these changes as quickly as possible to avoid the possibility of stress. You will have much more time on your hands and it is vital to use this time to enjoy your retirement. As we get older we tend to worry more about our health, so it is important to maintain as healthy a lifestyle as possible.

1 ADAPTING TO CHANGE

Regardless of the age at which you retire, it will result in a number of changes to your life. Here are some of the main changes together with suggestions on how to adapt.

• If you are married, you and your partner will spend much more time together, which can prove stressful. Agree to share the household chores; choose separate activities so that you spend time apart and have more to talk about.
• Feeling lonely. Single people often dread the thought of having to spend more time on their own. There are many clubs and societies which people can join to meet others with similar interests. Most libraries have details of these organisations.
• You will no longer have set routines such as getting up at specific times, travelling to work and taking lunch at times determined by your employer. If you miss such routines, set some for yourself. Walk to the newsagent each morning to buy your newspaper; undertake activities such as shopping, exercising and housework at pre-planned times each day or week.
• Loss of stimulation. Keep your mind active by reading, doing crosswords and making the effort to meet and talk with other people.
• Feeling not needed any more. Unfortunately many people believe that once they have retired they can no longer contribute anything to society. This is far from the case. There are many opportunities for such people to use their skills and experience for the benefit of others, voluntary work being the most obvious.

Being retired means that you can be more flexible. No longer will you have to confine your gardening, decorating or shopping to weekends or evenings. You can take your holidays when you wish, not when your employer says you can.

Within reason you can now do what you like when you like.

2 MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR TIME

Although some people have planned how they will spend their retirement almost to the minute, the majority have little idea how they will fill their time beyond decorating the house, keeping the garden tidy and perhaps taking a holiday. As a result such people quickly become bored, which can also lead to stress.

There is now no excuse for letting this new-found free time simply slip by. There are more opportunities to enjoy this time and have a fulfilled life than ever before. So let‘s look at some of these options and, if you have not already decided what to do, it will give you some ideas to explore.

Working

There are several reasons to keep working after you have retired. This is the chance to

• try something new
• keep your mind and body active
• give something back to the community
• or perhaps the extra income will be useful.

If you are unsure as to the type of work that would suit you, do a SWOT analysis on yourself. This is a technique used by many companies to determine their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. First list all your strengths: all your skills such as driving, speaking a foreign language, keyboard skills, playing the piano and so on. Then write down your weaknesses: this is more difficult so be honest. Your list might include such things as lack of computer skills, selling, unable to drive etc. Next come opportunities: look at the local papers for jobs where your strengths could be used and your weaknesses would have no effect. Finally consider any threats such as age, physical disabilities, travelling and hours to be worked. When you have located suitable employment, it is very important that you must want to do it and enjoy it – after all, it is your choice.

• Full- and part-time employment. Opportunities include shop assistants, van driving, clerical work, delivering directories, mail shots and newspapers, delivering and collecting for mail order companies and local tourist guides. SAGA and Eurocamp often have requirements for mature couriers and holiday reps.
• Homeworking. Several companies offer work that people can do in their own homes. The type of work is quite varied, such as light assembly work, clerical, mailing, craftwork and market research. Details of agencies handling this work can often be found in newsagents’ windows. However, be warned, the money offered is usually quite low.
• Self-employed. This is the chance to earn from your interest and hobbies. If you have skills such as woodworking, toy-making, needlecraft, picture framing or any other craft, you may wish to sell the items you make. This can best be done through mail order, car boot sales and small craft fairs. Or you may possess knowledge and skills which you can offer to companies on a freelance, consultancy basis. Many retired people have established very successful businesses by identifying a niche market for their skills such as local tourist guides, stylish clothes for the older person and alternative health clinics. If you decide to set up a business there are a few points to consider:
  • You may have to pay tax on your income.
  • Don‘t invest large sums of money on equipment or premises until you are certain that the business will be successful.
  • Do enough people want your particular skill or what you produce?
  • Take advice from your local Training and Enterprise Council; many run courses in starting up a business.
• Voluntary work. Volunteers are always needed and welcomed by a wide variety of charities and organisations.
  • Charities: fundraisers, organisers, shop assistants, drivers, collectors.
  • National Trust and English Heritage: guides and helpers.
  • Nature reserves: guides and helpers.
  • Political parties: all types of help.
  • Hospitals: driving patients to and from hospital.
  • Primary schools: teacher assistants, particularly for reading.
  • Youth work: scouts, guides and youth clubs usually welcome outside help. Voluntary work can be very rewarding but beware of becoming ‘too willing a horse’ or you will find that you have no time for anything else.

Leisure activities

You may already have a number of hobbies to which you can now devote more of your time. On the other hand this is your chance to try those things that you have always wanted to do but have never had the time. There are literally hundreds of different activities available so let‘s look at some of them.

• Gardening – start planning for the time when you may not be as active as you are now by building raised flower beds, planting easily maintained shrubs and bushes, making paths and patios.
• DIY – build those long-wanted shelves, decorate inside and out, replace the guttering.
• Music – learn to play an instrument, join a local choral society.
• Dancing – old time, ballroom, line dancing, salsa, English, Irish and Scottish folk dancing. Most of these are available locally.
• Drama – strut your stuff on stage or help behind the scenes at your local amateur dramatic or operatic society.
• Reading – catch up on all those books you have wanted to read.
• Writing – try writing short stories, poems, articles of local interest, you might get them published. Keep a detailed diary.
• Crafts – painting, pottery, needlework, weaving, photography, model making, woodwork.
• Genealogy – trace your family history.
• Travel – this is the chance to visit all those places you have been meaning to go to, within your financial means, now you don‘t have to travel during peak times. If you are single, Travel Companions (see Useful Addresses) can arrange for you to take holidays with a suitable companion.
• Sport – there are many sports suitable for older people even if you have not tried them before such as:
  • bowls: with the introduction of indoor rinks, this can be played all year round
  • golf: good exercise and you do not have to be a good player to enjoy it
  • badminton: a sociable game played at all levels
  • tennis: similar benefits to badminton
  • archery: you do not need to be particularly fit to enjoy it
  • snooker: although the professionals are getting younger, it is still an enjoyable game for the older person
  • coaching: if you have played soccer, rugby, cricket or other such team sports, local clubs welcome coaches for their younger players. Other sporting activities are included in the section below on keeping healthy. Even though you may feel fit, it is not wise to take up a strenuous sport such as squash at a late age.

Other activities

• House-sitting – looking after a family‘s home while they are away. This gives you the chance to stay in other parts of the country and receive a small payment.
• Pet care – The Cinnamon Trust (see Useful Addresses) seeks people to look after other people‘s pets while they are on holiday.
• The Dark Horse Venture offers you the chance to discover your hidden talents and try new challenges.

Increasing your knowledge

It is never too late to learn. There is an ever-increasing opportunity for retired people to learn new skills.

Adult Education. Most local authorities run classes in a wide range of subjects from computer appreciation, conversational French, GCSE and A level subjects and local history to cake decorating, water colour painting and feng shui. Many classes are held during the daytime and details will be available from your local library.

Open University. Why not study at home for a degree in a subject which interests you?

Open College of Arts offers home-based courses in subjects such as sculpture, garden design, textiles and creative writing.

The University of the Third Age provides educational and leisure activities for older people at their local branches.

Correspondence courses are available in a range of subjects such as writing, proof-reading and alternative therapies and are usually advertised in newspapers.

Here are a few more activities which you may like to pursue:

• The Ugly Model Agency needs people to model clothes for the older person for magazines and catalogues.
• The Cinnamon Trust requires people to foster pets whilst their owners are in hospital or on holiday.
• The Oral History Society wants people to record the memories of older people for school projects and historical research.
• Travel Companions offers a travel companion matching service for people up to the age of 75.
• The Dark Horse Venture invites retired people to discover their hidden talents.
• The Running Sixties welcomes people over 60 to start running and you don‘t have to be ultra-fit or a regular runner to join.

3 LEARNING TO RELAX

We live in a world of ever-increasing pressures which affect all of us, even in retirement. It is therefore important that we learn to relax. This may seem obvious, but do we take time to really relax and do we know how to?

Several simple exercises which you can practise will help you to overcome the everyday tensions and stresses.

Deep breathing

• Make yourself comfortable either sitting, standing or lying down.
• Keep your back straight.
• Breathe in slowly through your nose.
• Hold your breath for five seconds.
• Breathe out slowly through your mouth.
• Repeat this two or three times.

Relaxing your body

• Sit comfortably in a chair.
• Begin by deep breathing.
• Turn your thoughts to each part of your body in turn.
• Starting with your left foot, relax it until it feels heavy, then your right foot.
• Next comes each leg in turn followed by the back and spine, remember to breathe gently and easily each time.
• Relax your stomach and chest, then each arm and hand.
• Keep each part of your body fully relaxed before moving on.
• Then relax your shoulders and neck.
• When relaxing your face, close your eyes, let your tongue drop to the bottom of your mouth and put your lips lightly together.
• Let your mind wander and think ‘happy thoughts’.
• Slowly wiggle your hands and feet, open your eyes and sit quietly until you are ready to move. You should now feel completely relaxed.

Relaxing your mind

• Sit comfortably and close your eyes.
• Now use your imagination. Picture a beautiful fiower or scene. Let the image fade, then bring it back. Change the colours in your mind‘s eye.
• Imagine space between your eyes, between your ears and in your mouth.
• Allow one arm to feel heavier than the other.
• Imagine you are floating in a warm bath.
• Feel the weight of your body in the chair.
• When your mind is totally relaxed sit quietly before opening your eyes.

Yoga

This is a Hindu discipline originally designed to train the mind to reach a state of spiritual insight and tranquility. It is also an excellent way of relaxing both mind and body. Before attempting to practise it at home, it is advisable to attend classes to learn the technique. Most local authorities offer tuition.

Other techniques

There are a number of tapes and CDs on the market which are designed to help you relax with sounds such as waves lapping on the shore, wind rustling in the trees, bird songs, the sounds of whales and dolphins calling to each other and gentle, rhythmic music. Sit quietly, listen to the sounds and clear your mind of all other thoughts and you will feel more relaxed.

4 KEEPING HEALTHY

As we get older, we naturally tend to worry more about our health.

It is very important that we take responsibility to keep ourselves as healthy as possible.

The best ways to keep healthy are through regular exercise and a sensible diet.

Exercise

Everyone can take part in some form of exercise regardless of age or physical fitness. There are good reasons for taking regular exercise, it:

• reduces the risk of coronary heart disease
• helps control blood pressure and mild hypertension
• increases stamina
• helps prevent brittle bone disease
• improves muscle strength and joint flexibility
• helps to reduce stress
• increases your energy levels
• helps to reduce obesity-related diseases
• will help improve your sex life
• will make you feel much better.

So what can we do?

• Walking. The easiest and among the best forms of exercise. A brisk 20-minute walk four times a week will help to keep you fit.
• Jogging. A popular exercise with many people but take care as it can damage the joints.
• Cycling. This combines exercise and visiting different places. It can be undertaken at your own pace and now that several thousand miles of cycle ways are being opened up you can ride well away from motor traffic, making it much safer.
• Swimming. A 30-minute swim once or twice a week will help to keep your muscles toned and your joints.flexible. Most swimming pools have sessions for the over-60s. If you cannot swim, classes are usually available.
• Keep fit. The majority of leisure centres run keep fit sessions for the older person. These are usually at different levels to satisfy individual levels of fitness. Before joining a keep fit class, you will normally be asked to take a ‘fitness assessment’ to determine the most suitable exercises for you. A few gentle exercises each morning when you get out of bed can be very beneficial.

Other activities include gardening, golf and tennis which help to improve and maintain your fitness and health.

It is important to take forms of exercise which you enjoy and can do regularly without over-stretching yourself.

Remember that pulled muscles and ligament problems take longer to heal the older you get.

Diet

There is much publicity about keeping to a healthy diet and there is a wide range of ready meals and other foods available to meet these requirements. Unfortunately they tend to be more expensive than other foods. However, it is not necessary to spend more money to keep to a good, healthy diet. Here are a few suggestions:

• Buy semi-skimmed milk, fresh fruit and vegetables, fish such as tinned tuna, fresh herring and mackerel, wholemeal bread, chicken, lamb‘s liver, low fat margarine and yoghurt, eggs and tins of baked beans.
• Reduce the amount of meat per portion and bulk up with vegetables and pulses. Three or four ounces of meat per portion is normally sufficient.
• Use recipes to keep your meals interesting and varied.
• Make sure your meals contain sufficient vitamins and minerals: Vitamin D: oily fish, eggs, margarine and some yoghurts Vitamin C: citrus fruit, blackcurrants, tomatoes and green vegetables Calcium: milk, cheese, nuts, pulses and bread Iron: lean red meat, liver, pulses and dark green vegetables Zinc: lean meat, wholewheat foods and pulses Potassium: bananas

These can also be taken in the form of tablets to supplement your diet.

• Drink plenty of water, flavoured or plain, six to eight glasses a day.
• Cut down on the alcohol, although a glass of red wine a day will help to keep the blood flowing.
• Garlic capsules are good for the heart and circulation.

Being retired you now have more time to plan and prepare nourishing, healthy meals.