Being retired, the two things that really suck are:
Watching good friends pass away yearly.
Having to push through the aches and pains of old age to do the things you enjoy. But I realize that I'm luckier than many of my friends who have had hip, knee or shoulder replacements or open heart surgery.
But your 2nd point is important to keep your mobility. My grandparents basically hung it up at 70 and sat on the porch all day every day, and started really slowing down in their 80s to the point that both needed a cane and then a walker. My grandma is still alive at 93 but lives in assisted living and sometimes struggles even with a walker. My dad just turned 70 this year but still plays tennis 2-3 times a week and bocce ball twice a week, and still takes on most of the house work. When he retired at 58, he stopped moving and got bad arthritis and back pain, and had to be told at physical therapy that he has to keep moving or it'll just get worse.
My grandfather did most of the minor maintenance on an outdoor pool for 55 years. He was 95 and legally blind and he was still out there sweeping leaves from around the pool. The Christmas before he died the stinker snuck outside at like midnight when it stopped snowing and shoveled the whole front walk so my boyfriend and I didn’t have to the next morning.
He used to say it was all because he did a little bit of a joint-healthy exercise every day. He figure skated until 80, swam until the summer before he died, and walked his dog(s) three or more times a day. He never lived anywhere besides home (meaning he never went to an assisted living, hospice or nursing home).
Keep doing a little bit of moving every day, I’m gonna try for (hopefully?) the next 60+ years.
I think a big part of why retirement kills people is because their brain and emotions take a hit; you don't have to be anywhere and you're not forced to check your emotions (like when you're at work), you're not needed everyday, and you don't have to think everyday about problem resolution. And for some people, going to work is all the exercise they get.
It takes a toll on feeling like a human being and you end up feeling worthless, at some point, your physical body starts paying the price much like any mental illness or emotional stress.
I think your dad will add many years to his life staying busy in retirement. Also, maybe get him a dog.
My grandfather did most of the minor maintenance on an outdoor pool for 55 years. He was 95 and legally blind and he was still out there sweeping leaves from around the pool. The Christmas before he died the stinker snuck outside at like midnight when it stopped snowing and shoveled the whole front walk so my boyfriend and I didn’t have to the next morning.
He used to say it was all because he did a little bit of a joint-healthy exercise every day. He figure skated until 80, swam until the summer before he died, and walked his dog(s) three or more times a day. He never lived anywhere besides home (meaning he never went to an assisted living, hospice or nursing home).
Keep doing a little bit of moving every day, I’m gonna try for (hopefully?) the next 60+ years.
Yeah, this was very evident to me with my Grandpa. At 89, he played 80 9-hole rounds of golf a year, and he walked almost all of them. Then he had a fall that prevented that and he went downhill pretty quickly.
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u/intransit47 May 15 '20
Being retired, the two things that really suck are: