Maintaining good health in retirement
A balanced diet and physical activity sustain a healthy body as a key factor in enhancing and maintaining good health together with the modern lifestyle. Retirement provides the opportunity to engage in physical activity & a healthy diet should contribute to the development of regional strategies and positively link to cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, several forms of cancer, and dental disease. When an older person does not get the proper amount of nutrition or hydration, many times his or her symptoms can be mistaken for a disease or illness. As our bodies age, our approach to cooking, eating, and socializing over meals can change drastically. Unless we pay special attention to the shifting needs of our loved ones, we may assume it’s “business as usual” and miss an opportunity to be proactive and supportive.
It is feasible to expect changes in weight to be associated with retirement. On one hand, healthier habits in retirement, such as increased physical activity and a better diet, are likely to lead to weight loss. On the other hand, weight gain may result from the body changes as one age, from being less physically active, from having less structured meal times or from using food to deal with post-retirement losses such as work identity, social interactions at work or the sense of accomplishment resulting from working. One analysis showed that physical activity increased by 36% among men and 61% among women during the transition to retirement.
Not surprisingly, weight gain was greater among retirees due to a physical inactive routine in collaboration with unhealthy eating habits. By age, the role of nutrition becomes even more important, and it is reasonable to assume the importance of a good diet among retirees. No need for specific research to link us between good nutrition and retirement, a healthy mix of vegetables, fruits, dairy, grains, and protein provides more energy to spare. There are many health benefits of a healthy diet and proper nutrition apart from weight loss. A good diet allows our body to function better.
M. Dziechciaż and R. Filip (2014), characterized retirement changes as a psychological, biological, and social character; E. Biernat and S. Buchholtz (2017) state that retirement constitutes barriers which were often not observed at a younger age. Biological changes (concerning the structure and function of all body organs) lead to deteriorating health and weakening physical strength (decline in fitness and physical capacity) Z. Milanović, S. Pantelić, N. Trajković, G. Sporiš, R. Kostić, and N. James (2013). Eating fruits and vegetables has a good source of nutrition that reduces the risk of stroke, type 2 diabetes, increased blood pressure, kidney disease, cancer, and certain cardiovascular diseases. Aging itself is undeniably a health hazard but making some essential changes in the lifestyle we can boost the chances of having a healthy retirement lifestyle. It is important that pre-retirement plans include a retirement plan too, by staying active in pre-retirement will enlighten retirement life. For age-related diseases, make sure you join a sports club or other activities enjoy jogging, morning walks to build strength, flexibility, cardiovascular health, and balance. Monitor and maintain health by following dietary recommendations about daily intake and have regular medical checks. Even small activities like gardening, cooking, and other household repairs are a kind of investment in good health.
P. Ron (2004), Retirement is usually associated with the loss of a sense of identity and, therefore, greater passivity, susceptibility to depression, hopelessness and suicide. This requires physical effort to enhance physical and psychological health both by providing physical activity over and above as per the demand of the age. Try to nurture your friendships and family; maintain social connections to keep your level of motivation up. One can choose meditation or yoga, exercise for the brain; crosswords and puzzles for cognitive functioning, maintain social connections to kick loneliness out of your life and maintain good sleep habits to have a healthy long life.
