health – Retirement Media: Active Adult Living

Exercise is a Habit

During our 10-day motor coach trip and several days before and after, I did not exercise. Now back home, I am finding it hard to do my race-walking and other exercise that I looked forward to before.

Exercise Is A Habit

Once formed, an exercise habit is easy to follow. It is also the greatly increases your chance you will get your exercise done for the day.

Establishing an Exercise Plan

Just start and keep it up. More precisely, established a plan of what days you will exercise. Then plan on the same time on your day of excerise. Many people find the best time to exercise is in the mornings, so that you get it done. If you do not plan what days and times you will exercise, then mostly likely you will have things come up to interfere and not get it done. Taking a scheduled exercise class or joining a exercise group is an excellent way to plan your exercise.

After a couple of weeks, your exercise plan becomes a habit and is much easier. It is something you start to enjoy and will miss, as I did, when you failed to do it.

Becoming an Active Adult

Exercise does not have to be a one and done event. Having several types of physical activities each day is ideal. It keeps things interesting and is actually good cross training on different muscles. So walking in the morning and playing pickleball in the afternoon is an example. I found two or three activities a day to be my limit. Some days you take it easier than others, but try to do something each day.

Becoming an Active Adult has become much easier for me since we moved to our Active Adult Community because there are so many opportunities here to take classes or join in group sports of all kinds. I have walked by myself and with a group. I took pickleball lessons and very much love to play with “Larry’s Group”, as we call ourselves. I am Captain of our bocce leauge and do get some exercise there as well. I did Lisa’s Cardio class for almost two years now and really get a workout in an hour there. Joining a softball team would be fun but I just don’t have time.

More Benefits of Being an Active Adult

There are other benefits of being an active adult in addition to getting some exercise. One is it gets you outside and out of the house. Fresh air and nature are therapeutic. Another huge benefit is that it puts you in touch with people, which turns into socialization and new friends.

So Get Started

As the 1980’s Nike slogan said, just do it. Start today. Make your plan and stay with it. Join a team or group. Try not to miss too many days but when you do, get right back in it. If you want to make a huge difference, move to an 55+ active adult community and try out many activities to find out which ones you really like. This is an easy way to become an Active Adult.

It’s The Lifestyle

The most important thing you get in buying into an Active Adult Community, is a ready built framework for an “active lifestyle”.

Del Webb is a “culture industry”. They don’t do the heavy lifting, they just provide the framework. They sell the dream, but the dream can come true.

Real estate agents say “We try to tell people to focus more on their lifestyle and less on the house”. That’s because that’s what they are buying, a lifestyle.

Some buyers don’t get that. They say the homes are too expensive. They are not considering the lifestyle. If a buyer doesn’t want the lifestyle, but just wants the home, then they should look elsewhere, as plenty of subdivisions offer ranch style homes. But that’s not an apples to apples comparison to a home in an Active Adult Community.

An active lifestyle in theory could be accomplished anywhere, but with the framework that comes with living in an Active Adult Community, it can be accomplished much easier and faster.

So, What Is This Active Lifestyle?

An Active Lifestyle include many areas, including these:

Social Lifestyle – always available. You pick and choose based on your likes and interests. Social support and friends. Connecting with people is one of the most important features of the Active Adult Lifestyle. The framework provided includes clubs and groups, activities, clubhouse, events, neighbors, etc.

This is why the Del Webb marketing posters show the couples sitting around the fire pit or pool with their glasses of wine.

I have written about how when looking to make friends, activities is the answer.

Social Support – related to friends, there is an “we are in this together” spirit. Neighbors are helping neighbors. The framework provided is neighbors you can relate to.

Healthy Lifestyle – Getting out of the house is healthy and there are plenty of things going on in the community to draw you out of your house. Health is on our minds and having planned activities, especially sports, makes it easier for you. Thus you are more likely to do things to promote your health. The framework is the amenities, ball fields, teams with your neighbors sharing these activities.

Home lifestyle – one level, efficient, neighbors, security, low maintenance living, entertaining. The framework also includes your home.

Positive Lifestyle – When people are doing things to improve their lives, they are happy. Being happy means you will be more positive. A lot of the people living in Active Adult Communities are happy and positive.

Location lifestyle – small town, urban, resort, coastal, neighboring communities, local area, exploring outside the community.

The location of your Active Adult Community can give you a taste of lifestyle different than what you had during your working years.

In our community, I like seeing the stars at night, the rolling hills, farms, community theaters, town squares and the sense of a small town community. If your new community was at the beach or even in a city, then those different lifestyles have things to offer was well.

Conclusion About Active Adult Lifestyle

An Active Adult Community is a great way to make your life more active, healthy and to make new friends. It’s all there waiting for you. In the two years I have lived here, I have become more active and healthy and made many new friends, so I know it works. Also see Will I Fit In?

It’s just a framework that works well, but you have to make it work for yourself.