How to stay active after retirement

Many people spend their whole life waiting for their retirement, but when it happens the experience isn’t as good as they had imagined, and there are a few explanations for that.

One of them is that the person who has worked for many years takes a while to get used to her new social role. If before she had a routine where she went to work every day and provided for her family, she is now “useless” for the job market.  

Another reason is that retirement is still associated to old age and consequently, to the end of life. Just observe the number of establishments that aren’t prepared to receive the elderly, as if they should only stay home sitting in a rocking chair.  

Despite social pressure, specialists affirm that old age is the best moment to take care of oneself, to be close to family and fulfill dreams that had been postponed due to lack of time.

Below we share a few tips for professionals who wish to remain active after retirement. Good reading!

1. Keep your body and mind healthy

You’ve worked almost all your life and can’t wait to slow down, right? It’s only fair!

But this doesn’t mean that you have to stay at home all day, sitting in front of the TV or napping. Remember that your body was used to moving around; therefore, going from one extreme to the other can harm your health and make you look older than you really are.  

In addition to the health benefits, exercising helps keep your mind healthy and therefore, increases your focus to develop new projects. Think of it this way: physical activity requires discipline and motivation, which are two determining factors for retirees who wish to stay active.

Of course, you don’t need to run a marathon or climb Mount Everest. Any physical activity you include in your daily activities, added to a healthy diet and a few hours of sleep, will bring the same benefits.

You still don’t know which type of exercise is right for you? We have listed a few that are highly recommended for people who are 50 or older.

An important tip: before you start exercising, seek the help of a physical education professional or an orthopedic doctor for further information. They will help you choose the activity best suited for your needs.

Yoga  

The word “Yoga” probably creates images of very young and thin people with their feet behind their necks, but don’t get discouraged by the stereotype! Yoga has no age limitations and just like any other form of exercise, practice is essential in order to achieve good results.

Although it isn’t exactly a sport (many practitioners defend that Yoga is more of a life philosophy), it is an excellent option for those who wish to master their own body and work on their flexibility.

Walks

Walking is one of the most democratic exercises. A 15-minute walk every day is sufficient to show health benefits. If you don’t feel like going out just to exercise, you can visit a friend, visit a tourist attraction near home, and walk the dog or any other appointment that requires you to walk.

Over time, taking longer walks will be included in your daily routine and you won’t even notice that you’re exercising.

Swimming    

Swimming on the other hand, is the most recommended sport if you also intend to have an athletic body. You can swim in your condo pool, at home or at the club, but we alert you that taking part in group classes can bring more benefits because it will encourage socialization with people that are your same age and who can share the same problems as you.

2. Invest in a hobby

The second tip might seem a little obvious, but a lot of people still ignore the importance of having activities that are parallel to work, which are relaxing and provide personal satisfaction. After retirement, having a hobby is even more important to keep your mind active and working.

You can customize items, sew, paint, care for your garden, cook, among other possibilities. The good news is that this activity can become a source of income:

Think about it, you can sell your services to others or create online courses to share your knowledge (stay tuned because we will talk more about these possibilities later in this post).

If you don’t have an activity that you enjoy doing frequently, use your free time to list your skills and strengths. In this process, you can discover something you know how to do well and that has the potential of becoming a hobby in the future.

3. Establish the goals you wish to achieve during your retirement

You know that project that you never had time to put into practice or that trip you postponed because of work? This is your opportunity to make up for lost time!

But to do so, it is important to establish short, medium and long-term goals. In the case of the trip for example, first you will have to define your destination and departure date, then compare prices, buy the tickets and book your hotel, and finally, travel.

That’s what goals are: a set of actions and achievements that show that you are heading towards a goal. But in order not to get frustrated along the way, you need to make sure that your goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and temporal. This method is called SMART goals, and we’ve talked about them here on the blog.  

The most important thing when defining goals is to think about activities that are outside your comfort zone and that stimulate qualities such as creativity and resilience.

4. Use your free time to learn something new

Keeping your mind occupied by learning something new is still the best way to use your time, after all, who hasn’t ever heard that saying: Knowledge is never too much?

According to neurologists, learning another language helps keep your mind sharp even with aging.

But this isn’t the only option for those who wish to learn something new, you can learn how to play an instrument, do handcrafts, how to sing and perhaps even find a new profession. And don’t worry about returning to the job market, because there are countless professions you can pursue without leaving home.

5. Dedicate yourself to voluntary work

If on one hand voluntary work does not generate income, on the other it represents personal gains such as the possibility of helping others while you keep your mind occupied. 

You can dedicate to several types of voluntary work: you can teach adults, teach a manual skill that you have, distribute clothes, food and any actions that add value to the lives of others.   

Look around your neighborhood for institutions and NGOs that perform voluntary work. These groups are normally searching for new volunteers to participate in their actions.

If you are willing to dedicate more time to voluntary work there are larger organizations such as Red Cross, Doctors without Borders and LBV, which accept online registration of volunteers.

6. Open your own business

After years dedicated to the job market, the time has come for your retirement, which you have dreamed about for so long. While certain people prefer to enjoy the fact they no longer have a routine by travelling, other only want to be with family and to rest.

However, the need to stay productive leads many people to establish their own businesses.

For those who wish to keep on working, creating their own business might be satisfying but at the same time, it is challenging because it implies in making choices, assuming risks and many times, studying a market that was previously unknown.

But from the moment that you understand what your client wants and you offer a quality product/service, it is possible to scale your profits and have a  financial return much higher than the amount initially invested.

Work with online courses

Online courses are a good choice for entrepreneurs who are starting out because you can create your material with a low investment and use equipment you have at home or that are easily found such as a portable camera (you can use your smartphone) and a clip-on microphone to pick up the audio.

Regardless of the equipment you will be using, focus on offering quality content to your followers. This is the most effective strategy for those who wish to create authority for you brand and generate sales.

Step 1: the choice of the niche

The market niche is the segment in which you will operate, which has its own particularities and a well-defined public. Video classes on weight loss, maternity and healthy cooking are niche products.

Ideally, the niche you choose is in synergy with your skills, because this will make it easier for you to create complete content that will add value for those who are watching.  

Step 2: defining the ideal client

After you have chosen the subject for your online course, you must identify your ideal client, i.e., the person who might have his/her needs met with your product. This is important because this search-driven public will be your reference when the time comes to create and promote your product.

In addition to demographic characteristics such as age, gender and location, try to answer the following questions:

• What are the interests and hobbies of these users?
• Which channels do they use to search for information?
• What are the problems they face in everyday life?
• How can your online course help them?

In order to find these answers, you can conduct opinion surveys and use free tools such as Analytics, Google Trends and your Facebook fan page report, among other ones available on the web.  

Check out a full guide to create your persona.

Step 3: choose the format for your online course

The list of formats to make your content available is long: which include ebooks, infographics, slide presentations, audiobook, etc., but the most efficient format is video.

According to the Cisco Visual Networking Index report, videos are responsible for 82% of all online user traffic by 2020; in other words, now is the best moment to start investing in this format.

“But I’m too shy to make videos, what can I do?” Many video professionals have been where you are now, and the only factor that separates them from you is practice. As people say, “You only learn by doing it”!

The good news is that you can use several techniques to improve your presence in front of the camera and create attractive content for your followers.

Creating your online course is the first step to begin generating online sales, while doing something you like. But you will still have to master advertising and sales techniques that we have covered in other posts on this blog.  A good step for those who wish to start is to read this complete guide on the subject.

Tips for those who wish to open their own business

Use your prior experience

Even if you have chosen a segment that is completely different from what you used to do, it is still possible to use your prior experience to develop your new business.

Think about your strengths and skills that you used in your previous positions. How can they help you solve problems in your new venture?

For example: a retired doctor decides to become a chef and open her own restaurant. She can use her years of experience in dealing with people to create a welcoming ambiance and offer a closer experience to his future clientele.

Another option is to use her knowledge to create a menu with several healthy options, a micro niche which has grown a lot over the last few years. It will all depend on your creativity!    

Choose an activity that gives you pleasure

One of the biggest advantages of undertaking a business venture after retirement is that by now you already know what you like and don’t like to do. Even if your main goal is to make money, opt for an activity that gives you pleasure because you will be spending most of your time immersed in it.  

Invest in a niche that has a demand

Before you create your business, you need to think about whether or not there is a demand for your product or service. In order to do so, you can use tools such as Google Trends and search for trending subjects. If there aren’t many searches for the item you are thinking of selling, it is likely that there isn’t much demand for it; therefore, your chances of making money are lower.  

Conclusion  

According to experts there are countless benefits in working, such as:

• Being appreciated for what you do;
• Learning new things every day;
• Socializing with different people;
• Financial stability.

The key to a happy retirement is to find how you can continue enjoying these benefits during this new phase of your life, whether it is by doing volunteer work, spending more time with family or even finding a new profession.

Regardless of your choice, don’t be intimidated by your age. People go through identity crises at different times of their professional life.  

The important thing is to recognize that life doesn’t end when you retire and that there are countless possibilities for those who wish to stay active, including the creation of a digital product on a subject that interests you and that can generate income.

To learn more about this subject, read the post how Hotmart works.