How To Maintain A Healthy Lifestyle After Retiring

How To Maintain A Healthy Lifestyle After Retiring

By Leslie Zeigler

A wellness and creativity coach addresses some of the needs of the newly retired:

Because of the current and ongoing economic woes our nation is facing, we read and hear a lot these days about all the baby boomers who are retiring. One subject which does not come up often however is how retirement affects one's wellness. These are issues which deserve more attention and concern as millions of Americans are being affected. Retirement, or at least the myth of retirement, once meant that one had completed one's work years and was now ready to enjoy a leisurely and relatively care-free existence for 15 or 20 years. If this were ever truly the case, it is no longer so, at least for many people. Today, retirement or "pretirement" (an early retirement, usually forced on one by the economy) carries with it a number of challenges to one's well-being. Some of these challenges are considered below:

-- Whether retirement was one's own choice or not, there are more and more people who want or need to start a second career late in life. Many people find themselves coping with internal blocks that inhibit their ability to successfully seek out a new career or even a part-time job.
--If one's career had been a major source of fulfillment, then where does one turn after retiring to replace that much-needed sense of competence and fulfillment?
--Time-management issues arise as one suddenly has so much time on his/her hands.
--Eating habits may change, and may likely worsen, with so much time to now fill.
--Exercise and other healthy habits may be curtailed as a result of the "I have so much time now, I can do that tomorrow syndrome."
--Sleeping too much.
--Creative blocks can impede some people. Many working people promise themselves that in their retirement they will take up painting, or write that book, learn a foreign language or take dance classes, etc. But now that they have the opportunity to express some creativity, they find that their internal blocks prevent them from moving forward with their long-delayed wishes.

These and other challenges await many people when they first find themselves dealing with the "new freedom" that retirement affords them. These are all very understandable reactions to a major life transition such as retirement. One may successfully cope with these challenges on one's own, but one may also consider seeking the help of a wellness or creativity coach. A coach can be one's partner in addressing these and other pitfalls by helping one overcome internal blocks and move towards desirable goals. Even in today's difficult climate, retirement can be a very positive and fulfilling time for most people.

Leslie Zeigler, LCSW is a licensed clinical social worker and a wellness and creativity coach. You may learn more about Ms. Zeigler by visiting her website, http://www.wellnessandcreativitycoaching.com


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