How to stay happy and active during the winter months

For many retirees, these are the months of the year when the magic happens: loved ones come from all over the country to visit and the house is filled with warm smiles and laughter and the smells of freshly-cooked food and spices.

However, the activities of a retiree can be dramatically interrupted by the adverse weather, especially physical activities that are important to maintain good health. Here’s a quick list of ideas to keep you active during these cold months:

Get into a comfortable exercise routine

Whether it’s dancing in the living room with your grandkids, going to your programmed community activities or practicing the poses from your group yoga class at home, choose an activity that will keep you active and engaged for at least half an hour a day. Whatever you choose, be sure to exercise in a safe environment to avoid accidents and be mindful of your own limits to avoid injuries.

A lot of retirees find it way more fun to exercise among a group of like-minded neighbors so they get to feel a sense of community and friendship. Following an exercise routine has a lot of advantages:

• Allows retirees to feel a sense of achievement.
• Improves balance, strength and flexibility, which leads to more independence and less risk of injury.
• It’s critical, along with proper nutrition, to maintain a healthy weight, especially for retirees suffering from chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes or obesity.
• Exercising has a positive effect on bone structure, so people that exercise regularly have improved posture and stronger bones, less prone to fractures (if you have bone conditions such as osteoporosis, be especially careful with how you train: choose low impact exercises with proper guidance from an expert, but never stop working out!)
• Lower high blood pressure, which reduces risk of strokes and kidney damage.
• Reduce anxiety and depression while allowing higher energy levels.

Be creative

Few things are as relaxing as sitting in a cozy chair with a hot drink and a fun hobby to focus your abilities. Art projects are fulfilling at any age, more so if you get the chance to share them with your loved ones.

Scrapbooks and other photo projects are beautiful ways to share your life experiences with your family. Knitting can be the perfect way to give a meaningful gift to your grandkids and fun DIY projects can keep you and the kids busy for days. And of course, home-cooking brings family together like few other things can.

Social media platforms can be a perfect way to get the creative juices flowing. Though a little intimidating at first if you haven’t used them yet, social media platforms are fairly intuitive tools that allow you to express yourself and share your creations with friends and family. A social media account allows you to stay connected to the world around you as well, so you’re up to date with news from all over the world.

Exercise your mind

Challenge yourself with board games, literature (audiobooks are great options if you have visual limitations and allow you to do something else at the same time) and puzzles. These are great activities to do alone or to share with others that will keep your mind sharp and improve your memory. Watching movies and series and listening to music are great options too, and if you’re a film enthusiast, the winter months are perfect to have that movie marathon of your favorite directors that you’ve postponed so much.

Fun events regarding these types of activity might be present in your active adult community’s schedule, with the added benefit that you never have to spend your time alone. While living in a maintenance-free 55+ Active Adult Community like those at Corbinton, retirees can choose from a wide range of group activities to keep them healthy and motivated.

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