Capitol Hill Blue Forums Life and Moral Issues Issues of Aging Retirement Issues - Activities

Now that you are retired or looking at it what sort of activities do you do?

My wife said I could not retire until I had a plan to keep myself busy. I was ready to retire last year but I did not have a plan. I developed a plan earlier this year, so I was able to retire.

I needed to improve my fitness level so I developed an exercise plan. Monday, Wednesday and Friday I do weight training, stretching and High Intensity Interval Training. This takes about 90 minutes in the morning. On Saturday mornings I do simulated road work on my cycle for about an hour. I needed this because my job was literally killing me. I spent six hours a day in my office and two hours in the lab. My office was about 30 feet from the lunch room where we had all of our vending machines. At least I was drinking only water. I am verging on Type II diabetes and have had a history of high blood pressure. I can control those issues, my RA is something I have learned to deal with. Although the symptoms seem to be lessening with abundant exercise.

I've been able to cycling several times a week when the weather co-operated.

I've also been studying nutrition. On the day I retired (7/19/2016) I was at 229 lbs. As of yesterday AM I was at 211 lbs.

I have a number of computer projects on which I am working. I have house projects that I plan to work on during the winter months.

I told my wife that I am planning to treat retirement like vacation until I get bored. Has not happened yet.

My wife kept threatening to buy me a piano of some kind and she finally made good on that threat.
After 35 years of not playing, I'm jamming again, and Lordy Lordy do I suck!
But apparently I didn't suck badly enough because my cousin invited me to jam on stage with his band when we were in Denver a month ago.



Now I just have to find a bunch of old farts with grey hair and big stomachs who love playing blues.

I retired two years ago, and, physically, it has not been good for me. Unlike you, I've added 12-15 lbs since retirement. When I first retired I used a personal trainer, but that got expensive fast (but kept my weight down and my wind up). I then joined Anytime Fitness with my wife, and had a routine which I followed for about 6 months. She stopped going almost immediately, and I am not good about going alone. Then I joined the YMCA with my son, and we went 3 days a week for nearly a year. That was excellent for me for both physical and emotional reasons. Since he started working, however, he wouldn't go with me, and I wasn't commuting. I'm finding I'm becoming physically unfit.

The other activities I've been engaged in have been primarily travel-oriented. We bought that RV and have traveled nearly 20,000 miles in it. We also go to Disney World twice a year. The reality, though, is I am getting restless. That's why I got my CDL, and started driving with a neighbor/friend, but that has been on hiatus for a month or more.

I'm now exploring some other activities. I am mentoring a kid through the Washington Youth Academy (that has been very good). I am going to sign up for guitar lessons, rejoin Anytime Fitness, get my motorcycles out on the road, and get back to bicycling. I need to do that, or I am going to go nuts. Retirement should be a time to get to know me better, but I've not been good enough about that - except here on RR. Unfortunately, the election has been a HUGE distraction.

I don't think so. Beside, those folks dancing did not know the difference. I am envious because I can not play at all.

Now that the winter months are rolling around I am going to look for a continuing education class or some sort of a community education class to take.

I do not need any computer classes (I could probably teach most of them any way) what would really interest me is to learn how to weld, as in welding metals. I am not sure why that interests me but after 37 years of being a chemist I would like to do something more creative.

My retirement plan is to die with boots on. IOW not going to retire if I can help it.

I do not plan to quite living, I am just embarking on a new chapter in life. There is so much that I can do now that I am not shackled to a large corporation.