Tag Archives: Healthy Diet

Do Your Retirement Plans Include A Passion For Gardening? Retirement Gardening Tips

Frugal Living, Passion, Saving Money, ,

While I was a working stiff one of our hobbies was working in the yard and gardening. It was a welcome escape from a Tech job of sitting in front of a computer and talking on endless conference calls. It was something my wife and I would do together on weekends chatting and pulling weeds or picking the literal fruits of our labor. We both looked forward to spending our increased available time in retirement to feed our passion for gardening and living a healthy lifestyle. But over the years of our retirement we have learned a few things. Here’s some retirement gardening tips and our observations for anyone planning to retire and spending more time in their yard and garden.

Do Your Retirement Plans Include A Passion For Gardening? Retirement Gardening Tips

Photo Source

Retirement Gardening Tips to Save Money

Having a lush green lawn and a large garden can be costly in both time and money. Many working people have weekly lawn care to trim and mow, raking leaves, trimming bushes. Then there are services for fertilizing the lawn, aerating, spraying and/or pruning fruit trees, and spraying around the house for invasive pests like spiders and beetles. Some of these may have an ongoing contract where they just show up, do it, then send you the bill. When all added up this can run into a lot of money spent to save you time. Time that may be available once you have retired.

Chances are you already have the mower, line trimmer and other tools already sitting in your garage. Buying a couple of tank sprayers, one for weeds and one for insects, and a fertilizer spreader is not very expensive. There are multiple sources online to provide advice on what types of things to use in your area. Not only do you save a considerable amount of money but you also have knowledge and control over what is sprayed in your environment.

If plants get sugar aphids, professional companies would spray chemical insecticide. The problem is it would also kill any ladybugs that may be feeding on them. The aphids can be easily killed if you want to take the time by spraying them off the leaves with high pressure water from the hose. Try to use natural ways to remove pests and lessen the introduction of harmful chemicals to yourself and beneficial insects like bees and ladybugs when you can.

Retirement Gardening Tips to Save Time

Once I retired our lifestyle gradually evolved and we chose to spend much of the summer in our 5th wheel on our lake property. That has pretty much doubled the yard work but cut our time in half to do it.

As for saving time there are things you can consider. As most people, we have automated home sprinklers. That alone still required hand watering certain areas of the yard and garden based on watering needs. So a few years before I retired  I expanded my old system. I had extra zones on the controller box so I separated zones for flower beds, garden and lawns because of their vastly different water requirements. That way I can water my flower beds and garden twice a day for just a few minutes. My lawn is set for longer but only every 3 or 4 days.

This not only conserves water and saves money but also saves time. No more dragging a hose to water-starved plants. Through experimentation I know in the hottest part of the summer just how much water to give my lawn so that it stays green and yet only grows enough that it needs mowing only every 10 to 14 days. I have gladly given up a weekly lawn mowing routine.

Retirement Gardening Tips For Travelers

If your retirement plans include summer travel you might want to consider planting bushes and perennials that bloom at different times and let them become established. They can keep color in your yard year round with minimal care and to the casual observer it will appear you are home. Adding bark mulch around can keep the soil moist. It then requires less water and slows the weeds, or at least make it easier to pull them. Our city has organic mulch and wood chips available at the landfill at very reasonable prices. We have found that between metered watering of our lawn for slower growth, use of mulch to reduce if not eliminate weeds, and strategic planting of flowering bushes, automatic porch light sensors, and light timers within the home, that our home looks occupied for our extended travels spent at the lake.

Planning Your Garden For Your Evolving Retirement Lifestyle

In the past we grew a large garden with many varieties of vegetables. Coming back from the lake to find 20 giant zucchini too big to eat was irritating. Instead of being happy with a bountiful harvest filling the kitchen it just looked like a huge amount of work. We now only plant as much as we plan on eating with the exception of tomatoes. We harvest and either blanch, peel and freeze for use throughout the year, or we can (jar) salsa, chili and pasta sauce.

When planning your garden, check for vegetables that are cheap at the local farmer’s markets or grocery stores. Let them grow it for you instead of wasting your time, money, and garden space. We love homemade pickles. We used to plant pickling cukes and have them mature 5 or 6 at a time and sit in the fridge until we get enough to can. Now when we see them on sale we buy enough to make a dozen quarts of pickles.

We have a small patch of our garden area dedicated to herbs, garlic, green onions, chives and leeks that will grow almost anywhere. We have parsley, sage, rosemary, and yes thyme, as well as oregano and arugula. In the summer we can get a big pot of basil that we harvest 3 or 4 times and use it fresh or freeze it.

Spending Less On Fruit

Another patch in a less visible spot that used to be garden we planted some raspberry and blackberry bushes. They aren’t especially pretty but they provide a steady supply of berries. We have a small peach tree and a dwarf plum. Neither of which require spraying in our area and only have to be pruned once a year. We enjoy the fresh fruit and also make jam with it.

We enjoy many other types of fresh fruit without having to grow them ourselves. That’s because we have neighbors that have apples and pears and we exchange fruit with them. Look around your neighborhood. Ask your friends and family about setting up a fruit exchange and optimize your fruit variety without increasing your spent time and money.

 

We have found that we can still enjoy our yard and get a bountiful harvest while spending a minimal amount of money on it and only as much time as we would like. These are but a few money and time-saving ideas to consider in your retirement gardening plans. Once retired and your retirement lifestyle becomes more clear, find ways to evolve your gardening passion to align with it.

This article of retirement gardening ideas and tips was written by friend and Leisure Freak reader Ralph Arnold who retired early 8 years ago while in his 40s.

Regardless of your age, there’s nothing better than getting outside, digging in the dirt, and working in the garden. For more gardening info see Gardening Resources for Seniors.

Small Changes You Could Make To Your Health, This Year

Early Retirement Lifestyle, Health, Non-financial Aspects of retirement, , , ,

Whether busy in the working world or in retirement, it can be hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle. You might try a diet for a few weeks before slipping into old ways, or you might try to quit drinking so much but you end up falling off the wagon when you go to a bar with your friends. Healthy living can seem like a chore, but it shouldn’t. With gradual steps in the right direction, you can start to form habits that’ll become part of your daily routine. Staying healthy shouldn’t be time-consuming. It should simply be a part of your existing schedule. Here are some small changes you could make to your wellbeing.

Small Changes You Could Make To Your Health, This Year

Picture Source

Exercise every day.

First of all, you should aim to exercise every day. It’s a small change that could make a massive difference to your physical and mental wellbeing. Rather than fretting about strenuous sessions at the gym once or twice every week, you could achieve better results by simply doing 10 to 20 minutes of exercise on a daily basis. Run around your local park, do some push ups in your living room, grab a chair and do some triceps dips, or simply go on a walk with your family and friends. Staying physically active can help to not only keep your waistline trim but also keep you mentally healthy. Exercise releases endorphins in the brain, and that boosts your mood. Establishing a routine exercise activity and incrementally pushing yourself a little more as time goes will generate positive health results.

Reduce your unhealthy habits.

Everybody has unhealthy habits. For some people, it might be that they snack on junk food when they’re bored. For other people, it might be that they drink a little too much wine on a frequent basis. Whatever the unhealthy habit, you should aim to improve your attitude towards excessive consumption of things that are bad for you. Being healthy isn’t just about exercising or eating well; it’s about avoiding the things that are unhealthy for you.

If this seems an impossible task to get onboard with, some people have found success with hypnotism. If you’re struggling to kick a habit such as smoking then you might even want to look into nicotine patches, gum,  or getting a cheap e-juice as an alternative that is a bit healthier for you. Sometimes, weaning yourself off bad habits is easier than going cold turkey. Aside from the health benefits that can come from quitting bad habits, most come at great financial cost. Think about all the things that you could better use your money towards.

CBD Flexoffer

 

Work on your mental health.

Remember, your mental health is just as important as your physical health. One important change you could make to your health this year is to look after your mind. Your mental wellbeing can be improved in many small ways. For starters, you should talk to your family and friends as often as possible. Sharing your feelings, whether that means laughing or crying, is crucial to your mental health.

You might also want to start making smarter financial decisions. For many adults, the root cause of their high stress levels is money. Whether you’re having problems with your finances or not, you probably worry about money a lot. You might find that it helps your mental health to start being more organized with your finances. An organized budget leads to an organized mind. The point is that you need to think about aspects of your lifestyle which could be improved in order to improve your mental wellbeing.

Create A Bright And Colorful Garden On A Budget

Budgeting, Do It Yourself, Early Retirement Lifestyle, Frugal Living, Passion, , ,

Do you dream of spending lazy afternoons in a beautiful, fresh and inviting garden now that you’ve retired early? Americans are spending more time than ever in their gardens, with 1 in 3 households now growing their own vegetables in their outside space. Spending time in the garden is a relaxing, peaceful and enjoyable pastime for many retirees and it’s a pure luxury to be able to put your feet up and enjoy your surroundings on a warm summer day. Entertaining family and friends in the confines of your garden is a perfect frugal activity for retirees, therefore creating a bright and atmospheric space while sticking to a budget is essential.

Create A Bright And Colorful Garden On A Budget

Photo by Marie-Sophie Tékian on Unsplash

Open up the garden

A simple tidy up and trim of the bushes can be all it takes to turn the garden from a cluttered, overgrown, unappealing mess to a spacious and attractive part of the home that you want to spend bundles of time in, and it doesn’t cost anything to have a bit of a spring clean. During the autumn, crisp leaves which have fallen to the ground will soon become a damp, soggy annoyance. Cleaning these up with a leaf blower will instantly make the garden appear bigger and, while it may be a bit of an investment, there are numerous alternative uses for a leaf blower which make them a good multi-functional tool worthy of the initial outlay.

Inject color

Colorful gardens are fun and bring a smile to your face when you step outside. Fences, planters and wooden pieces of furniture can be painted in an array of colors to instantly brighten the area. Opting for plants and shrubs in different colors, purchased from discount retailers, creates a lively atmosphere which anyone will enjoy relaxing in. While scattering pretty cushions on benches and chairs will make them comfortable and stylish. You can recycle old tin cans by painting and decorating them and filling them with beautiful low-cost plants, too. Or, get the grand-kids to transform the rocks at the bottom of the garden into animals and dot these around the lawn.

Bring the garden to life

Invite friends and family round for a get together and ask they all pitch in to spruce up the garden at the same time. This is a great cost saving method and way to get jobs completed swiftly, while enjoying time together. Someone can mow the lawn, while others trim the bushes and pot some new plants and all you’ll need to do is dish out some ice-cold drinks and pop a few burgers on the barbecue to keep everyone happy. It’s also worth asking your loved ones if they’ve got any old pieces of garden furniture in their sheds that they no longer want, or packets of seeds stashed away that they’re not going to use which you could recycle and put to good use in your own garden.

There is no need to spend a fortune on doing up the garden when there are so many ways to brighten and liven the space up for very little expense.

 

This timely spring-season related article is a contribution to Leisure Freak from freelance writer Jackie Edwards. Thanks Jackie!

Now working as a full-time freelance writer, Jackie Edwards is also a busy mum of two small children. In any free time she has (which isn’t much) she likes to volunteer and do charity work and take the family greyhound Bertie for long walks.

Lower What You Pay for Life Insurance Regardless of Your Health

Paying Less Life Insurance, ,

Hopefully, you signed up for a life insurance policy at a young age and in prime health, thus securing a low premium. If you missed this window, don’t fret. Even those with chronic health conditions can take some steps to reduce their payments. For example, working to manage a health condition — whether you’re trying new types of exercise, dropping bad habits such as drinking or smoking, or consulting with a doctor about other medications you could be taking — can reduce the cost of monthly premiums.

In addition to lifestyle changes, take a closer look at your current policy with some help from professionals like at Health IQ. For example, riders are typically added to policies. Many people, however, can do without the extra coverage that riders provide. Re-evaluate your policy and remove unnecessary riders to lower your payout. Also keep in mind that you don’t want the longest term period you can find. Your health will change as you age — which is something insurers account for. A longer policy increases the risk that the company takes on in insuring you, so you’ll deal with a more expensive policy.

The above situations are only a few brief examples. From driving more defensively to securing a rate when you’re young and switching to annual payments, you can consider many factors to reduce the cost of life insurance. Meet with an insurance agent, but do some homework beforehand. Take a short quiz on costs to learn about other ways to decrease what you pay for life insurance.

Thank you Health IQ for sharing this knowledge quiz with Leisure Freak readers.

About The Quiz Provider / Insurance Company- Health IQ

Health IQ’s mission is to improve the health of the world by celebrating the health conscious through financial rewards. Health IQ delivers better rates and underwriting, and was recently featured in sites such as CNBC, Venturebeat, and TechCrunch.  and partners with top-rated insurance carriers such as SBLI, Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. and Assurity Life Insurance Company, and reinsurer partner Swiss Re to offer health conscious people between 4 and 33 percent lower rates on life insurance. Founded in 2013 by a team of health conscious entrepreneurs, the company is a licensed life insurance company in all 50 states and has helped tens of thousands of individuals secure a total of $5.3 billion in insurance coverage.

Coming To Terms And Preparing With Assisted Living

Long Term Care, ,

There will come a time when everyone will need a little help to get through the day. Unfortunately for many that may happen before reaching what is considered full retirement age. Whether it be for emotional support and or physical help, having some form of assisted living might become the norm. This doesn’t mean it’s over and that you should throw in the towel by giving up your independence. Coming to terms with this new lifestyle is easier than you may believe as there are structures in place to stop you from free-falling.

After years and decades of paying into Social Security you may want to know what you are owed by the government. This is exactly the right course of action in the beginning. But even so, it’s time to mold your lifestyle around your illness or disability. Once you can get your social arrangement figured out with your family, and then your finances, you’ll begin to see where and when you won’t need assistance. After all, being able to control your own life even in the latter part of life is something we all want to hold on to.

Social Security Disability-Assisted Living

Source US-SocialSecurityAdmin-Seal.svg

What you’re owed

Finances will be given priority when this time comes, and actually it’s a simple process. You can go to the social security administration website where you may apply for a social security disability application. This is so you can get the government assistance that you might be owed which in turn will help you to pay for everyday life. Once you have filled out the form it will be awaiting review. During this time you should check your social security disability status daily to catch up on the application you have filed. Be wary of the fact that it may need to be changed or edited by you if requested to do so, as sometimes a little more information is needed. If all is clear and ready to go ahead, you’ll be given a hearing date and time, the location of your current claim as well as the final decision.

Assisted Living

Photo by agilemktg1 Flickr

Making it physically easier

Now the time has come to enjoy retirement or rest up and heal. You might want to consider making life physically easier in the home. If you have a multi level home, getting up and down the stairs will slowly become a bit of a chore. Have a discussion with your family whether it would be wise to put in a stairlift to help you get up and down the home without assistance. You may also wish to consider getting a motorized wheelchair so you can go from room to room without any effort. Be mindful that getting ramps fixed onto the outside of your home could also be needed to accommodate your wheelchair.

Another route you could go is to explore private healthcare perks such as nurses who are sent to your home every day to help you. Everything from ironing clothes, cooking meals and bathing assistance is available if you get a particular service package from a provider.

 

There comes a time in life when the basics are a struggle, but if you have worked hard all your life, why should you needlessly suffer when you must tolerate your body giving up on you? Assisted living can be done with your pride intact. After decades of keeping up your end of the Social Security bargain, one of the first steps is to see what you’re owed by the government. Making it easier to keep some independence and move around your own home will soon become incredibly liberating if you plan carefully and seek out all options.

Early Retirement Lifestyle Focused Goals

Early Retirement Lifestyle, Health, Non-financial Aspects of retirement, , , , ,

When it comes to my goals for the New Year they are more Early Retirement Lifestyle Focused Goals than financial. I have read a lot of impressive goals on many personal finance sites. They have motivated me to also begin my process to set and write down my goals for this New Year.

Being that I am early retired and living from my portfolio I have no real financial targets other than staying on budget.

IF I decide to take on a paying gig within my interest and my passions then my goal is simply to save 100% of the income it produces. At this time I have no such targeted opportunity in mind. I may not start any this year so I can’t set as a goal a targeted number to be saved.

You may be wondering, what are these Early Retirement Lifestyle Focused Goals? They are goals to help me live a more fulfilling life. Early Retirement Lifestyle Focused Goals are worthy goals for anyone retired or still on their financial independence journey.

Early Retirement Lifestyle Focused Goals 

Always Be Motivated

Nothing is more motivational than having something to look forward to. Having a goal or adventure in front of me that is something that I am interested in, passionate about, or just plain excites me can’t do anything but keep me motivated.

Early Retirement Lifestyle Focused GoalsI could rename my bucket list and change it to my motivation list. It is having these listed experiences and adventures or my always being open to an unknown adventure that keeps me remembering that my life is something more than my day-to-day life, routines, and habits. Part of this Early Retirement Lifestyle Focused Goal is working my way down my list and when appropriate adding to it or removing something that no longer interest me. It also includes taking action to make them happen. Even if it takes long-term action to get there. It is still motivating to see progress.

So what is on this list? It has the answers to the all-important question: What do I want to experience and accomplish before I die.

Early Retirement Lifestyle Focused Goals # 1- Be a Motivated Person. Motivation leaves no room for boredom, discouragement, or dread in my early retirement lifestyle.

See the Silver Lining

This is a very challenging goal. Life is full of ups and downs. My goal is to always look for the good in any bad situation. It is all about keeping a better perspective and maintaining a positive attitude. The idea is to see the Silver Lining so I can find the meaning in my mistakes, failures, and losses so I can learn from them. Then make adjustments and move on without stewing in negativity about anything bad that has happened.

Early Retirement Lifestyle Focused Goals # 2- Seek Silver Lining Freedom. Finding the good in bad situations means I can successfully move forward instead of being chained to the past.

Count My Blessings

By focusing on all the good things that I have in my life and what I want to accomplish I can live feeling content. That is certainly a better way to live than the alternative. Focusing on my losses, failures, or what I don’t have would only cause negative feelings and a negative attitude. Taking stock of all that I have and being truly thankful is a goal that ensures a happier life.

Early Retirement Lifestyle Focused Goals # 3- Recognize that I am Blessed. Understanding that I am fortunate and have an abundant life means negativity and envy can find no home within me.

Feed and Grow Personal Relationships

My family and friends are the cornerstone to my well-being. Some relationships come easy and others require work to stay connected. One reason I have this as a goal is that these relationships are counted as part of my blessings. Also by giving myself to others outside of any other goals or my happiness makes ME a better person.

Early Retirement Lifestyle Focused Goals # 4- Treat Family and Friends as Priceless. Selflessly giving and connecting to other human beings that I love and care about is the only path to a full, loving, and rewarding life.

Make My Health a Priority

My health is what it is. It could always be better and it sure can be worse. It is up to me to do all I can to be as healthy as I can. I want to live a long time and enjoy my early retirement freedom. My goal is to pay myself first through daily exercise and staying active. I always feel better mentally and physically after exercise. Other health goals are to always seek ways to improve my diet and stay current with medical and dental checkups. My exercise goal is a way to delay aging into a rocking chair. This lifestyle goal is to stay vital and active for as long as I can.

Early Retirement Lifestyle Focused Goals # 5- Protect My Valuable Health. By staying healthy I might be able to keep putting distance and time between me and my becoming a sick old man waiting for the Grim Reaper.

 Take Calculated Risks

Staying comfortable is the easy way but a less rewarding way to live. But my taking calculated risks that takes me out of my comfort zone is necessary for me to create what I want from life. That is to live life as an adventure and let my passions and natural curiosity guide me. My goal is to reach beyond what I know which is a big part of the early retirement lifestyle I want to create. I want to constantly learn and experience new things.

Early Retirement Lifestyle Focused Goals # 6- Embrace Strategic Risk. Live life to the fullest and avoid regretting later in my life the risks I didn’t take.

In Closing

You may be thinking these are goals that I should always have. Not something to just list for the New Year. That is absolutely correct. I believe taking the time to list out goals whether they are common-sense or raising the bar on our accountability is important. It is all about choices. We choose to better ourselves, our finances, our happiness, our career, etc. Listing our chosen goals is the first step. We then get to put action towards them and measure how well we have done. We then can identify areas we need to work harder at. My Early Retirement Lifestyle Focused Goals are all about living the best life I can. Not only this year but the rest of my life.

Do you have any non-financial based goals for the New Year to make your life happier and more fulfilling?

Boost your Immunity System with Exercise

Health, Non-financial Aspects of retirement, , ,

Health should be a year round priority and did you know that you can Boost your Immunity System with Exercise? Exercise and staying active is a frugal way to stay our healthiest. Whether we are on the path to financial independence or already enjoying our early retirement we have too much we want to do and don’t want to be sick.

I happen to be writing this during the holidays because it is a time when we tend to live with added stress even though we know we should be enjoying our time. We tend to stray from our healthier diets and overextend ourselves with all kinds of social gatherings, shopping for gifts, worship, and celebrations.

Boost your Immunity System with ExerciseWe are in close proximity with many people and our immunity system may be tested and called upon many times. Right when we have absolutely no time to be sick.

Regular exercise is a way to keep our bodies and immunity system in top condition. To stay healthy we must keep our immunity system strong to protect and defend our body against illness and to help quicken our recovery if we do fall to illness.

Boost Your Immunity System with Exercise – How It Works

When we are in movement it also results in our body’s immune cells being more active. Faster circulating immune cells are able to overcome and kill any invading viruses and bacteria easier.

The extra immune cell energy boost that is gained from our movement through exercise lasts hours after the workout ends.

Did you know that research has found that people who exercise regularly have fewer colds and sick days from work than those who don’t?

  • Exercise makes us less vulnerable to illness by slowing our release of stress hormones. I know I come out of a workout less stressed than when I went into it.
  • Exercise also helps us fight infection by raising our body temperature. I know I am exercising when I feel the heat turn up.
  • Exercise causes us to sweat and increase our breathing. That in turn helps us flush out disease-causing bacteria from our bodies through our sweat and lungs. YUCK! Remember to wipe down the workout equipment after use.

You Can Boost your Immunity System with Exercise But Don’t Over Do It

There comes a point when exercise loses its health benefits. That happens when we go overboard and over exercise. Extreme exercise will stress our bodies too far and weaken our immunity system’s ability to fight off disease. This can occur with long and strenuous workouts of 90 minutes or more.

Boost your Immunity System with Exercise but don’t ignore other healthy actions.
Exercise is easily forgotten and for many people the first to thing to be sacrificed when we get busy. There are the other healthy habits that we need to also remember to keep as a priority to boost our immune system.

  • Go to bed and get enough sleep.
  • Manage and try to control your stress.
  • Concentrate on eating healthy.
  • Take your prescribed medication and any required vitamins/supplements that are part of your health routine.
  • Don’t drink your immune system into drunken oblivion and avoid all tobacco smoke.

There you have it.

Go ahead and make a plan to Boost your Immunity System with Exercise.

Do speak with your Doctor before significantly increasing your exercise or activity level.

If you can’t talk while exercising then you may be pushing too hard and over doing it. Those of us who may be a little out of shape will need to take it slower and work towards things. It can take far less than the 90 minutes mentioned above if we push ourselves beyond or fitness level too quickly. It can end up taking things too far. We don’t want to exercise ourselves into a compromised immunity system.

Do you find that when you exercise regularly you are sick less?

Do you see yourself letting exercise slip away from your healthy living routine when life gets hectic?

Stay Healthy my Retiring Friends

Early Retirement Lifestyle, Health, Retire Often,

I don’t always pursue paying opportunities of interest and passion in my early retirement. But when I do I prefer being healthy enough to do it. Stay Healthy my Retiring Friends.

So you may be wondering why the play on good health. It seems that good health or at least not having bad health is key to living the retired lifestyle you dreamed of. Particularly those who wish to work at something new in their retirement according to a recent survey of retiring boomers.

The study by Bankers Life Center for a Secure Retirement – “New Expectations, New Rewards: Work in Retirement for Middle-Income Boomers” finds that Middle-income Boomers view employment as a part of the retirement experience. Of which I, Leisure Freak Tommy with my “retire early and often” mantra just can’t help but smile to know I am not as big a freak as I thought I was.

This may have surveyed Boomers. But the results should apply to any retiring generation. People are people. The survey found that 28%, almost a third of retired Boomers said they are now employed or have been employed for pay during their retirement. Of those currently employed, 61% work because they want to. Not need to work. Oh yes, the true definition of retirement: The absence of needing to work defines retirement, not the absence of working.

The survey dug deeper. It found that 59% worked for non-financial reasons. Like remaining physically active, to have a sense of purpose, and/or staying mentally alert. Finally I want to also list here that 78% of these employed retirees state they are as satisfied or more satisfied with their work when compared to their pre-retirement job or career.

A whopping 32% reported they were much more satisfied now than their pre-retirement career. All of this is exactly what my experience has been. But I now want to get to the purpose of this post. With all the wonderful results for the 28% who successfully pursued paying opportunities of interest and passions. What of the rest of the survey respondents?

Stay Healthy my Retiring Friends Because Poor Health Crushes Plans.

Of the surveyed retired Boomers who have not or are not currently engaged in paying work almost half (48%) would like to pursue paying opportunities but can’t, more than not because of health reasons.

It is bad enough to not need to work and having dreams of an encore career crushed by having to sit it out due to poor health but it is a very raw situation for those who need to work for pay to supplement their retirement income.

  • For many of the surveyed retirees they wanted to work longer but found themselves retiring earlier than planned due to poor health reasons. In total, 69% said they had to retire earlier than expected. Of that a huge 79%, almost eight out of ten people retired for reasons beyond their control like personal health reasons (39%), having to care for a loved one (9%), or being laid off (19%).
  • Of all the surveyed retired middle-income Boomers who had never worked for pay in retirement, half (48%) would like to work but can’t, either because of their own health reasons (35%), the health of a loved one (5%) or because they can’t find a job (8%). Health reasons is the biggest issue keeping retirees from finding any kind of retirement work.
Health has to be a higher priority.

We spend a lot of energy and planning setting the perfect frugal lifestyle budget, paying off all debt and keeping it paid off, and saving/investing a large percentage of our income to reach our early retirement and financial independence goals. But how much are we doing to insure we are as healthy as we want to be and need to be when the time comes to live the lifestyle that we envisioned and created? It is never too late to start taking our Health seriously and making it a priority.

  • Stop smoking. Why keep doing something you know is slowly killing you.
  • Don’t drink too much alcohol. Moderation is the key.
  • Eat healthy. We all know we can’t get away with eating Pizza like a college student anymore. Make an effort to eat better.
  • We should continue to exercise daily and plan for it to be part of our envisioned retirement lifestyle. Ride your bicycle, hike, use the stairs, and join a gym if that is what it takes to keep you motivated.
  • Get your Medical checkups. Get your physical exams, colonoscopies, mammograms, etc. as recommended. We never know when something goes wrong with us medically. Catch it early and chances are it won’t ruin the rest of your life or crush your retirement dreams.
  • Correctly take your prescribed medication. Pay attention to the directions and make sure you take them as recommended and take them regularly.
  • Drink more water. Time to move away from soft drinks and energy drinks.
  • Get plenty of sleep. More and more the importance of getting enough sleep comes up as important to good health.
Final Comments

The survey was targeting the most current group of retirees who happen to be Boomers. I hope that seeing “Boomer” didn’t turn any of my non-boomer readers off from reading the rest of this post because the same issues will be true for the next generation coming behind the Boomers. Check out the survey. It is an easy read and has some interesting findings.

Stay Healthy my Retiring Friends, no matter what generation you are or how young you are when you can pull retirement off.

Do you put your Health as a high priority just like you do your finances?

Pay Yourself First is More than Money

Health, Non-financial Aspects of retirement, , , ,

In the financial independence world we hear a lot about pay yourself first. But pay yourself first is more than money. Unfortunately setting a budget, living a smart-frugal life, paying off debt, saving and investing our money is what we put our highest focus on. For many years that is exactly what I did. What about our health? Shouldn’t that also be just as important? Is it a coincidence that Health and Wealth are only separated by a single letter?

LiveHealthy-pay yourself first is more than moneyWhile I was in my second retirement over the last several months I had the time to make my health my primary focus. I did this by exercising every day for 2 to 3 hours. I was successful in losing 40 pounds and knocking several years off my age. I still have a ways to go to reach my health goals. But now that I have started this new side hustle it isn’t as easy to pull off. My struggle to pay myself first with dedicating time to exercising after work is what made me take a little self-assessment of my financial independence pay myself first short-comings.

Pay Yourself First is More than Money- Time For Self Assessment

  • I enjoy and look forward to my bi-annual meeting with my financial adviser. We go over my fund performance and discuss investment strategy and goals going forward.
  • I don’t feel the same about my bi-annual doctor appointment for blood tests. Where we also meet to discuss my health, what I am doing to improve it and strategies to meet my health goals. I always dread going in. Perhaps because I wasn’t making any improvement until these last several months.

 

  • I will without fail track my spending and saving. I never miss a beat with my finances. I eagerly look forward to my financial statements.
  • I am less than committed to tracking my exercise for the day and any health gains or loses. It can always wait and when I am tired or busy with anything else. When busy I put exercise as secondary. Not much to track anyway. I don’t hold myself accountable for my health goals.
Bingo. My brain says there is a problem

I have only worked 5 days at this full-time side hustle. I admit that the first two days I did come home and just told myself it is alright to not exercise. Just relax and chill after a rewarding but long day. I thought a lot about this over the weekend. Dammit! I come to realize that my health is just as important as my wealth. I better start treating it that way. I have to start treating it as paying myself first just like the financial stuff.

All the thinking I did about saving my side hustle income in a 401K to shield it from taxes this year and not one minute worrying about fitting in a sufficient amount of time to exercise daily. I basically lost all the weight that I had gained working until retirement number two for these exact lack of exercise reasons and I don’t want to gain it back. I feel healthy now but I won’t for long if I don’t stick to it.

Pay Yourself First is More than Money, it’s Also About Your Health

Making the pay myself first health and exercise plan
  • I made a scaled down version of my larger and longer exercise routine so that I now commit to at least an hour after work. I have set that time as my own from 6:00 to 7:00 PM during the week.
  • I started tracking my exercise and health gains during my retirement for the first time. I will now continue to do the same while working this side hustle to hold myself accountable.
  • I will honestly communicate with my doctor instead of just getting through it as quickly as I can. I will be a fully active participant in this bi-annual get together which is done for me in the first place. I was so stupid!
  • I will work to improve my healthy diet knowledge and start incrementally moving to a more healthy diet.
  • I will read my Health related magazines more in-depth instead of gleaning through them. Maybe learn something. My doctor had recommended my using and joining (membership) a company called “Life Extension” for both the periodicals and the vitamins they offer. I also recommend them to anyone who wants improved health and knowledge. (BTW, Full disclosure. I do now have an affiliation with Life Extension. Although this is a personal recommendation based on my own use of their products, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you if you use these Life Extension links or the Life Extension Ad in the sidebar to place an order. Do your research and if you decide to use their products follow all instructions and consult your doctor when recommended.)
Conclusion

Pay yourself first is more than money. It also includes our health by paying ourselves with the time and commitment to be the healthiest that we can be. What good will wealth do anyone if their health is poor and they are unable to enjoy the freedom that financial independence will give? Aside from the misery that poor health can cause, all the effort to reach financial independence wasn’t just to hand it over to cover high medical costs due to preventable health issues.

Do you struggle to commit to exercise and a healthy lifestyle because you are too busy or do you have it down and can share how you are able to stay committed to your personal staying healthy plan?