September 11, 2023 —Retirement is a wonderful stage in life where you’ve stopped working, and you get to determine what you want to do each and every day. You’re spending more time with family, devoting more time to your interests, and there’s no set schedule where you need to clock in.
You may have recently made the move to a senior living community, where the lifestyle is designed to be stress-free and full of great activities and events, all factors that enhance your quality of life and benefit your health.
With so many opportunities at your fingertips, you may not know where to start. Check out these 21 things to do in retirement so you can make the most of your golden years.
What to Do When You First Retire
When you first retire, there are so many exciting things you can do. It’s important to fully enjoy this moment as you’ve reached a major life milestone. Here are a few ideas of what you can do in the first stage of your retirement.
- Travel
Go see the places you’ve always wanted to see. You don’t have PTO or work responsibilities to worry about–pack your suitcase and start traveling.
- Make Plans with Friends
You’ll definitely want to make plans with friends and family when you first retire. This will help you stay connected and will give you something to look forward to. Maybe you’ll go to a new restaurant and socialize and enjoy a meal with friends you haven’t seen in a while–or you’ll start a weekly coffee shop meetup where you can chat with your friends on a regular basis.
- Create a Bucket List
You may want to take some time and brainstorm about all the things you want to do. Createa bucket list so you can identify what you want to do, and you can start working on how you’ll cross off each item. Download and print your bucket listso you can start adding to it right away!
- Stay Active
When there isn’t an alarm waking you up early in the morning, it can be very easy to sit on the couch all day. Not only is this detrimental to your health, it also isn’t what you worked your whole life for.
Staying active will help you feel energized and healthy–which will allow you to go through your bucket list with excitement. Staying active doesn’t have to be a three-hour gym routine. It can be as simple as getting out and about each day.
- Pick Up a Sport
If you enjoy friendly competition and the camaraderie of playing sports, then you should look for senior sports leagues near you. There are plenty of wonderful sports for older adults.
For serious training and competition, you can look into the National Senior Games Association, where older adults dedicated to their sports can train and compete at a national level.
- Learn New Technology
When you learn new technology, you can stay connected with family and friends through video chat, phone calls, and texting. You may even find your niche space on social media.
Older adults who create content are known as senior influencers. Creating content could be a possible new hobby for you, and it’s a way to meet new people and build social connections.
New technology, like a smart home virtual assistant, can make your life easier. You can use your smart speakers to play music, find out information, ask for the weather, set reminders, and build lists.
Things to Do at Home in Retirement
- Try a New Hobby
Retirement is the perfect time to discover a new hobby. Maybe you’ve always wanted to try painting, but you didn’t have enough free time. This could also be the time in your life when you write your book. You can try everything and anything that interests you.
- Pick Up a Seasonal Part-Time Job
While retirement is when you’re happy to be done with your full-time job, you may miss a little structure in your week. You can find a part time job to provide a schedule and add some supplemental income to your savings. If working a part-time job wasn’t part of your retirement plan, part of your earnings could even turn into a vacation fund where you save for your next trip.
Many places are often hiring around the holiday season. You could enjoy being in the hustle and bustle as everyone is preparing for the holidays.
- Grow a Garden
Have you always wanted to go outside and pick your vegetables for dinner? Or go to your garden and cut fresh flowers for a beautiful bouquet? Retirement is the perfect time to grow a garden. Follow these tips on how to start a garden for beginners.
- Decorate Your Space
Perhaps this is the time to change up your space. If you’re getting a little tired of how your space looks, there’s no telling what a fresh coat of paint and some new decorations could do. This could also give you an opportunity to declutter a space so everything is organized and neat. Check out these tips for refreshing a space.
- Get a Furry Friend
Many older adults get a pet like a dog or a cat. Pets provide responsibility and unconditional love. They also help prevent feelings of isolation and help their owners stay active.
- Look into Your Family’s Ancestry
Are you more interested in finding your roots? These ancestry sites can help you see your family’s history and where you came from. As you continue to look into each side of your family, you may build a large family tree that you can show to your family members.
- Read
Has your to-be-read pile been growing over the years? Now’s the time to start working on reading all the books you’ve wanted to enjoy, but other responsibilities and time constraints didn’t allow you to. Whether you’re curled up at home, reading in a coffee shop, or enjoying your book in a local park, there’s nothing like getting lost in a good book.
- Do a Craft
Have you ever been in a home decor store and saw something you liked, but it was overpriced? Did you ever think, I could make that myself? This is the perfect time to try some DIY crafts. One popular idea is making a wreath–as you can make several for each season.
- Journal
Journaling allows you to get all your thoughts out of your head and onto the page. This therapeutic exercise can help you work through an issue, be creative, or recall your day.
Things to Do in the Community in Retirement
- Expand Your Knowledge
Do you love a certain subject like history or literature? You can expand your knowledge by taking courses to dive deeper into your favorite topics. Seek out lifelong learning opportunities in your community. This is a great way to continue your education and keep your mind sharp while you spend time learning about something that fascinates you.
Learning a new language or brushing up on a second language are other popular ways to broaden your mind. There are all kinds of online courses to help you learn more.
- Explore Your Community’s Surroundings
Take a road trip to see what’s outside of your community. You will likely find some quaint towns and a larger metropolitan area close to you. These places offer so many fun activities and things to explore.
- Take Fitness Classes
Fitness classes are a great way to stay motivated and involved in physical activities. You may find that you love taking a calm class like yoga or tai chi, or you love the upbeat energy in a Zumba class. If you love the water, you may also try water aerobics or swimming. Water workouts are great because the water supports you, so there’s less stress on your joints.
- Join Clubs
Joining clubs is a perfect way to meet others with similar interests. You don’t have to have a background in the clubs you join, as long as it interests you. You can join a book club to read and discuss ideas and thoughts about a book with others. A walking club may be a fun way to go for a stroll outside with friends. Or you may want to join a social club that’s focused on connecting with others.
- Mentor
As an older adult, you have life experience that others don’t have. When you mentor someone, you can help guide them and provide your knowledge so they can grow. If you were a teacher, this is a great way to continue to teach children and broaden their minds.
- Volunteer
You can volunteer your free time to help others. There are all kinds of volunteer opportunities for older adults. This can be spending time at your local food bank to help sort food for families, help with adoption events at local animal shelters, or volunteer your time and expertise at a community garden.
Live Your Dream Retirement at Kendal on Hudson
With more activities than there are hours in the day, Kendal on Hudson is the perfect place to call home for your retirement. Call us at (833) 235-5850 to learn more about our community and about our waitlist.