Walk With the Doc Saturday March 11th, 8:00 am Saving for Retirement When most of us contemplate retirement, we tend to focus on savings. We ponder how long it will take, and how to navigate the ups and downs of a changing economy. Of course without the health to enjoy retirement what will our planning be worth? This is why it’s important to incorporate wellness and fitness into your retirement plan. Life is a whole lot easier when you can take the steps to your rented vacation cottage without having to first stop to catch your breath, rest your arthritic knees, and check your blood glucose level. The best retirement plans include fitness goals. Crossing the financial independence finish line huffing, puffing, and overweight is not what you want. Granted, changing lifestyle to protect our health takes discipline and may not be easy at first. On the plus side, smart lifestyle choices lower stress, improve our immunity and much, much more. Establishing a regular workout routine during your working years is the key to protecting yourself from burnout and for setting you up to remain fit and truly enjoy your retirement years. According to the Government, a 55-year old man can expect to live, on average, another 25.4 years. The average 55-year old woman gets another 27.8 years. The point is, retiring early and healthy (say at 65 with the health of an average 55-year old) is like retiring 10 years earlier. An unhealthy 55-year old may have no more than five or ten years. A healthy 55-year old may be looking at thirty or more years of good living. That’s a difference of twenty-plus years or more. Best of all, it’s likely to be many more years of quality life. If in need of ideas to exercise, try FitnessBlender. com. They have hundreds of free exercises and exercise programs you can view on YouTube. Best of all, it’s free and no gym or equipment is needed. Look around their site for ideas you can use. Of course, if you like the unique advantages of a gym then go for it (including local YMCA). If still in need of an idea, then join me for an uplifting morning walk. With luck it might feel like Spring. Just in case, plan for coat, hats and mittens as the dress du jour. Nancy Neighbors, MD More About FitnessBlender.com On the FitnessBlender.com website you will find free workout videos for every fitness level. Even if you can’t make it to the gym for a workout with a personal fitness trainer, you can still have many of the same benefits wherever a web browser is available (home, office, travel, etc.) FitnessBlender.com provides customizable workout calendars, progress tracking, support and encouragement forums, and a tool to save your favorite videos. The site does sell a variety of eBooks and other products which you would certainly want to research before purchasing. If you find a workout video you especially like, tell me about it. In a future newsletter, I’ll share the favorites you’ve told me about. Exercise Tips Tip #1: You Have to Do It Tip #2: Find a Friend to Exercise With Tip #3: Never Believe It’s Effortless Imagine Exercise Being This Much Fun! Thursday Night Swing in Huntsville Alabama meets every Thursday at Lowe Mill in the Flying Monkey Theatre. Each week, we teach a variety of levels of classes in: Charleston, Lindy Hop, Solo Jazz, Balboa and even Blues. It’s fun, relaxed and you’re never required to have a partner! After lessons, we open up the floor for an hour and half of social dancing and practice time to the tunes of some of the best swing DJs in town. We’ll see you Thursday! The mission of the Huntsville Swing Dance Society is to preserve and promote the art form of social swing dancing. Whether you are a beginner or you have been dancing for years we have something for you! If you are new and want to know where to take classes or if you have been dancing for awhile and you just want to know where the monthly dances are this is the right place for you! More About Online Fitness Services Can’t make it to the gym? With an Internet connection you can still fit in a quick and effective workout almost anytime, anywhere. Many more streaming services offer the benefits of a class from your smartphone or laptop. For a list of typical services visit “The Best Online Fitness Services of 2017.” While I can’t say it’s the ‘best’, it is an amazing number of services. All claim they are free to try. For more ideas Google the search term “Online Fitness Services.” Perhaps you already use one of these services? Found one you like? Tell me about it. Let’s take a walk Date: Saturday, March 11th Location: Jones Family Park (see map) Time: 8:00 am (Meet in front of Yogurt Mountain) Yogurt Mt. is the last store at the end of Valley Bend Shopping Center). If cloudy, bring an umbrella, we walk come rain or shine. Click here for Dr. Neighbors’ 2017 news page |
