Probably the hardest part about staying healthy as you age is keeping active. We all have those days that we feel like doing nothing. We'd like to sit in front of the television and just watch, or sit on the computer all day. We might want to do nothing but stare out the window to see the world go by, and we might feel that since we have retired and we have done our lifelong work, we deserve to simply relax.
However, it is important to know that one of the keys to a healthy and happy retirement is to stay active. You should stay active as long as you can, even as you get older. You should try to do as much activity as you can handle. Before you begin to be active, you should talk to your doctor about your body and what limitations you might have. Your doctor can suggest some things that you can do to stay active that might benefit you in more ways than you know. It is very important that you talk to your doctor before becoming more active, because he can tell you what you should and shouldn't be doing.
No matter what happens to you in your life, you need to stay active. Even if you can't ride a bike like you could when you are younger, or if you don't have the muscles that are needed to do things like weight lifting and other sports, you can always simply be active. Walking around the block or to a friend's house instead of driving is a great way to maintain your activity. Even if you are only walking a little bit each day, it is much better for you than not being active. Try to be active in some way every day, even if you just walk around the building where you live, or walk out to get he mail.
We don't know how long we are going to have to be active, and so we should take every opportunity to stay active that we can. Even if you are in a wheelchair, or have limited mobility, you should talk with your doctor about exercises that you can do with the parts of your body that are mobile, so that you can keep your heart rate up and keep feeling better about yourself. Always remember to stay active as much as possible.
