Why procrastination, stress and retirement drift hit harder as we age — and how a daily routine can pull us back into a life of meaning.
Time can be our own worst enemy, even in retirement or when we are winding down our careers.
We all know the drill: we tell ourselves that we have to start exercising, spend more time on that passion project, get off the couch and take a long walk, bike on a nice summer day, or fill our time with an enjoyable activity that we think about every day but seldom slot in the time to act on it.
As the great thinker Bertrand Russell would say, “”The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” Yet we often convince ourselves that tomorrow — or the next day — will be the perfect moment to finally begin, that our plate has enough food groups on it already and is full for the time being.
So we end up putting more stress on ourselves. All the “woulda-shoulda-coulda” words creep into our vocabularies. Meanwhile, the figures are staggering on stress in the workplace. The Global Organization for Stress tells us that six in 10 workers in the world’s largest economies report that workplace stress is rising and is a major deterrent to our productivity and our health.
Even in retirement, this plays a factor. We no longer care about that gold watch of latter generations when we retire. Instead, we fantasize about all the glorious benefits ahead: more time to travel, to enjoy the outdoors, to golf or play tennis or swim, to just enjoy ourselves doing the things we love.
However, life sometimes has other plans, whether it be financial challenges upon retirement, or family and health concerns, or merely the lack of gumption it takes to get up and go now that we are older. A quote credited to Socrates states that “Enjoy yourself – it’s later than you think.” And for many of us, that line hits harder with each passing year.
I know this myself: I’m the world’s worst procrastinator, at least in my own eyes. Part of it can be credited — or blamed — on adult-onset ADHD that forces me to fight constant distraction and an unorganized life on a daily basis. I can always find ways to fill my time that do not involve working on myself. With the endless cascade of streaming options, 24-hour news channels and the indigestible array of too many choices on the Internet to preoccupy my mind, it sometimes feels miraculous that I get anything done at all.
Many retirement studies back this up: After you first retire, you go through the honeymoon phase where you travel and enjoy your life of leisure. But after about a year of that comes disenchantment. That easy-as-Sunday-morning life can spiral into boredom, loneliness and an aimlessness that comes from time spent without meaning or direction.
The good news is that many retirees — at least those that choose not to go back to work full-time — enter a reorientation stage where they discover new adventures, challenges and routines that ignite their sense of play and get them back into a healthier groove of life. To paraphrase a frequently used phrase, retirement becomes a time to stop living for work and begin living for yourself. By recalibrating and reconsidering our plans, we give ourselves permission to reignite purpose.
As a fitness maven, I also know that exercise that is baked into your daily routine can provide that energy you need to feel engaged, vital and confident in yourself. I can quote numerous studies on the tremendous impact that exercise can make on your mental outlook — as well as your longevity — when you get older.
You can not only feel closer to your younger self again, but you can add in the social aspect of working out with a group or in joining with a trainer as a partner in your journey. Your body has more energy too and feels a sense of purpose, discarding those guilt feelings from spending too much time on the sofa or computer screen. Movement becomes a catalyst — not just for fitness, but for identity.
It applies to those who work too. Exercising is the “best medicine” to reduce stress and unleash those ecstatic endorphins that not only lead to happiness but also reduce the effects of pain on our bodies and minds.
So what can you do to get started? You can join a gym and find a trainer, or locate an online fitness program that keeps you engaged and puts you on a customized plan that fits your schedule and lifestyle. You can start your routine with daily stretching and some simple strength work, ranging from lifting weights to adding pushups on the high end to doing some bridges or cobras with a medicine ball and some squats and light dumbbell curls to sharpen the senses. Small steps build momentum — and momentum builds confidence.
In my next weekly article, I’ll discuss some of the techniques you can use to get started on a course toward better fitness, geared to older adults and to those where time and potential for injury can play a factor.
But remember that time should not be our enemy but instead can be used to our advantage and as our collaborator. You may be at or nearing the end of one path, but you are opening yourselves up to something new that may reboot your senses and your feeling of well-being much better than before.
They say that it is the journey and not the result that matters most. I’d add that the quest involves living your best life, and that is reachable at any age.
In retirement, you never get a day off. But you might also get to daydreaming too much. Waking up is sometimes hard to do, but the sandman can wait for another day. Your next chapter is waiting — but it won’t start until you do.
Joe Pryweller is a longtime fitness advocate who has finished close to 20 half marathons, a full marathon, a Spartan Race and a Hyrox competition in his 60s and has worked with others on their fitness journeys. He survived a heart attack in 2015 and has used that experience to motivate himself and others to reach fitness goals.
Joe is a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine and operates a remote and in-person exercise coaching business called New Chapter Strength. He is also a professional journalist who writes articles on fitness-related topics for BoldTimers and elsewhere.
If you are looking to kickstart your own fitness journey, you can visit New Chapter Strength for a free exercise consultation. You can email Joe at New Chapter Strength or go to his website, www.newchapterstrength.com.
Medical Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general educational purposes only and should not be taken as personalized medical advice. Always consult with your cardiologist or primary care physician before beginning any new exercise regimen, especially if you have a history of chronic health conditions or heart complications.