As we advance in age, what are the things that bring us joy, or what do we find exciting? Do you believe you can be just as enthusiastic about life as you did in your 30s and 40s? If you do, join the rest of us who are living lives that are not only exciting but more thrilling than when we were younger. You may ask, how is this possible? Or you may be questioning if it’s a possibility for you? I believe living an exciting and engaged life is available to all who choose to make it part of their mantra, goal, and pursuit.
Everything you do or don’t do comes with a price. It will cost you something, even if it’s only time. But we should never be dismissive of time. Instead, it can be treated as a valued commodity. With this realization and wisdom that only comes with maturity, you can still look to the future with great expectation. By equipping yourself with new information and knowledge, you can make choices and decisions that are more rewarding. Continuously experiencing enjoyment at a sublime level is not easily accomplished and is usually elusive in your youth. However, those 50 and over should be looking ahead with great anticipation of what’s yet to unfold.
In your thirties and forties, you are usually preoccupied with finding the right life partner, securing your career, starting, or advancing a business, buying or upscaling a home, and raising a family. One of your goals likely included enjoying life as you aged and matured.
Through the years, you have experienced happy times, moments of excitement, sorrow, disappointment, and even instances of embarrassment, anticipation or gratitude, and a host of other emotions. Just doing what we all do, living life may have caused you to get off course or your plans to be derailed. If this is you, you may wonder if it’s even possible to be more excited about your next life’s chapters? Is it feasible or even realistic to have such thoughts? Can you live in a state of joy that will allow you to experience life more profoundly and abandon the never-ending chase of happiness you pursued in your younger years? The answer is yes.
Let’s explore how possessing a progressive mindset can help you focus on activities that promote a lifestyle that’s enriching and bring true fulfillment instead of concentrating on your past and passively waiting to retire. While there are multiple ways to ensure life remains interesting that may surpass attempts made in your earlier years, I will briefly touch on four.
- Exercise
It has been proven that physical activity can help keep your mind sharp. It also delays the development of dementia. Regular exercise promotes good health and prevents deterioration of muscle mass and joints. Also, exercise can help thwart conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, and heart disease. Opportunities to participate in physical activities are possible and encouraged if you want to live life to its fullest, with the highest quality. Therefore, caring for your physical health with exercise is one way to keep your body in peak readiness to live a remarkable life for members of the proverbial – 50 and over club.
Walking – is one of the most effective exercises for all ages. Regular short walks and prolonged walking should be a part of your health routine. By walking, you are involving your whole body and developing core strength. Creating a simple schedule is a reminder and will increase your probability of achieving and maintaining your plan. Charting an easy-to-access walking space or trail will also improve your daily or weekly walking practice. If you want to include a meditative experience during walking, try involving walking on trails with luscious greenspace or safe forest tracks to add a spirit of serenity. Ask a friend or two to join you for a more enjoyable experience.
Cycling – is primarily an aerobic activity. It is easy, affordable, and can give you a safe, high-quality muscle workout. Unlike other sports, cycling does not require a great learning curve or demand great physical skill. It places less stress on your joints than some more rigorous exercises because it is low impact. If you are seeking a tremendous solo exercise activity, cycling is fantastic. Other times, riding your bike provides opportunities to expand social interaction by simply adding a companion. You can use this time to connect with friends, family, and associates who may also be seeking camaraderie and ways to improve their health.
Swimming – is an excellent water sport, and if you have mobility issues, it is one of the best activities you can engage in to enhance your movement and flexibility. If you have arthritis or want to improve your muscle strength or cardiovascular health, this exercise is for you. Of course, swimming involves a learning curve. So, if you don’t already know how to swim, you will need to invest in classes. Don’t let this be a barrier. However, view it as a way to grow and push yourself beyond your comfort level. Allow yourself to embrace the benefits rather than dwelling on obstacles to achieving your goal of learning to swim. If you already know how to swim, but it has become less of a priority over time, so you don’t enjoy it regularly, add it to your list of better health habits.
Golfing – is another excellent exercise to improve joint movement and blood circulation. It will help build muscle while making your heart work more efficiently. Since concentration is a requirement in playing golf, it will help increase your mental well-being. Golf is another exercise that promotes social interaction.
Pilates – by far, is one of the best ways to get fit for the fifty and older population. Pilates will improve your balance, posture, and flexibility. It can also reduce many of the ailments you may face as you age. Another benefit involves helping to mitigate the effects of back pain and osteoporosis. Pilates is a strength development exercise that decreases fatigue and increases circulation and muscle mass.
Dancing – is fun and does not have an age limit so that it can continue throughout your life. Dancing is an enjoyable exercise filled with delight and satisfaction. Whether casual or ballroom dancing, this total body workout can improve your balance and agility. Line dancing and even seated dancing can open new avenues for you to develop mental and physical health. It can help reduce the risk of heart disease. Likewise, learning a unique dance style can be exciting and expand your circle of friends. Even if dancing has not been a part of your everyday routine or list of fun activities, adding it to your schedule can introduce another level of inspiration and creativity to reduce boredom.
- NEW THRILL-SEEKING ADVENTURES
Some events offer thrill-seeking opportunities if you are open to more adventurous activities. You don’t have to stop being curious and a little daring. Why not take up windsurfing, kayaking, mountain climbing, or marathons? Excitement can come by testing your determination and resolve to tackle a new adventure that induces an adrenaline rush with just a touch of danger.
Windsurfing – windsurfing is one of the more popular sea sports and involves controlling the wind while balancing yourself on the water. Enthusiasts love it because it’s just you and the wind with only a thin board separating you from the water. Although this sport requires practice to enjoy, the rush and excitement you experience will be hard to match. With more practice and as your skills improve, you gain more confidence. If you are seeking a rich sailing experience, many believe windsurfing is one of the purest ways to enjoy it.
Kayaking – As you can imagine, kayaking has immense physical benefits. It’s easy to see how kayaking improves strength-building and has tremendous aerobic benefits because this sport involves using your torso, shoulders, chest, and legs. The constant paddling that’s required helps to develop muscle tone and build your strength. Therefore, kayaking can be a form of cardiac exercise since it positively affects blood flow, improving your heart’s ability to regulate blood circulation. But you may not realize that it also has tremendous mental benefits. Much has been written and shared about how neurotransmitters, which serve as our body’s chemical messengers, can make you feel more centered and happier. But most don’t think about this when kayaking is mentioned. However, when you paddle during kayaking, neurons communicate with one another, which can cause you to feel better or happier. In addition, neurotransmitters serve to enhance your ability to focus. With appropriate knowledge and practice, kayaking can safely be engaged in by people of all ages. It can be enjoyed in solitude or with others. While kayaks are made for either open water or rivers, you should know that rivers or white-water kayaking bear more risks. So, if it’s the thrill you are seeking, white-water kayaking will fit the bill. But with any sport or physical activity that comes with risks, safety must be primary.
Mountain Biking – thrill-seekers enjoy mountain biking and find it an excellent sport because it is also a form of exercise that improves cardiovascular fitness. It’s been well documented that vigorous exercise stimulates the body to release endorphins which fosters a feel-good mood. Therefore, two benefits of mountain biking are it is both a stress reducer and an exhilarating, challenging experience. Other benefits include boosting blood flow and increasing oxygen to the brain, improving mental awareness, and the ability to focus. Suppose you want to enhance your upper body strength, engage in a great social activity, and enjoy nature. In that case, mountain biking is an adventure you may want to include as one of your physical activities.
Marathons – since running a marathon involves your mental state as much as your physical readiness, it can be quite a challenge. Participating in marathons is a way to recharge and reinvigorate a usually mundane physical routine and can be emotionally stimulating. Marathons require significant effort, preparation, and a genuine commitment if you are going to reach the finish line. However, your reward will be commensurate with the time, energy, and enthusiasm you tackle the challenge. Adding marathons as a sport will surely increase the level of excitement in your life and help reduce the draining effects of apathy and weariness you may be experiencing.
Tips and Precautions – while each of these activities may appeal to you, check with your doctor before engaging in any new exercise or athletic adventure.
- Self-Improvement
Learn a New Language – I’ll be the first to admit that learning a new language late in life is more challenging than it would have been in your youth, but it is still possible. You will improve your success rate by setting specific goals and immersing yourself in the process of learning. Be kind to yourself and realize it will take time. If possible, you should place yourself in environments with others that speak the language you are learning. Connect with an accountability partner to help you remain steadfast in this new endeavor. If learning a new language is something that you have been contemplating, I encourage you to take the leap. Do not let the fact that this new endeavor will require a real commitment of time, determination, and effort deter you from accomplishing this incredible feat. Ultimately, being bilingual can afford you both personal and professional opportunities.
Start a Business – women who are 50 and older have an opportunity to change the face of this demographic by pursuing new career paths and start-up businesses. It is an area showing a steady incline and where the potential to succeed continues to grow. Some improvements are due to the recent availability of grants, venture capitalists, and favorability with financial institutions, contributing to a higher probability of success than in the past. Of course, it still requires a solid business plan, experience, and dedication on your part, but starting and sustaining your business venture is possible. You can choose to be a part of this shift that’s increasingly becoming common. Although I must admit, while there has been advancement and greater accessibility to information and capital assisting women entrepreneurs, inequities still exist. Nevertheless, owning a business is an exciting pathway to success, trending up for women.
Pursue Self-Education Opportunities – your desire to learn should never stop. The very essence of life is openness, willingness, and yearning to learn. No doubt, you either know or have read about people in their 50s, 60’s, ’70s, or even 80’s receiving advanced degrees, and though this is not typical, it reminds us of what is possible when you never give up. Your exploration of self-education may not be this aggressive, but it should still be a part of your daily exercise and future. Self-education comes in many forms, including participating in online courses, attending seminars, workshops, masterminds, engaging a personal coach, or, as previously mentioned, college training and degrees.
- Well-being
Well-being is critical when we look at life holistically. Much research, numerous books, and a vast amount of information are available on this intriguing subject. Two areas of many current conversations and interests include mindfulness and meditation. Let’s first start with the difference between mindfulness and meditation. I will borrow John Kabat-Zinn’s definition of mindfulness since he is one of the more popular Western writers. Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as “the awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.” And researchers Walsh and Shapiro describe meditation as “a practice where an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state”
Mindfulness – is a quality versus a practice. This quality is among one of several categories of meditative practices. You can achieve mindfulness without participating in a formal training, which some find restrictive due to personal time constraints. While mindfulness does not have to involve meditation, it is still a quality that is associated with several health benefits. You learn how to slow down to “smell the roses” and be more attentive so you can fully engage in whatever is happening in the moment. You discover how to be intentional about delaying judgment, so a tendency to finalize assessments immediately is suspended; therefore, prejudging is diminished. Other positive attributes include developing self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-esteem. These attributes allow you to be more deliberate in everyday conversations and interactions at home, work, and play.
Meditation – meditation is a practice. Engaging in this practice can help you build various qualities, and one of these qualities is mindfulness. Meditation is the instrument used or serves as a tool to assist you in developing mindfulness. Meditation is used to accomplish a state of mindfulness and provides the mechanism to maintain and improve your mindfulness state. Meditation is just one of many methods you can learn and use to live mindfully. Meditation offers the great benefit of learning how to become an observer of your inner self. And you accomplished this while exerting minimal effort and from a place of non-judgment. Meditation is a formal practice; therefore, it requires a commitment to a designated time. One of the goals is to remove you from the busyness and distractions of your life. Meditation can improve the quality of your concentration. For some, it’s a significant reason or at least a deciding factor when the practice of meditation is considered. The important thing about meditation, should you decide to practice it, is to commit to a consistent routine with the realization meditation is more like a marathon than a sprint. Therefore, be patient with yourself as you work to become a better practitioner. Doing so will lengthen your attention span, improve your sleep, reduce stress, and improve your emotional health.
The only way for the following chapters in your life to be exhilarating and filled with wonder is for you to reset expectations to include a refreshing view. Doing so offers a secondary benefit that provides more than thrills but changes your life’s well-being trajectory. It promotes growth and will help sustain joy and peace. You are in the stage of your life now where you understand that setbacks are not failures, happiness can be experienced on many levels, and what’s on your horizon can still be exciting if you choose to be open to it.
Even more spectacular times are ahead because you are uniquely equipped at this stage in your life to indulge in deep, thought-provoking reflection and inspiring opportunities, discovery, and renewal.
