It’s time to reveal week two of our January resolutions for 2023. Below are five more things to consider as you think about how to squeeze the juice out of the coming year. Check back next Monday for week three!
6. Learn Something New Every Day
Keeping our minds active is just as important as keeping our bodies active as we age. Learning new things has been proven to reduce cognitive decline, lessen depression, and improve quality of life. Challenge yourself with a new hobby, a musical instrument, or a new field of study that interests you. Celebrate the gift of free time that retirement allows for all this discovery!
7. Activate Your Muscles
Exercise may be the most common and the most short-lived resolution of all. But it is also one of the most important. “Use it or lose it” is more true than ever as we age. Commit to spending 10 minutes each day doing something for your body, whether it’s walking, stretching, dancing, or household chores. Get creative and get moving and you may find ten minutes becomes twenty!
8. Start a Journal
The benefits of journalling are well touted and can include everything from better sleep to drops in blood pressure. And who better to journal than older adults with endless stories and experiences inside of them. There are many helpful resources online with writing prompts to get you started. And if you choose to share these writings, you can add the priceless benefit of leaving a treasure for future generations.
9. Enjoy the Little Things
This may sound overly simplistic, but seeing and savoring the small things that bring you joy can play a huge role in improving your quality of life. Is it that first hot cup of coffee? The beautiful variety of birds at your bird feeder? The playlist of songs that makes you relax and remember? Take time to enjoy the little things. You don’t even have to leave your house.
10. Organize Your Medical Records
Let’s face it, keeping our medical files up to date becomes a larger task as we age. And it becomes even more important. It can help prevent medical mishaps as small as missed appointments and as large as dangerous drug interactions. Meticulous record keeping also helps in coordinating care between doctors and there is no time like the present to get this all health information in one place.
Check back next week for five more resolutions to help you get the most out of 2023.