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Old 09-08-19, 12:08 PM  
laurajhawk
 
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Colorado
My dream retirement would possibly kill me

Hey, I'm gonna start a thread! I'm a longtime VFer so I think I should do my part.

I've been working fulltime since I graduated college, and I'm 55 now. I'm starting to put a plan together to retire, and I think I can do it in 2022.
One of the side effects of even having a plan that far out is that I've started daydreaming about how I'll spend my days.

Right now, I do morning workouts (usually videos), morning walk with my dogs, live yoga classes, a little bit of teaching (yoga), and when I find time and energy, which isn't often, I really like to hike. I live in Colorado so there are lots of great trails quite nearby.

I realized that one of my dreams is to have time in the day for a workout (maybe a longer one! maybe P90X!) AND a longer walk/hike AND a personal yoga practice and/or class every day. OK, maybe some days would still be the short park walk I do now, but at least some longer ones. And of course I'll teach more - I want to teach enough to pay for my yoga passes and an occasional workshop or retreat. And ... I'm in OK shape right now but I'm not sure I'd find myself wanting to do all that! And I've got house and yard work in there somewhere (most of that falls on DH now). I realize that even if I don't do that much every day, I'll be able to do more than I do now, so it's fun to think about in any case.

If you're retired, what does your day look like, especially in terms of fitness/activity? If you're not retired but thinking about it, what do you think you'll do?
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Old 09-08-19, 12:28 PM  
Gams
 
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I retired last October and I have A LOT more time to work out now. I get up in the morning, eat breakfast, feed the dogs and do one or two workout DVDs and then I do housework and walk the dogs. I do errands in the afternoon, read or whatever I feel like. At night I walk the dogs again and we have dinner and then I do another workout DVD. I try to do 90 minutes to 2 hours of workout DVDs every day. I alternate - one day cardio and then weights and more cardio the next. I don’t do tough workouts, but I keep moving and I’ve list 25 pounds.
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Old 09-08-19, 01:12 PM  
eam531
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Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Buffalo, NY
I retired in December 2014.

I work out 6-7 days a week. 3X at the gym (full-body weight workouts) and 3-4X at home (yoga). If I work out 7 days a week, one workout is always very gentle. I also walk daily, and I do a lot of bike riding in the non-winter months.

I have a volunteer job at our local history museum in the library (I'm a retired librarian) and that is one morning per week. There might be an opportunity in the works to assist a professor with a project he is working on, which would be really cool, and DH and I are thinking of volunteering to deliver Meals on Wheels to people in our area.

This leaves me with time to read and listen to music, and I've started writing again (creative writing). Also there is time to socialize with friends, which is very nice indeed. Plus hanging out with our cat! And oh yeah, housework ... but having downsized when we relocated here, we have way less stuff than we used to, so it's easier to keep our house tidy!
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Disclosure: I have a personal relationship with a fitness instructor who has appeared in some videos.
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Old 09-08-19, 01:33 PM  
cataddict
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I "retired" 2 years ago and am now in the best shape I've been in years. Pounds used to stick to me like Gorilla Glue, but when the stress of a highly stressful job was lifted, I was able to lose the weight that had been slowly and relentlessly getting out of control. I was able to be more active in general, not just in dedicated workouts but in walking and movement. My job was done at a desk, and sometimes for 10+ hours with little break.

I admit it's hard sometimes not to overdo it since I have more time available (and I am guilty of doing it on occasion), but I have pretty much settled into a routine that seems to work for me. Most days I will walk steadily for about an hour and do a DVD workout 4 sometimes 5 days per week. I tend to do the longest premix available so the DVD time is probably an hour to an hour and a half. So I do some kind of "workout" activity every day.

I don't do a specific rotation, so I am flexible and choose my workout based on how my body feels and what else I've done during the day. For example, the last two days I have spent several hours cleaning up yard debris and putting things back in order after Hurricane Dorian, and it was hard, hot, and dirty work. So I didn't do more than an hour DVD and it was a fun one, like Stephen's step workout.
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Old 09-08-19, 01:39 PM  
Dobby
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Join Date: Jul 2006
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I love retirement! You will not believe how busy you are, lol!

I retired in 2011 but spent the first 2 years parent-focused - first providing support, then actually moving in to provide 24/7 care and then after they both died (long, happy lives - died in their 90's) closing out their house and selling it.

I have no idea what I do with my time, lol! I have gotten in a terrible habit of spending WAY too much time on the internet - generally on Trip Advisor travel forums answering travel questions for a particular destination plus another travel forum. I'm making more of a concerted effort to workout every day (but now it looks like I am back in to allowing VF to suck up my time, haha!).

Outdoor walking has been my main form of workout and to be honest it's only to stay in shape for travel. I have been able to do 1 or 2 nice long trips (3-5 weeks) to Europe each year since 2013 and my entire focus has been on staying in good enough shape to manage those.

Like any good vidiot I've got a cabinet full of DVD/VHS(!) workouts and I'm working on setting up a rotation that will work for me. Time, obviously, is not really a problem. Motivation is.

I was surprised I did not miss work AT ALL. I was a hospital social worker for 40 years, loved my job and thought I would miss interaction with staff and patients but nope - not a bit. I've had a few unsolicited job offers but financially I am OK so don't care to pursue.

This is an exciting time for you! Work out a plan for your health insurance coverage as that is the biggest expense. Otherwise, enjoy!

~Pam
(PS If anyone needs help planning a trip to Yellowstone, let me know, haha!)
(PPS - Cataddict, so glad you did not get a full on hurricane hit!)
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Old 09-08-19, 02:51 PM  
FirmDancer
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gams View Post
I retired last October and I have A LOT more time to work out now. I get up in the morning, eat breakfast, feed the dogs and do one or two workout DVDs and then I do housework and walk the dogs. I do errands in the afternoon, read or whatever I feel like. At night I walk the dogs again and we have dinner and then I do another workout DVD. I try to do 90 minutes to 2 hours of workout DVDs every day. I alternate - one day cardio and then weights and more cardio the next. I don’t do tough workouts, but I keep moving and I’ve list 25 pounds.
I can't wait to be able to do this !!!

I'll be retiring in 2-3.5 years (depending on if I want to keep working when Medicare kicks in but not yet full Social Security).

I'm so happy to read that you all feel in better shape and are healthy enough to be so active. I've been nursing a leg injury and my dream was to do much more hiking when I retire. I was feeling like maybe that dream wasn't going to happen. But you all give me hope (and now motivation to aim for that 2 yr target).
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Old 09-08-19, 04:39 PM  
laurajhawk
 
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You all are making me more impatient than ever!!
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"Don't say 'I can't' ... say 'I presently suck at this thing.'" - Matt Meese, BYU Divine Comedy
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Old 09-08-19, 04:54 PM  
geojill
 
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Laura, that’s exciting that you think that you can do it so soon! If I don’t retire till aged 67, I have only 8,079 days left until I retire LOL. I hope to retire sooner than that, but I’m about to turn 45 so I still have quite a ways to go. My folks retired a few years ago so that they were still young enough to enjoy their retirement and they are busier than anyone I know!

I would love to be able to take the time to hike on a very regular basis, particularly mid-week when everyone else is working. This is what my folks do, then they take pictures and send them to me while I’m at work! I would like to take actual regular yoga classes because I would then have the time to do it. And I would love to be able to participate in a retreat here or there. I love mid-morning workouts but can’t do them due to work schedules, so that would come back into my life. I would love to have more dedicated reading time and would like to travel more as well.
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Old 09-08-19, 07:02 PM  
Joni O
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I’ve been retired for 4 years. Hubby and I get up between 6:00 and 6:30 (later in the winter because the sun rises later). We’re in the park walking around 7:00/8:00 depending on the sunrise and we walk for an hour (about 2.75 miles because that happens to be the length of our route).

We hit Starbucks on the way home. I read the paper. Then I do a workout. Upper body strength 3x a week (bad knees/no squats, etc.) and usually a Jessica Smith (non-strength) or Ellen Barrett the other 4 days. Most weeks I do Cathe or Firm for strength; sometimes lighter Jessica or Ellen. We don’t walk in the park on Sundays, so I sometimes do a Leslie walk instead of something else. I’m done by around 10:00. Sometimes I add on longer stretches, but I don’t do a workout longer than 40-45 minutes. Usually around 30. I also do quite a bit of walking while volunteering at an animal shelter twice a week.

I’ve missed 6 workout days so far this year.
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Old 09-08-19, 07:06 PM  
Joni O
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Oops. How’d that happen?
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