A key aspect of preparing for a healthy retirement is paying attention to our well-being during pre-retirement years! As we raise a family, build our careers, take care of parents, etc., we all are stretched for time. But to be able to enjoy our golden years requires that we make time to develop and practice healthy habits even then.
How to plan for a healthy retirement
Many people suffer throughout their careers from occupational stresses, both physically and emotionally. This article by Esther Gokhale focuses on some basic principles: healthy posture and movement. It is well known that occupations in construction or factory work take a toll on our bodies, but so do many professional occupations.
A full third of dentists retire early due to disability. Whether you are an IT professional, sitting at a computer desk all day, or a dentist, leaning over patients for extended periods, paying attention to how you sit or stand is an important part of your current physical health as well as planning for a healthy retirement!
Ann expert on having a healthy retirement
I consider Esther Gokhale a valuable resource on this topic. She offers many informative articles and videos as well as providing free online workshops to help get you on the right track. Included are steps you can take to prevent issues from developing as well as exercises to remedy aches and pains with hopes of avoiding a surgical intervention.
In August she wrote about the importance of stretching out your neck length when sitting, standing, or lying down and outlined steps to accomplish this. Important steps include:
- Make sure your neck muscles are relaxed.
- Know which way is up. Grasp a good-sized clump of hair at the base of your skull and gently pull back and up allowing your chin to angle downward in a relaxed way.
- Keep the spine aligned when sleeping, using pillows as needed so your head does not go too far out of alignment with the rest of the spine.
- Check your base. Sit with your tail out behind you instead of under you, which means NOT tucking your pelvis.
Improving your posture can help both prevent and resolve physical disability which can help you plan for a healthy retirement life in your post working years. Too many folks spend their working years focusing on creating wealth and then find themselves spending their retirement years chasing good health!
So be sure to find time to create healthy habits during your working years so you can also have a healthy retirement. Not only might your retirement then look more like the retirement you dreamed of, but you might also influence your loved ones to join you.
