It Takes Time To Adjust

Not only does your brain need time to adjust to retirement, your body does too. You’ve likely completely changed your daily routine, or maybe even disposed of a routine entirely for a while. Some of the things that will affect how your body reacts are changes to diet, activity, fluid intake (including alcohol), sleep hours and sleep/wake times.

For me, the only routine I kept up with was exercising. That consists of weight training 3 days a week and bike rides (stationary bike when weather is bad) 3 days a week, plus walks, ice and roller hockey, softball (cancelled this year), and disc golf. While I am working out more than before I retired, I gained a few pounds and my BMI only recently started heading back down after rising for the first several months. My doctor is not going to be happy with me when I go for my annual physical in a few weeks.

When I looked at what could be driving this, several things jumped out. First, I was no longer working out early in the morning (6:30) before breakfast and work. Now I sleep later and typically start my workout around 9:00 or so, with a larger and later breakfast than I ate while I was working. And sometimes there’s a post-workout beer as a reward. Just changing the timing can impact how your body reacts, and the change in breakfast routine and an occasional beer effect caloric intake.

I used to eat vegetarian lunches at least 3 days a week. While I still try to have a healthy lunch, and avoid eating cold cuts every day, sandwiches have made a comeback, bringing carbs and fats back into the picture. And since I complete my workout late in the morning, my post-lunch walks do not happen like they did while I was working. More for my body to adjust to.

There is also fluid intake. While working I drank a LOT of water every day. I try to continue that but some has been replaced by coffee, tea, or iced tea. I avoid soda and go for minimal calorie intake from fluids. But then there is cocktail hour, which starts a little earlier since retirement. While still supporting the local breweries, I have begun to dabble in bourbons and rums for variety. Having chores done early in the day and starting cocktail hour earlier also leads to less active evenings. Still more changes for my body to adjust to.

Finally there’s the change to sleep habits. Prior to retirement I went to bed around the same time every night and got up at the same time every day (other than weekends). Now I am free to stay up later if there is something worth staying up for and I can sleep in on most days. I’ve slowly gotten into a rhythm where I go to bed around the same time (or at least fall asleep on the couch watching TV) and get up around the same time, and that is helping me to have more energy during the day.

I am not going to presume to tell you what to do as you ease into retirement. Do what works best for you. But, be aware that your body will need to adjust to your new routine (or lack of), changes to diet, exercise, etc. It’s OK, just be mindful of the things you are doing that are helping you and those that are hurting you, and adjust along the way so you can be happy and healthy in this next phase of your life.