Retirement: Health

I am not retired yet, but soon, very soon. May 1, if all goes as planned, if coronavirus doesn't change everything. I have plans for my retirement, and I like to make plans more than I like sticking to my plans, but still, I have plans. People ask me what I will do in retirement, so I have been trying to think it through, come up with a list.

My retirement is different from some retirements, because Jackie will be working full-time, from home, so only one of us will be retired. Given that, here is my list.

Health
Learn to cook
Housework
Yard work
Piano
Weekend activities
Writing
Community activities

So taking things one at a time, there is health. Retirement may only last a short time, but in theory it could go thirty years. Jackie and I would like to travel the world, and to really do that we will have to stay in traveling shape a long time, as there is a lot of the world to see, so I have some incentive to try to stay healthy as long as I can.

Right now, I am off to a poor start. I am fat, to put it bluntly, and diabetic.

And if you know me, you know that I will not be the kind of fanatic who gets up at 5:00 and heads to the gym for yoga class. In fact, I am not sure that the gym figures much in my future, and yoga class is even less likely. My thoughts tend more toward walking, with maybe some other exercise thrown in. Not 10,000 steps every day either - that is too much of a commitment for me. I think more like two walks a day, 8,000 steps, nine days out of ten, to give myself a break or a chance to have one day when I have something else to do. Add in 20 minutes on the rowing machine or doing exercises along with YouTube (maybe even yoga?), and there we are. If I can do that much, I will surprise myself.

The other health piece, and this one is more important but harder than the exercise, is that this is my last chance, very last, to lose weight. With more time to fix good meals and exercise, perhaps it will be possible. Or maybe, with the refrigerator and the pantry close by all the time, it will be easier to gain weight. This goal is more of a wish than a real goal, but maybe. I have been obese more than half of my life now; getting down to a healthy weight would be life-changing.

So that is goal number one, put first partly because I should be able to start it quickly, even on May 2. As with almost everything I do, I won't go to extremes, won't ever look like old Jack LaLanne there, but I will try to make progress.