Are You An "Active" Senior Or Real "Laid-Back"? (beach, weather)
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So, just how "active" or "laid-back" are you during these Senior years?
We are in the early stage of "Senior-hood" in that wife and I are in our early 60's (62/63), but have fairly active lifestyle considering my past surgeries of hip replacement and rotator cuff. Swimming in our apt complex pool, taking our 20' cuddy cabin boat out and enjoying target shooting at local gun/rifle range. Depending on the weather, we will kick back on a weekend afternoon/evening, watch a good DVD movie or watch some of our music DVD's of Classic Rock and Motown. We enjoy a good homemade margarita or a couple of cold beers as well. Our weekday evenings are pretty laid-back watching our favorite tv shows, but we try to keep the weekends "lively" if at all possible. Wife still works a full-time job during the week, so we take it easy after she gets off.
Anyway, from what we've seen, since living in this complex for 2 1/2 yrs., we and a single lady (mid 50's) are the only older people that even use the pool. Guess her and us are ok with what we look like in a bathing suit! Some others in our complex, our age group and older, seem to lead a very laid-back lifestyle.......pretty much a boring one to us. I have a very outgoing personality and I think that really shocks some of these older folks here.
By the way, my wife thinks I'm a riot to be around cause of my humor, which includes some sarcasm. She tells me "one thing your not and that is boring!". And, if/when I am quiet, I'm either sick or asleep! Statements like that is what she loves about me.......along with my cooking! :-)
Well, I'm a couple of days older than you both. When I retired, I started my own business instead of working for someone else. Activities that I get involved in include (but not limited to) are things like swimming, kayaking, bicycling, and when I get the chance, mountain climbing. The most important thing is to do "SOMETHING". If you do nothing, you won't last long. As long as you are not disabled to the point that you can't do something, you should be fine. With a hip replacement, you have a few limitations (I don't think I'll see you on your way down the mountain when I'm going up, but I could be wrong), but there is nothing that says you can't stretch the envelope.
Well, there are Seniors (young and older) that are active-to-very active while there are others that are not nearly as much. The "not nearly as much" could definitely pertain to the "older" Seniors due to health reasons or just their personalities/chosen lifestyle. As for us, we do like to do things and are making plans on a week trip to the FL Keys and then later to Washington D.C., Niagra Falls, NY City and back to Las Vegas........all within my wife's vacation times at work.
I talked to a single/divorced college professor, same age as me (62) who lives across the drive from us and a couple of her "big thrills" is reading a good book and taking her two dogs out for a walk each day. When I ask her this morning if she done anything exciting over Memorial Day Weekend, she said "I don't like excitement!" I told her we took our boat out on the ICW in Daytona Beach for the first time and were among 5,000 other boaters (exaggerating the number of boaters, obviously) and she said "no way!". I let it go at that and went back into our apt. She is very intellectual and has told me the only place to meet a good man is a library! "For you maybe", I thought to myself.
In red below.......VERY, VERY true!! I do have some "activity" limitations due to my hip and shoulder surgeries, but mainly it can be too much walking or standing. Had an ankle surgery back in '88 that can "talk to me" once in a while if I'm on it too long........like walking around a zoo, but we still go! Flying along on the water and listening to some Classic Rock on our boat doesn't affect my hip, shoulder or ankle at all........thank God!!
I also use the saying "Party Time" when talking to some older folks and they just look at me like I'm sort of nuts! Nope, not nuts, just like to "tip a couple" with some good food, movie or music video. Wife loves it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by the_windwalker
Well, I'm a couple of days older than you both. When I retired, I started my own business instead of working for someone else. Activities that I get involved in include (but not limited to) are things like swimming, kayaking, bicycling, and when I get the chance, mountain climbing. The most important thing is to do "SOMETHING". If you do nothing, you won't last long. As long as you are not disabled to the point that you can't do something, you should be fine. With a hip replacement, you have a few limitations (I don't think I'll see you on your way down the mountain when I'm going up, but I could be wrong), but there is nothing that says you can't stretch the envelope.
I can be a mix of both active & laid-back depending on my location, time, & what I feel like doing. As far as the easy-going part, for me not so much though.
I am active when out and about doing the activities that interest me, like hiking, tennis, swimming, club activities, shopping with friends, activity with my pets etc. etc. I also like to spend quiet alone time relaxing, observing my backyard wildlife, reading, doing projects, TV, & surfing the internet etc.
So I guess that I am laidback active but not really easygoing.
Well, I'm a couple of days older than you both. When I retired, I started my own business instead of working for someone else. Activities that I get involved in include (but not limited to) are things like swimming, kayaking, bicycling, and when I get the chance, mountain climbing. The most important thing is to do "SOMETHING". If you do nothing, you won't last long. As long as you are not disabled to the point that you can't do something, you should be fine. With a hip replacement, you have a few limitations (I don't think I'll see you on your way down the mountain when I'm going up, but I could be wrong), but there is nothing that says you can't stretch the envelope.
"Something" can be different things for different people. Where is it written that it has to be a sport or physical activity? If sitting under a tree reading a book is your thing than that will keep you happy and alive. Walking is always good but slow enough to look at your surroundings.
After many, many years of face-paced and busy jobs, I think slowing down is definitley keeping me more alive than climbing a mountain.
Active. We definitely work harder than most 20 somethings, maybe play a little less often and with less intensity.
Maybe some people would find us boring with our introverted avocations of gardening, woodworking, and the like. We sail, travel and do some off-roading, visiting with friends for "fun", so maybe we are "active" but not in a very "social" way.
It seems that the OP might mean being involved with masses of people to some degree which if there were 5000 of anything, we'd stay far away from the event as a rule.
Last edited by AK-Cathy; 06-07-2011 at 01:36 PM..
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Are You An "Active" Senior Or Real "Laid-Back"?
