How to enjoy life after retirement?

According to wikipedia 'Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.

Someone said: "Retirement: World's longest coffee break" and there is another quote about retirement, which is:

'Retirement is wonderful. It's doing nothing without worrying about getting caught at it.' ~Gene Perret

Retirement word seems very boring and dependent life, although this definition is not appropriate, because there are endless leisure activities, hobbies or social interaction opportunities which can keep the retiree busy after retirement. Retirees can still enjoy their life even after retirement.

Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to work any more (by illness or accident) or as a result of legislation concerning their position.

How to enjoy life after retirement and keep yourself busy?

Retirement might coincide with important life changes; a retired worker might move to a new location, for example a retirement community, thereby having less frequent contact with their previous social context and adopting a new lifestyle.

Retirement offers many opportunities to grow and explore. It brings a relaxation feeling, as well as load of time which seems difficult to deal with. Keeping your mind busy with some kind of leisure or casual activities or hobbies is a good way of staying well.

Many retirees feel restless and suffer from depression as a result of their new situation. Studies show that with retirement, risks of certain diseases increase. It is important to keep the mind and body active, this can be done by taking on a part time job or by getting involved in other activities or hobbies.

If you are still active and healthy to enjoy a part time job, you can keep yourself busy with it.

You can find the community places where you can engage yourself in many kind of activities. Every community has a personality and each library district tends to offer what is needed within that particular community. Becoming reaquainted with your local library can be fun and rewarding. Rediscovering your local library may open doors to new experiences while you make a few new friends.

Retirees can volunteer for charities and other community organizations. Tourism is a fun activity to adopt if your financial and social status allows you to do it.

Often retirees are called upon to care for grandchildren and occasionally aged parents. For many it gives them more time to devote to a hobby or sport such as golf or sailing.

Facebook is a good way to keep in touch with your close or far friends, so enjoy being at Facebook or 'twitter' to have fun.

Another quote:

When you retire, you switch bosses - from the one who hired you to the one who married you. ~Gene Perret

Useful links:

* How should I prepare for retirement?

* Read the latest news about 'retirement' at 'US News. Money'

Importance of Hobbies and Leisure Activities for Kids

Hobbies and leisure activities play an important role in our lives and all age people can get benefits from these recreational activities. Our kids are usually busy with watcing tv, playing video games, or online social networking sites, but if you check their daily routines they don’t have time for hobbies which can stimulate their mind and body in healthy way. Watching tv, playing video games or internet can be good pass times but these activities are not a good alternative of ‘Hobbies’

Some facts about hobbies and leisure activities:

People who have a hobby are generally healthier." This comment is from director of the Institute of Gerontology at Wayne State University. Not only in sense of emotional or physical health, hobbies are good for us in many ways.

"When people do things that make them feel good, like a hobby, it activates an area of the brain called the nucleus accumbens that controls how we feel about life", said Dr. S. Ausim Azizi, chairman of the department of neurology at Temple University’s School of Medicine in Philadelphia who studies brain activity and cell signaling. "Activities you enjoy also stimulate the brain’s septal zone — its “feel good” area — and that makes you feel happy", said Dr. Azizi.

Read more at:Importance of Hobbies and Leisure Activities for Kids

Benefits of hobbies and leisure activities for senior citizens

Hobbies and leisure activities are beneficial for all age humans as it helps us engage in the chores which are fun to do. Needless to say that having fun and enjoying what we do for pleasure can help you delay aging and help fight age related illness.

From a report from 'Aging Home Health Care' it is suggested that senior citizens should engage themselves in hobbies like crafts, painting, cake decorating, playing cards, swimming, walking, gardening,

The report says:

'Participating in regular physical activity can help prevent or maintain control in some chronic illnesses such as: heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and some types of cancer. Regular physical activity can also improve our overall quality of life by delaying disability and affecting how long we live.

Hobbies promote socialization, physical activity as well as using our minds. Using all of our muscles, including our brain is important to avoiding dementia and Alzheimer’s. It is also important to be aware of your emotions, your thoughts and your behaviors. Participating in hobbies helps us feel good about ourselves and have healthy relationships.'

Either you are going to engage you in some leisure activities or keep yourself busy with some kind of hobbies, and active lifestyle can keep your mind and body healthy for long time.

What benefits you can get from an active lifestyle?

It can help you to -----

- ability to focus,
- improve memory,
- reduce stress,
- enhance the immune system and
- improve self esteem.
Other benefits may be improved flexibility, balance, and better sleep.

Link to the article: 'Activities for Senior Citizens'

Learn about leisure activities

This post would help you learn about "leisure, leisure activities, importance, benefits, ideas for leisure activities and more". I have selected these posts for easy navigation purpose.

* What is "leisure" ?

* Recreation, hobbies and leisures providing refreshment to life

* Benefits of hobbies and leisures

* From where to get ideas for hobbies or other leisure activities?

* Develop a Hobby For Your Leisure Time

* Importance of Recreation and Leisure Activities In Our Lives

Importance of Recreation and Leisure Activities In Our Lives

* A man can never be idle with safety and advantage until he has been so trained by work that he makes his freedom from times and tasks more fruitful than his toil has been. By~Hamilton Wright Mabie

* It is in his pleasure that a man really lives; it is from his leisure that he constructs the true fabric of self. By~Agnes Repplier


We all need recreation and leisure activities to bring some joy and fun in our lives. It is a fact that recreation provides relaxation to our minds and as a result we can participate in our daily routines with more energy.

According to a difinition by "Open Site" Free Internet Encyclopedia:

Recreation is the undertaking of activities in spare time not spent working and sleeping. Such activities usually offer a balance of relaxation from work and stimulation from relaxation.

Recreation involves pursuing personal interests and includes games, sports, video games, watching television and movies, listening to music and the radio or participating in outdoor activities such as tramping and fishing. Eating, although necessary to survive, has turned into a recreational activity, pursued in free time to gain personal satisfaction.

In developed societies weekends and holidays are usually devoted to recreation. People often travel during longer holidays or on periods taken off work called vacations.

Recreational activities may also be played professionally as an occupation, at which point they cease to be recreation. This is most notable in sports, where some sports people made be paid high salaries to play their sport.

Cultural activities are an integral part of leisure and recreation. People participate in cultural activities for a wide variety of reasons: for enjoyment and entertainment, for personal growth and development, as a means of expression, to learn new skills, to meet new people and to pass on cultural traditions.

Leisure time is a crucial component of a balanced and healthy lifestyle. It is a time when people can do what they want to, separate from work and other commitments

Participation in physical activity is a source of enjoyment and has positive benefits for people’s physical and mental health. It can also contribute to personal growth and development and is a good way to meet new people.

Leisure and recreation are both crucial components of a balanced and healthy lifestyle. Leisure time is a time when people can do what they want to do, away from work and other commitments.

Recreation and leisure play an important role in social wellbeing by providing people with a sense of identity and personal autonomy. Involvement in leisure-time activities adds meaning to individual and community life and contributes to people’s overall quality of life. Recreation can encourage personal growth and self-expression and provide increased learning opportunities, satisfying needs not met in people’s non-leisure time.

For many people, participation in leisure and recreation improves their physical and mental health. Recreation often involves a physical activity or sport. Research clearly shows increased physical activity can lead to fewer health problems and higher productivity at work, especially when combined with a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.

The benefits for mental health are equally important. Several studies have demonstrated links between regular physical activity and a reduction in the symptoms of mild or moderate depression, stress and anxiety. Passive leisure also has benefits for mental health, by providing an outlet for the mind. It may provide physical rest, tension release and opportunities to enjoy nature and escape from the daily routine.

Participation in leisure and recreation activities can also have social benefits. It creates opportunities for socialisation and contributes to social cohesion by allowing people to connect and network with others. It can also contribute to family bonding when families do things together in their leisure time.

How people feel about their leisure time and also what they do in their leisure time?

- satisfaction with leisure time,
- participation in physical activity and
- participation in cultural and arts activitie.

The first indicator is satisfaction with leisure time. This measures how people feel about both the quantity and quality of leisure time available to them.

The second indicator measures people’s participation in physical activity. It gives us a sense of how active New Zealanders are. Moderate physical activity can improve a number of health outcomes.

The final indicator measures people’s involvement in cultural and arts activities. Cultural activities contribute to individual growth and provide opportunities for social cohesion and passing on cultural traditions.
Desired outcome:

Everybody is satisfied with their participation in leisure and recreation activities. They have sufficient time to do what they want to do and can access an adequate range of opportunities for leisure and recreation.

Leisure and Recreation


Recreation Plays an Important Role in Cancer Management

Recreation and Leisure Activities play a vital role in our everyday lives.
Passive activities relax the nervous system and help reduce stress.
Recreation and Leisure Activities contribute to significant reductions in inner tensions, depressive thinking and sleep disturbances.

Source: Eastern health