Are you a retired, single woman?

[TeachMeSomething]

If you're retired (or soon to be) and single, what steps are you taking to try to remain healthy, strong and living independently for as long as is humanly possible?

For example, have you downsized to somewhere you could continue to live as you get older? Have you moved to a walkable town or city? Are you a bit fanatical about your diet?

Would love to hear your ideas!

Is this for an article? You have revealed nothing about you.

Nope. Not for an article. I am a single, retired woman who lives alone and would like to remain that way for as long as is possible.

I am just retired at 60 but tbh I’m living my life , I don’t dwell on things that may or not affect me when I’m 80+ . I’m enjoying walking my dogs I do two exercise classes a week and now I have more time I’m eating better because I have time to prepare / cook healthy meals . It’s happened very organically rather than a conscious effort to focus on my health .

Not yet, but I can’t wait to be!

im only 50, but already put as much effort in to my ‘health pension’ as I do my financial one.

I have noticed that if you stop doing something now, you can’t get it back so I’m keeping active with swimming, gym, yoga, walking daily.

I am already disabled, so there are some limits in place that I have no control over. But I downsized and moved to a flatter area, and from a city to a smaller but vibrant more rural small town. I am staying active by volunteering in the community and doing things that I enjoy both inside and outside the home. I think keeping the mind active and engaged is important - if the brain goes then the body follows anyway. I cannot walk far or easily, but I have a mobility scooter (as well as a car) and I have daily long walks with my dog, no matter the weather - I think time outside in the fresh ait is good, and not being inside all the time makes you stronger.

I completely agree @arethereanyleftatall. When my mum was dying of cancer, they had a stairlift installed. My stepdad started using it (for the novelty value, I think, since he was encouraging everyone who went to the house to 'have a go' on it). Within two weeks, he was having to use the stairlift as, at 90, his leg muscles deteriorated so rapidly through lack of use.

@PhilippaGeorgiou I also downsized to a flatter, more walkable area. It also has the advantage of having quite a compact shopping area. I once lived in a town that had grown quite haphazardly and you could be walking for up to 10 minutes to get from one shopping area to another, so to have everything close at hand is a definite plus point.

I'm in my mid 60s, and will retire at 70 or 71, because I have work to do & my employer may as well pay me to do it. I'll probably keep working after I retire.

But two or three mornings a week, I train at the gym like a mad woman. I jump on boxes and on the floor, I lift very heavy weights (1.5 times my body weight) I do burpees, I run a bit, I do HIIT . I get my heart rate up to max.

I'm hoping this will help me age well. It's a long term plan with no visible goal, except to move well & live well.

@PhilippaGeorgiou Couldn't edit my previous comment so just adding that I've moved around quite a bit over the years and once lived in a town that had only a Booths supermarket (like a Northern Waitrose) and a Sainsburys local and it was quite expensive to live there. The town I live in now has Lidl, Aldi, Home Bargains, B&M, etc - which definitely helps when you're living on retirement income.

goodness, that’s scary. Use it or lose it.

Bungalow legs!

I'm 56 and will probably have to work until I'm 70 so retiring is a long way off. I walk my dog for several miles a day but have stopped my daily 5am gym visits due to exhaustion (thanks peri!) and also stopped cycling the 100+ miles a week that I did for a few years. Diet is OK but I'm very conscious of the muscle I've lost since stopping the gym and cycling - walking legs are all very well but it doesn't raise the heart rate in the same way, nor does it work anything other than your legs.

I've already moved to somewhere that I can walk to the shops for basics (about 3/4 mile) and into town (bit further). However I'm encouraged by my father who didn't set foot in a gym until he was well over 60 and now, at 80 can squat and lunge and has better core strength than someone 25 years younger - oh yes, me!!

Yes re the stairs thing. I’m in a townhouse and dithering about staying here when I retire but a friend in her 60s who moved to a bungalow was over recently and she was really puffing when she came up the stairs and then went down with two feet on each step! I charge up and down the stairs constantly so maybe I should stay here!
Asbthe health and fitness I’m afraid that as a person who will retire in a couple of years I am assuming I can sort it out then. Join the council leisure centre and go for long walks every day. I’m far too sedentary now so should really be working on that even while still working full time.

@Stolenyouth I have this theory that some of the things we do to make life easier for ourselves as we're getting older, can sometimes make life worse. Like the stairlift thing. Or when you read something that encourages you to be more 'efficient' by piling stuff that needs to be taken upstairs at the bottom of the stairs until next time you need to go up and then you only have to make one trip. Now I think, just keep making the single trips upstairs or as long as you can.

@hattie43 personally I’m with you and I’m 63 ( but not single) there seems to be a new ‘be sensible’ trend and people making choices at 49 that I really wouldn’t worry about till early 70s - they appear to be trying to cover off their life for the next 40 years and seem incredibly old well before their time - I realise it’s a fine balance but some seem to be going the other way. So life may be short but it’s going to feel bloody long if you are 49 with a lifestyle/mentality of an average 75 year old

Yayyyyy for the mad women! I like it!

@TeachMeSomething yay!!

I’m single and retired.

i’m already seriously disabled through which is why I’m retired so young.

i live in a small town that has two food shops and (used to have) a bus service and still has a train station. I don’t walk to any of these but I do wheelchair to them.

i do physio and wild swimming to keep as fit as possible.

@blobby10 I'm with you on the 'walking legs' thing. I've been a walker all my life and, until about 10 years ago, I was convinced that daily walking (for at least an hour) coupled with half an hour or so on my rebounder would be enough to keep me fit. Then one day, I was kneeling down, scraping some weeds out between paving stones and I realised that I was really struggling to stand up without leaning on the trowel I was using to dig the weeds out. I now do wall sits and squats and my legs are a lot stronger but who knew that walking wasn't enough?

Do you swim with a group @Octavia64 ?

I’m in my early 70s and have been retired for 10 years. Frankly, I don’t know how I ever found time to work!

On a typical day I’ll do a 1-hour workout, with dumbbells, go for a walk - at least half an hour and usually with my weighted vest, meet up with friends for a drink, coffee or lunch. I also regularly go to the theatre and exhibitions. In summer I cycle, in winter I ski, plus I often go ice skating with my granddaughter.

I eat a healthy Mediterranean type diet - mostly vegetables and protein, plus small amounts of dairy, healthy fats and complex carbs. I limit or avoid refined carbs, sugar and alcohol. I do a modified version of intermittent fasting, i.e. mostly eat 2 meals between around 10 am and 6 pm, with a couple of snacks (fruit or protein) in between.

I am very fit for my age and I feel great. It takes a bit of effort to get into these habits but I really enjoy my life.

I'm 70 and recently retired. By chance after my divorce 20 years ago I moved into a ground floor garden flat - so that bit is sorted; I do take the stairs whenever possible when out and about, and walk up the Tube escalators to prevent bungalow knees!

I do a lot of daily walking, weekly dance class and weekly tai chi class.

I'm not fanatical about diet as such but do follow a low-carb diet and eat very well and don't skimp on quality, and I drink wine. I also look after my feet and teeth! And finally I have a few good friends that I've known for years as I think this is important too for good mental health.

So overall I'm doing what I can to remain as well as I can for as long as possible.

If it’s any consolation OP, the happiest older women I know are the single/widowed/divorced ones- ideally ones who aren’t that short of cash too and have friends and interests.

This is all very inspiring! May I ask, is anyone alone family wise (i.e no siblings, no children)? I am only in my late 30s at the moment, but sometimes the future feels very scary in terms of lack of connections.

Agreed! I'm surrounded by them. And not one of us is looking for a man. 😀