Ingredients for a Happy Retirement

Retirement involves major changes in your income, lifestyle, social life, and self-image.  Not surprisingly, retirement can be very stressful – or blissful.

Advance planning is a key ingredient for a happy retirement. According to a survey conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, 75 percent of those who had planned for retirement enjoyed it.

Here are some suggestions on how to make your retirement more satisfying.

Get a part-time job. For some people, gradual retirement is easier to handle than being having work one day and not having work the next.  To smooth the transition, you may want to either work part-time at your present job for a few months or get a part-time job at another company when you leave.

Practice living on a retirement budget before you actually retire.  And start saving for retirement as far ahead of time as possible.  

Take care of yourself while you're young.  You can help to preserve your health by eating a low-fat diet, not smoking, drinking moderately (if at all), learning to manage stress, getting regular checkups, and being physically active.

Cultivate hobbies and other outside interests.  Keep yourself busy with fitness activities, community work, or academic studies.  To prevent boredom, consider a variety of activities – indoor and outdoor, mental and physical, group and individually oriented.  Think about projects you’d like to work on well before retirement, so you don’t stall out when the time comes.

Used with permission from A Year of Health Hints by Don R Powell, PHD and the American Institute for Preventive Medicine, copyright 2010. www.healthylife.com

Bladder Control

People may experience urinary incontinence especially as they grow older. Incontinence can be caused when muscles used to control the bladder weaken due to childbirth or prostate surgery.  Neurological complications caused by injury or stroke, or neurologic diseases (like multiple sclerosis) can also weaken bladder control. So can diabetes. 

But the most common cause of urinary incontinence in the older population is what doctors call urge incontinence or bladder instability: Frequent, involuntary bladder contractions release small amounts of urine.

If urinary incontinence is a problem for you, see a urologist, a doctor who specializes in problems and diseases of the urinary system.

To help manage urinary incontinence:

• Empty your bladder at least every 2 hours.
• Avoid highly spiced foods, which irritate the bladder.
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol at least 4 hours before bedtime.
• Practice Kegel exercises to improve bladder control: Squeeze the pelvic muscles for 3 seconds, then relax them for 3 seconds. Do this 10 times, three times a day.

Used with permission from A Year of Health Hints by Don R Powell, PHD and the American Institute for Preventive Medicine, copyright 2010. www.healthylife.com

Preventing Bowel Problems

When people reach their forties, fifties or sixties, they will usually experience some form of bowel trouble such as diverticulosis, irritable bowel, and constipation.   

Here are some healthy habits to prevent bowel trouble:

• Eat a diet high in fiber.  Oat bran, wheat bran, beans, fruits and vegetables are good sources of fiber.
• Avoid routine use of laxatives, since they disrupt the normal rhythm of the bowel.  To ease elimination, take a high-fiber drink / preparation instead.
• Drink six to eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day.
• Avoid straining when passing stool.

You should see your doctor if you notice blood in the stool, experience severe abdominal pain, pass pencil-thin stools, or note a significant change on your bowel habits.

Used with permission from A Year of Health Hints by Don R Powell, PHD and the American Institute for Preventive Medicine, copyright 2010. www.healthylife.com

Strokes: Reducing the Risk

Strokes, also called cerebrovascular accidents, or apoplexy, are the third leading cause of death in the United States.  A stroke can be caused by lack of blood (and therefore lack of oxygen) to the brain, usually due to either atherosclerosis or rupture of a blood vessel in the brain. In either case, the end result is brain damage (and possibly death).

Here’s what to do to reduce the risk of a stroke:

• Control your blood pressure.  Have it checked regularly and, if necessary, take medication precribed by your physician.
• Reduce blood levels of cholesterol to below 200 milligrams per deciliter (measured by a blood test).
• Get regular exercise.
• Keep your weight down.
• Don’t smoke.
• Keep blood sugar levels under control if you’re diabetic.
• Avoid taking oral contraceptive pills.
• Learn to manage stress.

Used with permission from A Year of Health Hints by Don R Powell, PHD and the American Institute for Preventive Medicine, copyright 2010. www.healthylife.com