At Earn Money in Retirement, we advocate for retirees creating their own side hustles, living their best lives, and finding financial stability. Even when commonplace work is out for you. But the thing about working in retirement – no matter what your side hustle is – you’ll need to be well and active enough to actually sustain yourself.
We hear too many stories of readers that love our ideas, but have no idea how to implement them. Especially when they’re already too exhausted to even get outside on a regular basis.
So, we developed this guide to help you stay well and active in your 50s, 60s and up. So you can afford to earn in retirement, without burning out!
– Exercise regularly
While exercise may feel like the opposite of what your body needs right now: even a small amount of daily movement can make a major difference in your body’s energy levels. It’s the age-old catch-22: exercise gives you more energy, but you need energy to exercise.
To make this possible, we recommend starting off slow. Even just doing some simple seated exercises can make a dramatic difference to your energy and movement levels. And it’ll also help you advance to further exercise with time.
You may think that you’re not “doing anything” when you sit on a chair and do some simple stretches, but the results can be shocking once you get started.
We also recommend seniors group exercise programs, such as water aerobics. With a structured program like this, it makes it easy for you to clear your headspace, follow a program designed for your aged-group, and make like-minded friends in the process.
– Proper nutrition
You’ve probably heard it a thousand times before, but a well-balanced diet is essential to consistent energy levels and overall well-being. You need foods that contain vitamins, minerals and nutrients, so you can feel more energetic and experience longevity in both your life and general well-being.
Bright coloured vegetables, good-smelling fruits and a variety of different foods can be a great way to ensure a nutritious diet.
Also keep in mind that too few calories can lead to lethargy, while too many will have you bogged down.
It can be a good idea to eat smaller meals more regularly for consistent energy levels, and can also be really beneficial to the structure of your life over 50.
– Don’t forget to eat breakfast
In tune with proper nutrition, we want to emphasize the importance of eating breakfast. Yes – busy Moms and Grandmas out there: we’re talking to you!
Breakfast is crucial in maintaining energy throughout the day. Even if you don’t feel hungry in the morning, a small snack containing some amount of lean protein can make a huge difference in your day.
Even if you have to force yourself to eat at first – you’ll have no problem following through with this routine once your body gets used to it (and you see the dramatic difference!).
– Supplement naturally for energy
With the state of the world today, it can be hard to receive all necessary vitamins, minerals and nutrients from food alone. Which is why it can be a great idea to naturally develop energy through supplements.
We recommend looking into both B vitamins and magnesium supplements to start off with. These can be some of the best nutrients for overall health. Plus, they’ll save you the time waste of searching every store and trying to figure out which is best for you!
B vitamins – B6 and 12 in particular – are excellent energy boosters, and they’re found in plenty of popular energy drinks. And magnesium is a critical nutrient that your body uses to turn food into “ATP” – the cellular energy needed in your body for movement, thought and even metabolic functions. This is one of the hardest to get from diet alone, which is why it’s a great idea to seek out a magnesium supplement where possible.
– Get quality sleep
There’s a strange rumor floating around that “your need for sleep declines as you age” and we have no idea where this idea came from.
Consistent sleep is essential for steady energy levels, and not just for the singular day, but the weeks and months ahead. Middle-aged adults need seven to eight hours a night, and it’s important to hit this level where possible.
It’s a good idea to create a really careful sleep routine that’ll help you achieve the correct amount of hours. Pay attention to what works best for you, of course, but some find that making your bedroom cool, quiet and dark, and avoiding electronics at least an hour before bed can help. It’s also been noted that eating earlier so your body has time to digest, and being sure to avoid the bed for only two things – that both start with an “s” – can really help your sleep schedule.
If you’re able to incorporate exercise regularly (even if that’s just seated exercises!) it’ll make a difference to your ability to sleep at night too.
– Short naps
Whether or not you get your full eight hours of sleep a night, we know that naps happen. It can be a great way to regain some energy through the day, but it’s important to keep those naps short.
Naps lasting less than 30-45 minutes allow you to rest without the risk of entering a deep sleep – which will only make you feel more tired once you wake up. If you still feel groggy after a 30 minute nap, we recommend testing out different, shorter increments, to see exactly how long you can sleep before entering a deep sleep.
And that’s a wrap! There are a number of ways to increase your energy, stay active, and improve your overall well-being, not just in retirement, but for 50s, 60s and up. It makes a difference to not only the way you live, but the way you can work too.
So you’ll have no trouble earning money in retirement and balancing that side hustle with your well-being.
Want to learn more about how to balance your side hustle with your well-being? Stay tuned! We’ll be releasing a new blog soon tackling this specific topic here! And while you’re there? Check out our full collection of articles on earning money, retirement, side hustles and so much more here!
