Originally Posted by
David Vincent
One thing every old person must do whether they are retired or not is to keep learning and exercising. I've been retired a long time and I've notice that those people my age who have declined are those who have stopped pushing themselves. If you can afford it I would say that gym membership is a must for a retiree. I suppose you could set up a gym in your shed but it wouldn't work for me. I like the extra things you get from a good gym - a pool, steam room, meeting people,etc.
There are many ways to keep your brain working. The best is probably language learning, but computer programming, crosswords, maths and memory exercises all work. As long as you find these things an effort then they are working, but if, for example, you find a crossword easy then it is not a useful mental exercise. It is a bit like weight training – if you find it easy you will not make any progress.
The sharpest old person I ever knew never worked a day in her life. Her secret was going for long walks and difficult crosswords. When she was in her late 90s people who walked behind her would think they were walking being someone in their 40s. She was a widow and she lived on her own until she was about 102.