Living Your Best Life After 55

Of course, living your best life means living your best life and not the best life of your neighbors or coworkers. You already know the habits that work for you, but what if a few adjustments could make a big difference?

If you’re looking for ways to enhance your well-being or improve your current lifestyle, you might find that understanding what makes up a healthy life can point you in the right direction. Use these pillars of a balanced life to examine your current choices and see what is working and what you might want to adjust moving into the future:

• Enjoying peace of mind.
• Focusing on convenience.
• Getting involved with your community.
• Learning a new definition of well-being.
• Staying social.

With age can come greater confidence, both in our personal and professional lives. But a new chapter can also bring new challenges, and you may be apprehensive about planning for future healthcare needs.

The best way to combat anxiety is with knowledge and a plan. WesleyLife is here to support you in the ways that matter now and in the future. This continuum of care includes:

• WellAhead: WellAhead — A WesleyLife Well-Being Experience, our innovative continuing care at home program, supports members with wellness benefits every month and provides assurance that future health needs will be met by WesleyLife at no cost other than an entry fee and monthly service fee. 
• Independent Living: Independent living is perfect for older adults who want to benefit from senior living community life — including convenient amenities and maintenance-free living — while maintaining their independence. 
• Assisted Living: This lifestyle option allows older adults to maintain their independence while accessing the support they need to thrive, including valuable amenities, clinical care, and help with daily tasks. 
• Short-Term Rehabilitation: Short-term rehabilitation supports individuals following a health incident or surgical procedure. After leaving the hospital, clients receive the vital care and therapies needed to grow stronger before returning home. 
• Memory Support: Designed specifically for those living with Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia, memory support provides residents with around-the-clock care and specialized enrichment in a comforting, homelike environment.
• Long-Term Care: Also called skilled nursing care, long-term care is ideal for adults who would benefit from continuous support, including assistance with activities of daily living, routine clinical care, and services like meal preparation and transportation.

Convenience can be good for you! Just like you are more likely to grab a big salad for lunch if you don’t have to do all the prep work, you are more likely to take an early morning walk if you know a friend is waiting for you.

Many organizations and programs make investing in your well-being easier (and more enjoyable) than ever. 

Senior living communities have perfected the art of making wellness more convenient. These communities give you the chance to meet your well-being goals by simply taking advantage of the amenities offered on campus, including:

• Walking trails, where you can get your steps in while enjoying the sounds of nature (or the conversation of a good friend).
• Dining options that give you the ability to enjoy a healthy and delicious meal, even on your busiest days.
• Ongoing education opportunities that empower you as a lifelong learner.
• Cultural and creative programs that help you meet new friends and have fun, such as live concerts in the courtyard or pottery in an art workshop.
• Fitness centers and pools, where you can take classes, work out on your own, or simply enjoy the water with friends and family.
• Onsite therapy services that make balance sessions or prescribed outpatient visits even easier to attend.
• Opportunities to engage with your spirituality at a place of worship on campus or a short distance from home.

Today, turning 65 doesn’t mean you have to retire. In fact, more and more adults are working well past the retirement age of the past. However, if you are working part-time, consulting for just a few clients, or simply finding more time in your days than when you were younger, you might want to find new ways to impact the community around you.

Volunteering or getting involved in your community can not only positively affect your neighbors, but also your own well-being. Mayo Clinic recently reported that volunteering can improve physical health, lead to lower rates of depression and anxiety, and expand social circles.

Volunteering is even more convenient when you live in a senior living community. You can often find ways to volunteer your time and talents both inside and outside the community.

Volunteering in Your Community

There are plenty of ways to volunteer in your local community. Here are a few ideas that might inspire you:

• Serve at a local polling place.
• Participate in Meals on Wheels deliveries.
• Tutor at a local library.
• Read to classes at a local school.
• Volunteer while traveling to new places.
• Join a conservation organization that maintains local hiking or biking trails.

You can volunteer for your favorite nonprofit organizations, or you can use a site like VolunteerMatch to find opportunities by city or ZIP code.

Volunteering in a Senior Living Community

Residents in WesleyLife’s Communities for Healthy Living are encouraged to take active roles in community operations. Thanks to volunteers who lead and attend Resident Council meetings and take part in other on-campus committees, WesleyLife team members learn from residents and make adjustments to meet their needs.Residents also have the unique opportunity to rally together and impact the greater communities in which they live. For example, residents of Edgewater — a WesleyLife community in West Des Moines, Iowa — banded together and donated nearly $20,000 to Hurricane Dorian relief funds.

Living your best life means finding a more balanced, research-backed definition of health and wellness. WesleyLife is designed to foster this balanced outlook on well-being based on principles linked with longevity.

The Core4

When you shift your perspective to see your habits through the lens of these four principles, you can make adjustments to your routine and incorporate more balance into your life.

Move Naturally

Incorporating movement into your day can help you live a long, healthy life. Exercise doesn’t have to be strenuous or follow a rigid routine to make a difference!

Try this: Take a short walk around the neighborhood, catch up on your favorite TV show while on the treadmill, or dance around your kitchen while making dinner.

Right Outlook

Connecting with a greater purpose and having a reason to wake up in the morning will add meaning and longevity to your life.

Try this: Try journaling, volunteer at your favorite organization, or begin writing that novel you’ve always wanted to write.

Eat Wisely

Adding colorful fruits, vegetables, and grains into your diet is a delicious and nutritious way to fuel your body.

Try this: Buy a new cookbook, schedule a consultation with a dietician, or take a cooking class to learn how to craft healthy dishes that please your palate.

Be Connected

Fostering relationships with friends and neighbors can boost your well-being.

Try this: Nurture your current friendships and expand your social circle with some of the ideas listed in this guide.

One of the first pillars of enhancing your well-being will likely come as no surprise — connecting with friends.

Your social life plays a crucial role in your overall well-being, so making an effort to create new friendships and foster existing ones can pay off with better physical, mental, and emotional health. Plus, catching up with a friend over coffee or sharing a laugh over a phone call isn’t just good for your health — it’s also fun!

Although studies around socialization and age have only begun to surface in the past decade, the research is already resoundingly clear — connecting with others is an essential piece of the well-being puzzle.

The National Institute on Aging reports that the risk of social isolation and loneliness increases as we age and can lead to various health complications, including rapid cognitive decline, depression, and heart disease. Similarly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that social isolation is a serious public health concern, with nearly one-third of adults over 45 reporting that they feel lonely.

But perhaps the most concerning part of isolation and loneliness is that it can creep in quickly, especially as we lose touch with coworkers and friends.

Why Socialization Can Be Challenging

When you think about your social calendar and friendships, you might be satisfied with the connections you have cultivated. And that’s great! However, being aware of common barriers to socialization can empower you to continue seeking out connections.

• Smaller social circle: It is natural for social circles to shrink throughout our lifetimes. Colleagues retire, favorite neighbors move away, and friendships end. If you feel like your social circle is smaller than it used to be, don’t worry. A study from the American Psychological Association shows that people over 60 tend to focus on quality over quantity in their social relationships.
• Less interaction with coworkers: Even if you are not planning to retire for quite some time, you might find it more difficult to connect with colleagues in the break room or boardroom lately. An increasing trend toward working from home means fewer friendships are forged at work.
• Reluctance to make new friends: The thought of getting to know new people can sound downright exhausting. For introverted personalities, connecting with new people and fostering relationships of trust can seem more difficult the older we become.
• Struggles with meeting people: Adults may not know where to find people who share similar interests. This can make meeting new friends challenging.

Socialization Inspiration

If you are struggling to find relationships that feel supportive and encouraging, you aren’t alone. It can be difficult to expand your social circle, but it is certainly not impossible. Remember: It’s about quality and not quantity.

Here are a few ways to connect with new people in your community:

• Find a group on Meetup that shares your interests.
• Rekindle friendships with those you may have lost touch with over the years.
• Become a mentor for a young professional in your office.
• Create a standing social meeting for people in your office, your place of worship, or your neighborhood.
• Consider senior living, where communities are designed to enhance social interaction between residents.

Living your best life means getting the support you need to pursue your joy — whatever that looks like for you in this exciting chapter. No matter your circumstances and your goals, WesleyLife provides services and lifestyles to serve you. We love creating transformative experiences that enhance the well-being of everyone we serve.

Find a WesleyLife community or service near you to learn more about how we can cheer you on as you live your best life.