9 wonderful hobbies that could keep you fit and healthy in later life

One of the things that you might be looking forward to about your retirement is the additional time you’ll have on your hands. After working hard for many years, you’ll finally be able to try out some new hobbies.

As well as enjoying your hobbies, you might also be thinking about how you can stay fit and healthy throughout your retirement. After all, life expectancy in the UK has risen to the point where you could enjoy 30 years or more of retirement.

Luckily, there is a whole range of hobbies that are not only enjoyable to learn but could also keep you fit and healthy into old age. Here are nine examples to give you some inspiration.

1. Gardening

It might seem like a cliché, but gardening during your post-work years is in fact a great way to keep your mind and body healthy. Research shared by Saga has discovered that gardening is the most popular hobby for over-50s.

It’s no secret that spending time in nature is great for your mental health, lowering stress levels and reducing your risk of anxiety and depression. As well as the mental health benefits, gardening can help to keep you strong and physically healthy too.

When gardening becomes a regular part of your schedule, you may notice an improvement to your strength and stamina, and it has been linked to a reduced risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

2. Walking

If you enjoy being out in nature but gardening isn’t quite your thing, walking or hiking might be the answer.

Walking is sometimes overlooked as a type of exercise but it’s a beneficial activity at any age. A daily stroll has been shown to reduce your risk of a plethora of different health conditions including heart disease, diabetes, and even some cancers.

You may also find that walking helps to boost your energy levels. It’s true that the more you do, the more you want to do.

3. Team sports

Team sports like football, hockey or netball aren’t just for the school playground – taking part in organised sport in your post-work years can be great fun and bring a host of health benefits.

As well as helping you to build and maintain muscle mass, improve cardiovascular fitness and increase your stamina, team sports also provide vital social interaction. Socialising is hugely beneficial for your mental health, boosting your mood and keeping your memory sharp.

4. Photography

Photography might not be the first thing that springs to mind when you’re thinking about hobbies to improve your health, but it brings a lot of surprising benefits. Depending on what you choose to photograph, it can be another way to get outdoors and spend time in nature, which has a lot of mental and physical benefits.

Photography is a great way to improve your self-esteem, as you watch your skill improve over time. It is also a form of mindfulness, because it requires you to slow down and notice the small details around you. This can help you to be more present, reducing anxiety and lowering stress levels as a result.

5. Travel

You might have been looking forward to the opportunities retirement could provide for travel, but did you know that getting out and seeing new parts of the world could also improve your health?

Research has discovered that people who regularly travel abroad experience higher levels of satisfaction with life. They are also less likely to suffer from depression and stress than people who rarely travel abroad.

6. Arts and crafts

Arts and crafts like knitting, origami, or model building are the ultimate exercise in mindfulness and creativity. Activities like this have been shown to boost feelings of satisfaction and self-esteem, as well as reducing the severity of symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

The focus and attention required in arts and crafts provide a distraction from any stress or anxiety you may be experiencing. Joining a craft group can also make the hobby a social one, improving your confidence and sense of belonging.

7. Music

Playing music on an old favourite instrument – or perhaps learning how to play a new one – has so many mental and physical health benefits. As well as being a relaxing hobby, music can help to improve cognitive function, reducing your risk of developing dementia and, in some cases, reducing its symptoms.

Playing music has also been shown to aid restful sleep and boost productivity. Not to mention it can also increase your dopamine levels, also known as the “happy hormone”.

8. Writing

Whether it’s short stories, a novel, or even a journal, writing is a wonderful hobby to take up or continue as you grow older. It’s a great way to keep your brain active and protect against cognitive decline. It also encourages you to be creative and improves your communication skills, as you get used to searching for the right word to express what you want to say.

Writing can also be a helpful sleep aid. Have you ever struggled to get to sleep at night because your thoughts are racing? Jotting them down can help you to calm your mind, allowing you to drift off.

9. Learning a language

Like many of the hobbies on this list, learning a language is beneficial at any age, but it can bring particular benefits to those learning in older age. Learning a language has been shown to create new connections in your brain, meaning that your new language could help to maintain and even improve cognitive function. This means it could help to reduce your risk of developing dementia.

Learning a new language can also open up lots of opportunities for socialising. Whether it’s with your fellow classmates, reading literature, or by practising your new skills on holiday, your new language can increase your social interactions and boost your self-esteem as a result.

Get in touch

If you’d like to plan a retirement that allows you to enjoy lots of different hobbies without worrying about your finances, we can help. Email theteam@fortitudefp.co.uk or call us on 01327 354321.