When you thought (or think) about your retirement, what did you imagine?

For some, it’s about quiet days reading in the sun. For others, it’s traveling around the world. Some of you may have been looking forward to spending more time with family, while others hope to devote more hours to volunteer work. Or perhaps you want to hone your skills at Bridge or woodworking.

However, as many of you have probably figured out already, there’s only so much time you can devote to doing nothing. Or everything.

There is only so much time you can spend traveling, or relaxing, or painting, or reading, or building birdhouses. And spending time with family is great, but… well, you know. As a result, many people find themselves busier than they were before retirement–or bored out of their minds.

How do you know when you need to find balance in your new life? Here are a few questions for you:

Do you find you run out of energy before you get to the things that are most important to you?

Do you find yourself occupying much of your time shopping, watching TV, or surfing the internet?

Do you feel as if you have too many responsibilities, and you need a vacation from your retirement?

Or do you feel as if you are constantly looking for things to do to take up your day?

If you answered yes to any of these, you probably need to work on balancing your life.

That’s where those Six Dimensions we’ve been talking about come in.

Social, emotional, spiritual, physical, vocational and intellectual–feeding the needs of each of these dimensions will keep you whole in your retirement. Of course, each dimension will have different meaning to you than it does to your neighbor. The beauty of retirement communities, including Meadowood, is that many of them are more than just a place to hang your hat. They provide opportunities to meet your needs in every dimension of wellness. The key to making the lifestyle work, though, is to find out what keeps it all in balance for you. That may not be so easy to do when you are settling into a brand-new life.

That’s where the Fitness and Wellness Team comes in at Meadowood. We’re here to guide you to balance. To help you figure out what is missing in your life, as well as what you’ve got on overload. Through our fitness and wellness assessments, our diverse programming, and the certifications and skills our team members possess, we can help you find the perfect ratio of activities-to-relaxation for you!

When you move in to Meadowood, one of the first things you will do is meet with the Director of Fitness and Wellness Becky Anhorn, me, and the other members of our team. We’ll take the time and opportunity to talk to you about what your goals and visions are for your retirement, and we’ll help you make a plan. We’ll help you set goals.

You will decide exactly how much one-to-one guidance you need, and how we can assist you on your journey to balance your six dimensions of wellness.

You may find, as many of our new residents do, that your vision of the perfect retirement just may change. And that’s quite all right, because while the path to balance may be a winding one, getting there is half the fun.

Until we meet…
Donna