Getting older is something people don’t want to talk about, don’t want to show and definitely don’t want to accept. But it’s the most basic and constant part of life and there is no reason why you shouldn’t embrace it. A lot of the negativity comes from the stereotypes about people as they get older – that they become forgetful, annoying, lazy and ugly. Literally not a single one of these is true – but if you give up and give in, you will slip into these stereotypes. One that you have complete control over is how active you stay and how much time you spend outside, but if you don’t feel that comfortable with Zumba classes, here are some alternatives you’ll love:
Get the little league back together
Perhaps when you were younger, you played baseball with your buddies from school. Or maybe basketball or football. Either way, you’ve been out of that picture for a while and maybe even lost touch with some of your old friends. But you can kill two birds with one stone and get the team back together. You all probably stopped playing around the same so there won’t be anyone who’s in much better shape than the next person, and since you’re all the same age and share history, nobody will feel like the odd man out. Get together every week for a friendly game and then catch up afterward to see what’s happening in your lives and reconnect. It’s nourishment for both the body and the soul.
Get something good for the community out of it
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Do something different with your morning jog instead of running around in endless circles. If there is someone in your neighborhood who has trouble getting out to walk their dog, take them on the jog with you. Or take a trash bag and collect pieces of trash you see around the area to leave it spotless for your neighbors. Little things we do can certainly help, and sometimes it’s literally no trouble at all. If you are a parent or grandparent taking the little one to the park to play, you might see that the playground needs some cleaning up, or that some mom is literally falling asleep behind the swing, so you can offer to watch their kids for a little bit. It’s the small things we do for our community that make it strong.
Go for local
Every country and every city has something new and unique to offer. If you live in the mountains where you constantly have perfect conditions for snow sports, you can ski, snowboard or just get some real stamina going by hiking through deep snow. But if you live somewhere beautiful and sunny like Australia, you most certainly want to check out golf clubs in Sydney because it’s the best view you will ever get. Use the advantages that your city provides and really try to enjoy the little things, just like you would spend every day going to the beach if you went on vacation – but you have a beach right there in your home town!
Hiking
There’s nothing that can really compare to the feeling of escaping the hustle and bustle of the city and entering the peaceful world of mother nature. You can go hiking by yourself, with your spouse or with a group, whichever you find most enjoyable. If you’re lucky enough to live near a hiking spot, you should literally do it every day because there are so many benefits for your health, but if not – make it your weekend activity and really reconnect with nature and your natural urge to walk. Yes, even uphill.
Rediscovering nature
Staying with the theme of nature, it’s probably been a few years since you were last in science class collecting plants and pressing them between books. But those little things, like going out at night and stargazing, learning all the different constellations or bird watching and trying to recognize all the species. These are all fun activities that not only get you outside, but they will reignite your passion for exploring and learning. You can go forage for mushrooms or start a wildflower collection or just pick up a camera and try to get the best nature shots that are out there.
Conclusion
There are so many things you can do alone, with friends or by seeking out a group of likeminded strangers. Simply spending time outside – especially in a world where we spend most of our time between four walls – will do so much for your mental and physical health, and you will feel a lot better about yourself. What’s most important, you will put yourself out there, do something new and find out that getting older really isn’t as scary as you might’ve thought it was.
