After years spent working, you finally have reached the age to retire. No more 9-5. No more getting up early and working late. It is now the time to relax and focus on you. Retirement is the time to slow down and enjoy life.

Most Americans spend their retirement days.

• Sleeping
• Watching TV
• Cooking or discovering new restaurants
• Shopping
• Reading
• Surfing the internet
• Relaxing

Once a person masters those techniques, they look at other ways to avoid boredom and entertain themselves.

• Home maintenance since you now have the time to work on the projects that have been on the list for a while.
• Get out and socialize with family, friends, or people who share your beliefs.
• Exercising by going to a gym, walking around your neighborhood or any local trails, riding a bike around town, or joining a sports league
• Pick up a hobby such as cooking, knitting, fixing old furniture or cars, or making artwork.
• Look into opportunities for volunteering for a local non-profit and feel a sense of doing something good for your local community.
• Getting a part-time job that helps provide a little extra income while allowing a person to socialize and feel a sense of purpose by working. Part-time work also means staying within your industry but working a modified schedule, so working three days a week versus five days a week.
• Look into attending school or taking local classes to learn about a new field. The challenge of learning a new skill can enhance memory, strengthen the connections between parts of the brain and lower the risk of dementia. The best part is there are many options for taking a course. People can find a course through colleges, adult schools, and online programs.
• Pick up a new transportation skill, such as sailing, riding a motorcycle, or operating an RV to get around the various states.

Retirement life does not mean you have to do nothing; it can be a new chapter to grow and do something new.