Retirement Answer Man

Over the past 3 episodes, we have been talking about different ways that you can improve your health in retirement. Today you’ll take action. Choose the habits you want to build and learn how to actually build these habits and set yourself up for success. Learning about health and nutrition is one thing, but taking action is something else entirely. Press play so you don’t miss out on these tips to learn how to create and stick with healthy habits.

Do you need to redefine your fitness identity?

When we are young it can be easy to take on a fitness identity. I’m a mountain biker. He’s a basketball player. She’s a swimmer. But as we age we can face a fitness identity crisis. Our fitness becomes more about mobility and nutrition. 

To help yourself create your new fitness identity think about what you want to accomplish. What do you want to improve about yourself? What new version of yourself would you like to see? Think about your motivation. Why do you want to have a healthy body? This is how you can define yourself. Listen in to hear my new motivation for good health.

Choose the habits you want to build

The power of good (or poor) health comes from habits. Positive and negative habits compound over time so to begin a healthy lifestyle you have to start by building healthy habits. You could start by building a huge meal plan or exercise routine, but that could also set you up for failure. Rather than creating a strict workout routine try tinkering with your movements to explore healthy activities that you really enjoy. 

How to build a habit and make it stick

You may already understand the importance of building healthy habits but some of us don’t know how to make them stick. Many of us try to create a routine but then struggle to maintain the habits we have created. Luckily, starting and keeping up healthy habits doesn’t have to be as complicated as you think. Try using these tips to help you create and maintain your healthy habits. 

To create healthy habits:

  1. Set yourself up for success. Make the habit simple to do. 
  2. Create friction. Take a bad habit and make it hard to do. 
  3. Start with a small habit. Plan on starting with 5 or 10 minutes a day. 

To maintain and build up your new habits:

  1. Over time increase your routine in small ways.
  2. As you build up your routine, split it up into separate times each day. 
  3. When you falter restart quickly and don’t beat yourself up about it. 

You have the opportunity to change your health

Retirement gives you the freedom to change your lifestyle. You have the opportunity to structure your day in a more purposeful manner. Think about who you want to be in retirement and get started building the habits you need to become that person. Listen in to the Coaches Corner segment with BW to hear how movement and mindset can shape your retirement.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE RETIREMENT ANSWER MAN

PRACTICAL PLANNING SEGMENT

  • [3:30] Most of us have to redefine our fitness identity as we age 
  • [7:25] How to build a habit
  • [15:32] Two stories to demonstrate different life views 

COACHES CORNER WITH BW

  • [19:45] Movement and mindset can help keep you young
  • [26:52] Use technology to improve your health

TODAY’S SMART SPRINT SEGMENT

  • [34:36] Start to make a change to improve your health

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Streaks app

Noom app

Peloton app

Oura Ring

James Clear Habit Guide

BOOK - Atomic Habits by James Clear

Stride app

Leave me a comment! 

Rock Retirement Club

Roger’s YouTube Channel - Roger That

BOOK - Rock Retirement  by Roger Whitney

Work with Roger

Roger’s Retirement Learning Center

Direct download: RAM366.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

If you are interested in living a healthy life you have to consider the food that you put into your body. The food you consume fuels your body and shapes your life. On this episode of Retirement Answer Man, you’ll learn 5 tips for ensuring excellent nutrition. You’ll also discover a few resources that can help you improve your thinking around nutrition. Grab your headphones and dive into this episode so that you can rock retirement by living a healthy life. 

What is diet?

Americans have an interesting relationship with the word diet. The word often invokes thoughts of failure and restrictions and no one likes to feel restricted. 

However, there are two definitions of the word diet. A diet is a special course of food to which one restricts oneself either to lose weight or for medical reasons and it also means the kind of food a person or animal eats.

As we’re discussing diet today we should consider the second definition rather than the first. This definition encompasses our whole lifestyle rather than considering the short term. To rock retirement, we want the cumulative benefits of a healthy diet rather than a short-term fix. When you consider the word diet I encourage you to think of it as a way to reset your eating habits to a healthier version. 

What is your relationship with food

We all have a relationship with food and often that relationship was built when we were young. But you may not want to continue eating the same way you did when you were in your teens and twenties. When we were young we could eat anything without seeing much of a change in our bodies. This is because our metabolism was high. But as we age our body chemistry changes and we don’t burn through calories like we did in the past. Think about your relationship with food. Do you still eat like you did in your twenties?

Modern food is made for convenience, not health

Everything about modern, industrialized food is created for mass production, shelf life, and consistency of flavor. As a result, modern food is high in fat, sodium, and sugar which makes it unhealthy. Added to the lack of nutrition, our portion sizes have gotten bigger in recent years. It is no wonder that our bodies haven’t adjusted to the modern diet. 

How to build a healthy diet

To create a healthy diet you want to make sure to eat food - not food products. This means eating fresh foods that don’t have a shelf life. Add colors to your plate by eating fruits, leafy greens, and whole grains.

Eating well means that you’ll have to plan your meals and give up on convenience food. Are you ready to change the way you eat? Listen to this episode of Retirement Answer Man to learn 5 tips you can use to improve your nutrition. 

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE RETIREMENT ANSWER MAN

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

  • [1:30] What is diet?

PRACTICAL PLANNING SEGMENT

  • [7:27] We all have a relationship with food
  • [10:02] Modern food is produced to be unhealthy
  • [16:16] Understand how to read labels

Q&A WITH TANYA NICHOLS

  • [22:21] How to save later in life
  • [27:55] Feedback on the Parent Project series

TODAY’S SMART SPRINT SEGMENT

  • [32:44] Start reading the labels in your pantry

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

BOOK - The Mind Diet by Maggie Moon

PODCAST - The Doctor’s Farmacy by Dr. Mark Hyman

Noom App

The Parent Project series

Align Financial

Rock Retirement Club

Roger’s YouTube Channel - Roger That

BOOK - Rock Retirement  by Roger Whitney

Work with Roger

Roger’s Retirement Learning Center

Direct download: RAM365.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

To rock retirement, you have to have the right tools, and the most important tool you have is your body. To keep up your strength and mobility your body needs to be fine-tuned. On this episode of Retirement Answer Man, we continue discussing your physical health. You’ll learn what you can do to maintain your strength and mobility so that you can rock retirement. 

What is mobility?

Mobility means having healthy muscles, bones, and joints so that you can freely move about. In retirement, it is important to have the mobility to do all the typical things you have to do and also so you can enjoy your favorite hobbies.

Staying healthy and fit isn’t the same now as it was in your 20s. Back then you exercised to keep up your good looks, but now, exercise is critical to maintaining mobility so that you can rock retirement and do all of the things you want to do.

Health and fitness can be your job in retirement

Many people struggle without the routine of work to keep their life in balance in retirement. In the book, Younger Next Year, the author, Chris Crowley, makes the argument that you should make health and fitness your job in retirement. 

This is an interesting idea that I want you to consider since exercise can provide you with not only structure but goals and rewards as well. When you devote time to your health you can see measurable results. Added to that, exercise can provide you with a social outlet and an ability to connect and work with other people. It can even draw you closer to your partner as you both work to attain your goals. 

This important job can become the center of your life now that you won’t have the busyness of work life. It may even help give you a new identity to help you transition from your work-related identity. What do you think about making health and fitness the center of your life in retirement?

How to build a body to support you to do all the things you want to do

You may have heard that you can lose up to 50% of your muscle mass by the time you are 50. However, the aged muscle can be repaired if you are willing to work to maintain it. It is important to build a plan with your doctor and you may want to include a personal trainer and nutritionist to help you build that plan. 

You’ll also want to work on increasing your flexibility. Your muscles get shorter as you get older causing your flexibility to decline. This can reduce your range of motion and lead to back pain, joint issues, and bad balance. Listen in to hear what apps you can use to help you maintain your exercise plan in retirement. 

Be sure to check out this week’s 6-Shot Saturday email newsletter!

Make sure that you are signed up for 6-Shot Saturday this week. Not only can you complete our annual listener survey, but we’ll have a link to a study guide for you to follow while you read the book, Younger Next Year. This study guide will give you a good idea of the kind of work we do in the Rock Retirement Club.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE RETIREMENT ANSWER MAN

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

  • [1:30] What is mobility?

PRACTICAL PLANNING SEGMENT

  • [3:45] You should make health and fitness your job in retirement
  • [7:25] Use exercise for functional health

Q&A WITH TANYA NICHOLS

  • [20:36] Tanya exercises to stay sane
  • [21:44] Can you roll over only part of a retirement account?
  • [25:16] The pros and cons of multi-year guaranteed annuities
  • [32:21] Do I take the pension or the lump sum?

TODAY’S SMART SPRINT SEGMENT

  • [38:10] Go buy the book Younger Next Year

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Align Financial

BOOK - The Power of Zero by David McKnight

Episode 310 - The Pie Cake

Daily Burn app

Apple Fitness Plus

FitBit Coach

Peloton app

Strava app

BOOK - Younger Next Year by Chris Crowley

Rock Retirement Club

Roger’s YouTube Channel - Roger That

BOOK - Rock Retirement  by Roger Whitney

Work with Roger

Roger’s Retirement Learning Center

 

Direct download: RAM364.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

Good health is not something you can buy, but it can be an important savings account for your future. Over the course of the next 4 episodes, we will focus on how to stay healthy and fit in retirement. We’ll discuss exercise, mobility, and nutrition. In the final episode of the Let’s Get Physical series, you’ll learn how to create an action plan to build and maintain healthy habits throughout retirement. Press play to get started on creating a healthy life.

What is the difference between hurt and harm?

The difference between hurt and harm is somewhat obvious but it may not be readily apparent when it comes to making decisions. You may put off going to the dentist to get your tooth fixed because you know it is going to hurt. We generally try to avoid hurt, but hurt can be beneficial. Hurt itself, isn’t a bad thing. Eating junk food and choosing not to exercise doesn’t hurt, but it does harm you. It is important to recognize the difference between hurt and harm to help you stay healthy.

Modern medicine provides longevity, not quality of life

Modern medicine is amazing, however, there is a dark underbelly to our healthcare system. Longevity is the goal of modern medicine, not quality of life. If you are unhealthy, medications can keep you alive much longer than you would have ever been alive in years past. You may even be able to live as long as a healthy person. But those additional years that drugs and doctors’ care provide you will not be high quality and productive, instead, life will be painful and stagnant. 

The costs of being unhealthy

Choosing an unhealthy lifestyle ends up being costly. The more unhealthy you are, the more you will pay for healthcare. And although this number can be quantified in dollars, there are other costs as well. These social costs aren’t easily quantifiable, but they will certainly be felt. 

Rather than being an active participant in life, an unhealthy person becomes a spectator. Their mindset changes and they tend to break from the person they once were. They shift from a growth dynamic to a decaying dynamic. Are you willing to take the risks that come with an unhealthy life? You can’t change the choices you made in the past, but you can change your unhealthy habits now. 

Good habits compound over time

Small habits make us who we are. Just like saving money, our habits (good or bad) compound over time. You can’t buy good health, but you can invest in it. Building healthy eating and exercise habits doesn’t have to be about your weight or how you look. The purpose of creating healthy habits in retirement is to build energy and increase functionality. Listen in to learn how to create healthy habits so that you can rock retirement. 

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE RETIREMENT ANSWER MAN

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

  • [1:30] What is the difference between hurt and harm?

PRACTICAL PLANNING SEGMENT

  • [4:48] The goal of modern medicine is longevity, not quality of life
  • [8:18] Healthy habits compound over time

Q&A SEGMENT

  • [12:20] The keys to ETFs and mutual funds
  • [15:11] A health savings account question
  • [19:11] My thoughts on the 4% rule
  • [22:37] Can Gary’s 401K annuity be moved within the 401K?



TODAY’S SMART SPRINT SEGMENT

  • [25:18] Pay attention to your eating and exercise habits

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Episode 310 - The Pie Cake 

BOOK - Atomic Habits by James Clear

BOOK - Younger Next Year by Chris Crowley

BOOK - Boundaries by John Townsend

Rock Retirement Club

Roger’s YouTube Channel - Roger That

BOOK - Rock Retirement  by Roger Whitney

Work with Roger

Roger’s Retirement Learning Center

 

Direct download: RAM363.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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