What Is A Seniors Lifestyle?

by Ely Lazar
(Perth, West Australia)

Many people view the senior years or their "retirement" with some degree of trepidation.

When we think back to our parents' generation when it seemed that there wasn't a whole lot to look forward to past 65. Life expectancy 40 years ago was 67 for men who were the primary income earners in those days. How times have changed!

Today, for men, life expectancy is near 80, while for women it is over 80, and women are just as much a part of the work force. Many are living well into their 80's, 90's and beyond.

So the question is, what are we going to do with all those extra 20 or so years? In our time as chiropractor and medical doctor, we have seen too many people bored, grouchy and just so uninspired in their senior years, while others are discovering a whole new world. For us, in our upper 60's, the world is just opening up in so many different ways.

One of the things that has been so valuable for us is identifying our values. What is most important in our lives? Many people don't actually stop to assess this and their lives are not congrent with their values.

There are 7 areas of our lives from which we derive our values and these can change over the span our lives. This is especially true when seniors find that they no longer have a job to go to, no more children at home and suddenly they may feel like lost souls.

For us, our top 3 values are our relationship, travel and finances. You may wonder where travel comes in on the chart. Travel can be a very spiritual endeavour in addition to being social, physical and mental. So one activity can actually transcend several areas of life. Since we have been travelling extensively, finances are important.

Stop and look at your life, and see what is most important to you. When you identify that, life becomes inspiring and fun. When you are living life at odds with your values, you find life a drag and full of stress.

Live your life with passion!

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