Older and Active: 7 Hobbies, Crafts, and Activities to Keep You Feeling Young
During our senior years, we tend to have more time on our hands. By choosing to retire or engage in part-time work, most seniors suddenly find themselves with hours to do pretty much whatever they desire. At this point, it becomes essential to remain socially and physically active.
Having a few hobbies, regular exercises, and fun crafts can go a long way in helping one avoid monotony or depression. Here are some innovative activities to help you stay active:
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1. Taking Care of Pets
Most seniors often find themselves living in the proverbial ‘empty nest,’ a home from which the children have departed to pursue education and work. When this happens, a pet can provide much-needed companionship and give the senior an avenue to channel their energy. A dog, for example, can help an elderly person combat loneliness and boredom. Additionally, pets require regular feeding, cleaning, and walking, activities that will keep you quite engaged.
Besides the activities, most seniors find some level of fulfillment by caring for a pet. In addition, petting an animal has been shown to reduce the secretion of stress-related hormones. So if you or your loved one need a fantastic pastime activity, consider getting a pet.
2. Gardening
Few activities in life can give one the fulfillment and sense of accomplishment derived from successful gardening. There are even discussions that suggest humans have an inborn tendency to connect with nature.
In addition, activities such as gardening can improve a person’s well-being, enhance their creativity, reduce stress, and play a role in emotional and mental healing. These advantages probably explain why a considerable number of seniors consider gardening a fantastic hobby.
3. Exercising
While fitness activities might not be a senior’s cup of tea, there are numerous ways they can exercise while socializing and looking after their health. Specialists at a community for assisted living in NJ suggest some fantastic ideas, including joining a fitness class, cycling, Nordic walking, hiking, and jogging. However, it is crucial to remember that one can engage in these activities will largely depend on body strength, age, and underlying health issues.
4. Model Building
Model building is possibly one of the most unconventional hobbies for seniors. However, this activity can become quite interesting, at times even addictive. The modern world is full of exercises, activities, and accessories developed around the art of model building. For example, building a model car might be the perfect hobby for a person who worked in the automotive industry.
Besides the fun, learning the art of model building can improve a person’s skill, patience, and coordination. Some of the skills one gets through the activity include detailing, painting, sanding, gluing, planning, researching, and cutting. By escaping the stresses of the everyday world into your little universe of model building, you will find that you can focus better, think more clearly, and even possibly develop some new skills.
5. Video Gaming
When most of us think of video games, the age bracket that comes to mind is not that of fifty and sixty-year-olds. However, regular gaming might contribute to better social functioning, health, and well-being. For seniors, video games can have tremendous physical benefits related to reflexes, coordination, decision-making, and balance due to the movements involved in gameplay.
6. Playing an Instrument
Music-related hobbies are among the most accessible choices for seniors. If you have always enjoyed the soothing sounds of a saxophone, why not go ahead and learn how to play one? If everything about a piano gives you goosebumps, take the step and learn how to play those keys. You may not be looking to perform in sold-out concerts, but the satisfaction of mastering a musical instrument will be well worth the effort.
In addition, learning a musical instrument provides excellent mental challenges that could go a long way in combating conditions such as cognitive decline and dementia.
7. Solving Jigsaw Puzzles
Some seniors can choose from numerous hobbies, but jigsaw puzzles are among the most mentally stimulating and enjoyable ones. Jigsaw puzzles range from famous paintings, cartoons, photographs, and other visual objects.
Additionally, puzzles come in different sizes, difficulty levels, and colors. If you are a beginner in the jigsaw puzzle world, feel free to start with easy ones, such as 24 pieces. With time, you will realize you can comfortably solve a 1000-piece puzzle.
Growing old does not have to make you lead a boring life. By engaging in some of the hobbies, crafts, and exercises described above, a senior can quickly improve their health, socialize, and remain young at heart.
About the Author
Jennifer Bell is a freelance writer, blogger, dog-enthusiast, and avid beachgoer operating out of Southern New Jersey.
