Extra Retirement Income

Senior Exercise - Why Skiing Is Good For You

Guess what? If you are in your 40s, 50s, 60s or yes, even older, skiing and snowboarding are both great for you. Skiing and snowboarding is an investment with many great returns. Not only are they great fun and put a grin on your face, these great sports also improve your health, contentment, sex life, red blood cell count and help you live longer.

Being retired allows you the opportunity to ski and snowboard when others are working. When working, you travel to and from work in the dark, are cooped up in the office all day, and levels of serotonin, the brain's natural mood lifter, drop. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) can alter one’s mood from mild winter blues to a more serious form where folks can't function in the wintertime without treatment. So find your treatment for the wintertime blues with your own personal adrenalin boost by getting up on the mountain. I have found nothing better.

Before you get out on the slopes, especially if you are over 40 and/or have not been following a regular exercise routine, see your physician. Also, getting in shape especially for us deskjockeys is a must before any real time on the slopes.

Our instincts require us to exercise our fight or flight responses. What safer, better way of doing this than searching out the steepest run you can, or something a little bit outside your usual comfort zone? The adrenalin surge and endorphin rush will turn on the beta receptors in your nervous system causing your heart to beat quicker and accelerate air to the lungs.

This excites the brain, and the endorphin rush of relief when it's over will make you feel like a brilliant human machine after each run. And after a great day on the slopes, you can then undo the superb workout by celebrating with some apres ski in the bar after. The night life is not just for the Sundance film festival crowd. Just think if you meet that single someone while up skiing, you know you are both physically fit. What a way to spice up your sex life, too.

Can the news about skiing get any better? Yes. Just breathing the high altitude air can help make you thin and fit. According to the Austrian Moderate Altitude Study, men who were overweight and suffered from high blood pressure and high cholesterol were prescribed walks at an altitude of between 1400m and 2000m. What did they learn? Exercise at altitude improves heart function and circulation, lowers blood pressure and burns calories. There had also been an increased number of young red blood cells. Pretty good for a retired person wanting to stay in shape. So, as far as the concept goes, skiing and snowboarding at Sundance, Aspen, Killington or your local resort could add years to your life. By the way, passing time in the out-of-doors helps to forestall illness and enhance physical and psychological recovery.

Here is an added benefit: if you are at a ski resort, you probably are not breathing polluted city air. Did you know that folks living in the most polluted cities have a 26% larger likelihood of dying young than those in cities with cleanest air. So give yourself a break from the congested traffic and polluted air and breath in that fresh, crisp mountain air.

If you have never skied or snowboarded before, come out of retirement and take some advice. Why not live a little and learn something new? Besides - learning is good for any age group. So what are you waiting for? Skiing is not just great fun; it is also proven to be good for you. That certainly is an unbeatable combination. Skiing can be expensive, but you shouldn't let that stop you from living out your dreams. You're retired. This is your time. We think you should never have to worry about money again, so we created a sister site that is dedicated to teaching you how to create plenty of passive income. You'll never have to let money stand in the way of living out your dream retirement. Find out how to earn extra retirement income.

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Getting Into Shape