My first year of ER - a retrospective (long post!)

[keegs]

Thanks for sharing Larry. Being in similar circumstances I also find these posts very helpful. I've been in IT for over 30 years now, will be at it for at least a few more years. Worked for two large corps over that time. I also enjoy physical exercise and I'm a DIY financial planner.

Some ideas for you.
yoga - it's social, physical and spiritually uplifting.
meditation - uplifting, relaxing and in general good for the head..there's guided practices online to help.
gardening - physical, and you get to reap the fruits of you hard work.
join a church - social, spiritual, opportunities for volunteer activities.
feed the birds - they're fun to watch

Wonder what the ACA can do for your medical coverage.

Regards...Keegs

 

[bikeknit]

Hi Larry,

Nice helpful post. It helps me a lot to hear of other's experiences. My DH and I are just now fully retired after a half year of easing out. He is not an early retiree at 68 (though he has retired from several jobs since his late 50's) but I am somewhat early at 60. And we don't have megacorp to leave behind, being a teacher and librarian.

We planned to do much active but gentle travel (kayaking, hiking, bicycling) but DH is having some health setbacks so we're working through those.

We are finding that with more time, there are more ways to spend money! Will have to relax that a bit.

Keep us updated on the next year. I'll be interested in how it goes.

 

[NoiseBoy]

Great post Larry. Very helpful and thought provoking. Regarding your ability to run less as you age, I'd like to suggest a book for you to read that helped me. It's "Runner's World The Runners Body: How the Latest Exercise Science Can Help You Run Stronger, Longer, and Faster" Two of the authors are Ph'ds and what they did for this book is survey recent scientific studies in various areas such as hydration, and then report on what they feel the findings show. Their information on stride length and hydration helped me cut 18 minutes off my marathon time this year (I'm still really slow!)


Can I submit a request to Larry for a year 2 report next January?

 

[LarryG]

Great post Larry. Very helpful and thought provoking. Regarding your ability to run less as you age, I'd like to suggest a book for you to read that helped me. It's "Runner's World The Runners Body: How the Latest Exercise Science Can Help You Run Stronger, Longer, and Faster" Two of the authors are Ph'ds and what they did for this book is survey recent scientific studies in various areas such as hydration, and then report on what they feel the findings show. Their information on stride length and hydration helped me cut 18 minutes off my marathon time this year (I'm still really slow!)


Can I submit a request to Larry for a year 2 report next January?

Thanks Noiseboy! I'll definitely see if I can find that book.

I also wanted to clarify to those that have commented about exercise that I am still able to exercise a lot. I do weight training+stretching 2-3 days per week, I either run or ride a stationary bike 2-3 times a week, I hike about once a week, and I actually still play on an ice hockey team with games about once a week. So I'm still able to successfully do quite a bit of exercise, although yes, the joints are complaining more now. My reported sense of frustration in year 1 of ER was with the increasing aches and pains preventing me from doing even more.

Finally thanks for the compliments on the post. I will definitely do a Year 2 post next January !

 

[38Chevy454]

Thanks for the summary Larry. I am trying to figure out my exact ER date, but within next year I am pretty sure. My big unknown wild card is the health care. Even with coverage through my employer pension, it can still wreck plans if major health issues.

Go traveling more, even by car. Get out and go see new places. It will be good for you and you can have some fun. In my case I will certainly be taking motorhome out a lot more.