Retirement Blahs

At about 20 months of early retirement, I was starting to get the blahs - the retirement blahs. Here are some of the factors which led to my blahs.

Eating healthy. Since retiring, I've made a conscious effort to eat more health, e.g. more vegetables, fruits and whole grains and less of meats and high fats. I've also been cutting back on sweets, soft drinks and alcohol.

I'm sure my heart and body appreciates the diet upgrade. However, I miss the fun of eating whatever I want, whenever I want and then having my glass of wine in the evening.

Increased exercise. I've been exercising at a rate of 6-7 days a week for the past few months - three days of weight training, two days of aerobic workout, and one to two days of tennis each week. It's been great for increasing my strength and stamina and I can feel the difference.

However, I starting to feel the monotony of exercising every day and being a little sore most of the time. I'm looking forward to a break, but am concerned that relaxing the schedule may drift into giving up exercise.

Financial challenges. As with many others, we've seen the value of our savings and retirement accounts decline significantly. This recession has been the gift that keeps on taking, taking and taking. As is probably true for others, I'm tired of this recession. It has taken a toll on my retirement accounts, my attitude and my spending habits.

I just noticed that I did not publish my usual quarterly update for Q2 2009, which ended on June 30, 2009. The blahs made me not do it :-) and I'll belatedly post the update next week.

It seems that I'm experiencing several plateaus simultaneously, in weight loss, strength increase, and investment gains. Not seeing consistent gains on a weekly basis is a little frustrating and is probably contributing to the blahs. Improvement will likely require more intensity, and I'm not ready to do that in all areas.

For now, my solution will be to recognize what has been accomplished and take a planned break for each of the areas. For example, I should celebrate the weight already lost, and achieving zero debt by paying off our mortage. In addition, I will do a review of the strategies for each area, and make changes as needed. Hopefully, these actions will help me get out of the blahs.

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This is not financial or retirement advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

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