Fun New Skills for Seniors to Learn

Fun New Skills for Seniors to Learn
 
Make your golden years the best ones of your life! You spent years toiling away at your job, doing everything everybody else’s way instead of your own. Now is the time of your life to break out of that habit to do and learn all the things you’ve always wanted.
 
It’s important to keep learning new things as we age. Learning makes life more interesting and just plain better. Picking up new skills and information helps keep our minds sharp and improves cognitive function. Trying out new stuff also helps us stay social, which can prevent isolationism and depression. Boosting your brainpower helps you feel younger and happier. If you want to take advantage of all the benefits of picking up something new to do in your life, consider the following fun skills that are perfect for seniors.
 
Take Dancing Lessons
 
Dance is the perfect exercise for seniors. It helps you get in the doctor recommended daily 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, which burns calories and promotes a stronger and healthier heart. It promotes balance and mobility while being low impact on your joints. If you want to be more social, taking dance classes gives you a fun opportunity to do something new with friends or loved ones or it can help introduce you to new people. If you prefer doing new things on your own, online dance tutorials can teach you from the comfort of your own home. You can pick up new dance moves from around the world be it from salsa, tango, jazz, martial arts style… whatever you fancy! There’s no wrong way to approach this fun and active hobby.
 
Learn to Play an Instrument
 
If you’ve always wanted to fill your home with music, learning to play an instrument is an incredibly rewarding skill that you can pick up in your free time. Taking up a new instrument is a great way to take care of your mental health as you age. It improves cognitive function and may create alternate connections in the brain that make up for the natural decline it goes through with time. Making music is also connected to lowering blood pressure and heart rate. People that play music feel less anxious and depressed and there is even evidence that it may help improve your immune system. If you want to learn to play a new instrument, take your time figuring out how to pick the best one for you. For instance, if you are looking into learning the saxophone, a beginner’s model alto or soprano may be a better fit if you have trouble lifting heavy objects. This saxophone buying guide may prove useful for picking the right instrument.
 
Start Cooking Up Something New
 
There are numerous benefits to cooking your own food. It’s a healthy habit that allows you to control the ingredients and portions to fit your needs. It helps save money on a fixed budget and encourages you to really think about what you are putting in your body. Best of all, you get a feeling of accomplishment when you sit down to savor every last bit of a meal your created. If you have beginner or even moderate cooking skills, you will find that taking lessons can really open up new culinary doors for you. While your community center or grocery store probably offers special classes that provide hands on teaching, you can also find free cooking classes and recipes online that you can experiment with in the comfort of your own kitchen.
 
Make the most of your retirement when you spend your free time learning something new. Picking up skills as we age helps improve mental health as well as overall life quality. Try something you’ve always wanted like dance lessons that keep you active and social. Learning a new instrument fills your home with music and keeps you feeling happier. If you’ve always wanted to be a wiz in the kitchen, cooking classes can help elevate your skills with the added bonus of a delicious dish at the end.

Written by The Dream Support Network Contributor: Julie Morris

Ms. Morris is a life and career coach who strives to help others live the best lives that they can. She believes she can relate to clients who feel run over by life because of her own experiences. She spent years in an unfulfilling career in finance before deciding to help people in other ways.