"What is your ideal retirement for old age?"
For many young people, "aging" is a very distant thing, and now that life is a mess, how can they still think about life after old age?
Nowadays, on social media, you can see the retirement life of many elderly people, whether it is to start a second life as a model, but also to pick up a paintbrush for the first time to realize their dreams... For them, retirement is a new beginning in life.
In addition, the other side of old age life may be their own physical condition, the death of elderly parents, and the departure of children when they are older...
@Zhenzhen, 62 years old this year, only after experiencing the above experiences, did he really accept the fact of "aging" and find a way to heal himself through fitness.
A month ago, she began to post daily sports photos on Xiaohongshu, her body was well-proportioned, her muscles were looming, and some people were moved by her state: "I really hope that when I am 62 years old, I can be like you."
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But there were also a few skeptical comments, admitting that although she was under pressure, "if I can bring some encouragement to young people, my purpose will be achieved."
Speaking of choosing fitness many years ago, I originally wanted to divert attention and fill the emptiness after retirement, but I didn't expect to receive the attention of so many people unexpectedly. She always feels that she is a very lucky person, "I have been insisting on fitness for seven or eight years, but I didn't expect to suddenly have a lot of fans and friends."
What she conveys is a calm and open-minded attitude towards life and the infinite possibilities of old age, which may coincide with the old age life imagined by modern young people.
Here's her self-statement.
▲ The picture is from the interviewee| Little Red Book @ Zhenzhen
I was born in 1960, I am 62 years old this year, and I am now in Kunming, Yunnan, and I have been retired for 5 years.
The reason why I chose to share publicly is because I have met many young people and gradually found that their lives have become more and more difficult in the three years of the epidemic.
Think about myself who has been retired for many years, even if it is a low-income level, but life is still guaranteed, the external environment has little impact on me, but what should these young children do?
My child has a good friend, a girl who is nearly 30 years old, who turned out to be a manager in the education and training industry, but in the first two years, the policy changed, and he was unemployed overnight, even if he wanted to change careers from scratch, but in terms of age or experience, there was no advantage at all.
I have known that child for seven or eight years, he is a cheerful person who loves his work, and usually comes to chat with me when he has nothing to do; But during that time, she locked herself at home, unwilling to communicate with people, and slowly fell into a "vicious circle".
After hearing this news, I was both distressed and sad. At that time, I really wanted to do something as best I could, so I often pulled the child to chat to avoid her being in that depressed state for a long time.
Coincidentally, she hasn't found a stable job yet, so she has more free time to teach me how to use various social software. It is in this atmosphere of mutual companionship that she is also trying to come out, and her state is getting better and better.
To be honest, I've been working out for seven or eight years and never thought of showing it in front of the public. Now come forward to share their fitness photos, although most of the comments are praise, but there is still a small number of doubts.
I just want young people to see that this old aunt is in her 60s, still working hard to maintain her figure, and wants to pass on some positive energy to them, no matter what age, to live happily, healthy and confident.
▲Image courtesy of interviewee
At first, it was just to share daily life and convey a positive attitude to life, and after accidentally getting a lot of attention, I had a little more "idol baggage" and more motivation to stick to fitness, which shows that this kind of motivation is also two-way interaction.
I started practicing yoga at the age of 47 and unfortunately I couldn't keep doing it. In 2015, I had otolith disease (vertigo caused by otolith displacement), which recurred many times in two years, and then the doctor recommended to do less yoga, which caused the head to swing a lot, and the otolith was easy to deviate from its original position; The following year, I found precancerous lesions in my cervix, and although there were no major problems after surgery, by this time I realized that God was ringing alarm bells to remind me to pay attention to my physical condition.
High-intensity aerobics can't be done, calisthenics can't jump, you can only bite the bullet and practice the equipment, according to your own situation to master the intensity. At that time, I was still in a "semi-retired" state and could only take advantage of the weekend to go to the gym to exercise.
Until 2018, my father died of illness, which meant that my parents were gone, so that for a long time I could not slow down and lost more than 10 pounds at once.
To divert my attention, I spent more time in the gym, trying to get out of that state of extreme sadness. It was also during that time that I remembered that I was in my 50s and could have changed my lifestyle.
▲Image courtesy of interviewee
For so many years, I have been in the construction industry and have a national first-class certificate of registered builder and cost engineer. There are generally more men and fewer women in this industry, and I often have to run to the construction site, which is not a small pressure for me.
When I really retired, I was very uncomfortable at first, and suddenly the pressure disappeared, like I used to call me every day, and now no one contacts me anymore, it seems that I am slowly disconnected from society, and I can only wait for retirement salary to eat and die.
This state of self-doubt lasted for two or three months, thinking that I couldn't go on like this, I had to find something to do, so fitness became the main theme of my retirement life.
I am 160cm tall and weigh about 50kg before workout, which is not fat, but the fat is hoarded in the abdomen and waist. After several years of exercise, the weight is now maintained at about 46kg, and the body fat rate is 17%.
The positive feedback brought by fitness, firm body lines and full mental state have allowed me to regain my motivation in life and confidence in myself.
▲Image courtesy of interviewee
With age, especially the visible signs of aging, sagging skin, increased wrinkles, and decreased hair volume... This physiological change slowly extends to anxiety about age.
There was a time when walking on the street and seeing old people on crutches and hunched backs would immediately remind me of what I would look like in the future, which made me afraid of "getting old" for a while. But my child comforted:
Mom, don't scare yourself today with tomorrow's events.
▲Image courtesy of interviewee
For me, retirement is a new stage in my life.
In 1984, I was just admitted to Yunnan Radio and Television University, and there were 4 students admitted to the same major that year, only I was a girl, and the rest were all men. Later in my career, I was always strict with myself and worked hard, for fear of being called a "female vase".
It can be said that until I retired, all confidence came from work. But after leaving the post, how to find the value of my own existence is exactly the problem I have been thinking about.
From the time the child left home in college, the death of his father, and the discomfort of suddenly idling after retirement, the life that was originally filled with work and family suddenly freed up a large period of spare time.
Finding a way to heal myself through fitness also gives me more confidence to face the reality of "aging". Although 22, 32, and 42 years old are all good, I can only live 62 years old once, and then I must live as I like.
Since the beginning of December sharing the news on Xiaohongshu, I really did not expect to receive so much encouragement, and at the same time hope to pass on this good luck, encourage more young people in confusion, no matter how difficult the environment, always have an expectation of life, this is what I want to do.