u/kungfutrucker

I (71m) am a 4.0 USTA doubles player. My goal is to vacation in Spain, France, and Great Britain, see the sights and blend in some tennis at a local tennis club. I am not interested in 2-3 hours of lessons/coaching, which is what a lot of the big academies offer.

My dream vacation would be to stay in a hotel with access to a nice tennis club/facility. I could take an hour drill and/or hit balls with my wife. Have breakfast afterwards. Rest. Then go see the sights.

Repeat for 5 or 6 days with the option to skip tennis and see more sights. Has anyone done such a hybrid vacation wtihout committing to a stay at Rafa’s academy or other tennis resort?

Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

I (71m) ate lunch with my best friend, a retired veterinarian (71m). After speeding through the pleasantries, we crashed into the topic of what’s new? He replied, “I do pilates, jog on a treadmill 3x week, and yet, I feel occasional brain fog, need naps, and cannot workout everyday like I did 2 or 3 years ago."

I agreed. My fitness life - weights, running, and doubles tennis - now requires rest day(s) after a tough tennis match or an afternoon nap. Despite having a good results from my recent annual physical, I think this phenomenon of old age is the culprit.

I thought that I could combat this creeping fatique by giving up alcohol, going to bed at 9 p.m. and getting at least 8 hours of sleep, and eating clean (no alcohol, too), but I am not willing to give up my vices to win more tennis matches.

I find myself in the “adjustment phase,” where I accept double faulting more on the tennis court, waking up tired, and not feeling energetic most of the time when I was 65 years old. Would you share your stories of how you reconciled your decline?

I (71m) retired 8 years ago and having worked as a corporate sales coach, I told my staff often that “you are what you do everyday!” At the risk of offending you, I confess that my wife and I are a goody two shoes retirees with an amorous side, too.

Not necessarily in order, these are some habits: We exercise and/or play tennis 4 to 5 times a week. Since my nightly routine before bed is so lengthy, sometimes, I wash my face, irrigate my nose, and use my inhaler in the late afternoon.

Of course, we take all of our pills upon rising. I get up at 5:30 a.m. My wife finds a hot mug of coffee on her night stand at 6:30 a.m. daily. She loves doing her puzzles with CBS This Morning (Gayle King).

For me, it’s Paint By Numbers, NYT, and Reddit with black coffee most mornings. Whenver she takes a bubble bath after her dance class, she knows I’ll come visit and poke her soft tummy with my index finger with a chuckle. She laughs every time.

Every other weekend, we have Sushi with our best couple friends. We both have book clubs so there is the monthly dinner and discussion. She volunteers at her friend’s food garden. Throughout the month, we read whenever we find pockets of relaxation time.

We have a weekly meeting to sync our calendars and plan commitments like concerts, wedding, and little short vacations. Frequently, we get takeout from our local taco, sushi, mediterranean, and poke bowl eateries.

Spring is here, so my wife gardens. I try to have lunch with tennis and good friends several times per month. As a private person, I need ample private time to recharge. I do the latter by making pizza, social media, and watching Netflix movies.

Oh, since we are so tired from playing sports, our love making has waned. So, we have appointments midday occasionally. These are fun days! We try to schedule time (dinner) with our three adult children. I can go on and on about our habits. But what about your retirement habits. Please share.

Given that I have 7 coronary stents, lung disease, high blood pressure, high colesterol, and a bad back, I was eager to see the lab results. But not for the reasons you might think. After all, three years earlier, my cardiologist told me I was 48 hours away from a massive heart attack.

Do you fret prior to your annual physical and blood draw? Or is it a privilege to get good health care and find out your vitals? Since my cardiac incident (no heart attack, just angina), I workout and play tennis 3 to 5 days a week.

So when I opened my lab results yesterday, I was surprised to see all of my hard work paid off. All of my results were within the normal range. With that knowledge, it gives me a strange “super power” to indulge in some fatty foods - hamburgers, fries, Kung Pao chicken, and several Margaritas.

It’s a game to me. Eat bad for the weekend and stay clean for several weeks. Had I gotten a bad lab results, I would stay clean for months at a time. Anyway, generally, my lab results give me a sense of mortality.

What about you?

My wife (68) and I (71m) have been house-bound for the last two years with a demented pet that required getting up 2 to 3 times during the night. We finally put our pet down last month.

Together with a few chronic illnesses and the habit of not doing any retirement traveling (both internationally & in the states), I feel a bit like we’re transitioning into the “slow-go years.” Somedays, I want to make plans for Europe and other days, I desire the same routine: gym, grocery store, dinner with friends on the weekend, repeat.

How did you get motivated to start traveling again?