Having fun over 50: live your best life and live longer

Everyone deserves to live a fun, happy and healthy life. Facts are facts.

But for some reason, the older we get, the easier it is to forget about taking time for ourselves. Work, even if you are semi-retired, is demanding a lot of your attention. The house doesn’t sort itself out. Or if you have children – or maybe grandchildren – they easily become the focus of your day. And while all of this has a spot in your life, it’s just as important to create a safe haven for your own lifestyle.

What is the key to living a healthier and longer life?

Taking up old hobbies or making space to learn something new is proven to keep up your mental health and maintain a healthy body. Also don’t underestimate the power of training your mind and practising the knowledge you carry in your beautiful being.

Enjoying things outside of your duties is a huge factor of your wellbeing. Keeping in shape and taking care of your health is also scientifically proven to increase your chances of living a longer life. While some things are not in your control, your fitness and taking care of yourself is on you.

So go out there, kick up your laughter and live how you know it best. Being at the sweet halftime spot of your life, there are sooo many opportunities to break the happiness highscore. Now, where to start? Trust, we got you covered.

Here is our top 10 of exciting activities for your 50s (and beyond):

1. Go on your dream holiday
   What are you waiting for? No, seriously. If the borders are open, go and cross them to discover different cultures, taste new foods, mingle with the locals and get inspired by the foreign sounds, scents and sights. Even staying local or going to a place you have visited a long time ago is a great idea. Make that postcard view become reality!
   
   
2. Take up a new sport or leisure activity
   Finding a sport you like can be a little daunting, but the feeling after exercising is priceless. Stretch your body and mind by finding a community sport or grab a friend and make use of the starter sessions most clubs offer. Cricket, table tennis, yoga, pilates, swimming, football, basketball, boxing – anything is allowed to be called Sporty Spice. Walking around the neighbourhood, meditating in the park and throwing your dog’s favourite tennis ball counts too.
   
3. Have your dream birthday party
   Is there a better reason to party than to celebrate you? We don’t think so. Don’t wait for the special occasion and round numbers to bring together your loved ones. People will make time for a good gathering and you get to catch up with everyone. You can go for the big bang, including shiny balloons, three-tiered birthday cake and a summer night’s dance-off à la Sandy & Danny. Or go on a winery tour with a picnic afterwards. Ever wanted to go karting? Pack it up, it’s your birthday and you decide.
   
   
4. Become an allstar gamer
   Now is the perfect time to become the darts champion of your wildest dreams! Or challenge someone to a classic board game. Unless you rather consider yourself a video games fan, which also offers plenty of online community groups to play with or against. Either way, playing more games is a fun activity that combats loneliness and allows you to show all the tricks up your sleeve.
   
   
5. Be a master chef
   Words like sugo, nasturtium and vacherin are already on your vocabulary plate palette but you only got a taste and never around to try any on your own. Oh, wouldn’t it be a juicy adventure to unlock your cooking and baking skills! Time to make everyone’s jaws drop at the next family dinner. Or join a group cooking class and get your hands onto the pasta machine. Pappardelle, cannelloni or rigatoni – it’s 10 points from us for trying.
   
6. Get crafty
   Build your own tool box, sew a comfy cushion cover or paint your kitchen view. You can also get ahead of the season with self-made decorations or gift a personally put-together photo collage. Assembling a Lego-kit is more your thing? Using your creativity is a brick-by-brick guide to train your brain and live healthier.
   
   
7. Compete for a good cause
   Make the competition nervous (not only because of your great looks) and support a charity of your choice with a walking or running match. Catching fresh air, moving your body, making friends and doing a fundraiser at the same time – big healthy-you alert incoming. Do we really need to keep explaining this one?
   
   
8. Turn into a gardening royalty
   Jungle incoming: palm-princess, daffodil-duke, cactus-countess, bonsai-baron – which one are you? Gardening is a great hobby for people with patience or those who want to add a pinch of calm to their day. Plucking weeds (and the satisfaction of getting to the roots of it), planting seeds, watering the lawn and watching everything bloom will create the perfect colourful ensemble to wake up to. And if your thumbs are not turning green, simply shine with your excellent knowledge about different flower types at the next pub quiz.
   
9. Throw a BBQ What’s Australia without a good barbie? Invite your friends over and proudly introduce them to your downsized home. Call your neighbours to – quite literally – jump the fence and share some sizzling goods together. Make the glasses clink with a toast to your community and end the day with a little bonfire. Who knows: maybe you even make it a regular thing?
10. Found a book Club Hemingway this week, Kafka next and Murakami the month after. Meet up with fellow letter lovers and go through novels, biographies or historic pieces together. Talking about your favourites is an exciting way texchange thoughts while using your brain power. You might also find more titles to add to your “Need to read”-list.

Cruise on a boat exploring the Yarra river. Balance on a slackline. Program your own app. Dare someone to beat you in a card game. Learn about a new skincare routine. Watch TV events with someone. Dance at a concert. Attend a comedy show. Tackle your home projects. Do a roadtrip. Volunteer at an animal shelter. Plan a theme party. Well, why not?

There are so many more fun activities that suit your lifestyle as a fresh 50+ year old. It’s never too late to pick up interests that you couldn’t find the time for earlier. Boost your lifestyle and make more room for exciting experiences.

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