In your retirement years, you have hopefully taken on a hobby or two, created a workout and fitness routine, and are spending more quality time with your grandchildren and family. Retirement is the time to relax and enjoy! But, even though you are no longer trying to beef up your resume or finish a degree, there is no reason to stop learning. In fact, staying engaged, through mentally stimulating activities, reduces the progression of memory loss. An active mind is a key component of a healthy lifestyle for seniors, and there is ample opportunity for older adults to indulge their intellectual curiosity, in Williamsburg, Virginia.
“An intellectually stimulating lifestyle helps to contribute to cognitive reserve and allows you to tolerate these age-related brain pathologies better than someone who has had a less cognitively active lifestyle,” study author Dr. Robert S. Wilson told USA Today.
Researchers from Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center found that people who read books, write or otherwise participate in brain-enriching activities – regardless of age – are going a long way toward maintaining their memory as they get older. Most of the active-lifestyle retirement communities, in Williamsburg, offer various clubs and classes directed at helping their residents stay mentally engaged, but our libraries, colleges, and recreation centers have also taken part in the growing trend.
- For instance, at the College of William and Mary, as long as you have lived here for a year and are over 60, retirees can take advantage of not paying tuition; you’ll only pay for course materials and lab fees.
- The Williamsburg Area Learning Tree (WALT) is a not-for-profit education program that has members of the business community teaching courses from everything to learning Chinese to crafts to deciphering handwriting.
- Christopher Wren Association gives seniors the ability to register for up to 15 classes for only $100. Take courses from colonial history to learning Spanish to using the computer. Most courses are two hours and run one day per week.
- Free classes are offered, continuously, at the Williamsburg city library, from everything to using your smart phone to job-hunting tips to learning how to use a cut & paste feature in MS Excel.
- Learn to ballroom dance, play tennis, or join an inter-mural sports team at either Quarterpath Park & Recreation Center or at James City County Parks and Recreation.
Besides all the educational opportunities, available (many of them free), living in Williamsburg will keep you young, active, and enjoying all that this amazing city has to offer. You can attend top-tier sporting events, walk pedestrian-friendly streets and take part in a lively, full calendar of community events. And now that you have time, due to Retiring in Williamsburg, use that time to do your brain a favor: sign up for a class, today!
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Rolf Kramer, REALTOR®, ABR, SRES, e-PRO
757-564-4455
Licensed in Virginia
Liz Moore and Associates,
5350 Discovery Park Blvd.
Williamsburg, VA 23188
Williamsburg has become a Mecca for retirees over the past dozen years because of its history, charm, vacation amenities, proximity to major cities and airports, and affordable cost of living. Check out www.retiringinwilliamsburg.com for information about the Williamsburg community, lifestyles available, and search for homes for sale.
Retiring in Williamsburg Blog 