What is 'the Villages Lifestyle'?

[PersonOfInterest]

After living in the Villages for a few years I’m wondering what the Villages Lifestyle really consists of. TV seems to revolve around Activities. Pickleball, Golf, Bocce’, softball and a seemingly endless list of others. At the end of the day there’s always entertainment at the squares. Many of us stay so busy that we hardly have the time to get to know the people we enjoy all these activities with.
For most it’s hardly a relaxing retirement. With this highly active, busy lifestyle are we increasing our longevity or setting ourselves up for injuries and over exertion? Would a more relaxing lifestyle improve mind and body or are we better off pushing the limits as we advance into our 80’s?
Of course, we can always choose to slow down, relax and take it easy rather than live with daily 2 hour sessions of activities, one after the other. But if we were to choose that relaxing lifestyle would we feel displaced living in TV?
Does this portray the Villages lifestyle that you see or do you see the lifestyle here as something different?

[Bogie Shooter]

:popcorn::popcorn:

[JMintzer]

After living in the Villages for a few years I’m wondering what the Villages Lifestyle really consists of. TV seems to revolve around Activities. Pickleball, Golf, Bocce’, softball and a seemingly endless list of others. At the end of the day there’s always entertainment at the squares. Many of us stay so busy that we hardly have the time to get to know the people we enjoy all these activities with.
For most it’s hardly a relaxing retirement. With this highly active, busy lifestyle are we increasing our longevity or setting ourselves up for injuries and over exertion? Would a more relaxing lifestyle improve mind and body or are we better off pushing the limits as we advance into our 80’s?
Of course, we can always choose to slow down, relax and take it easy rather than live with daily 2 hour sessions of activities, one after the other. But if we were to choose that relaxing lifestyle would we feel displaced living in TV?
Does this portray the Villages lifestyle that you see or do you see the lifestyle here as something different?

I see it as it can be whatever you want it to be...

If you want your days filled with activities, they're there for you...

If you want to be a homebody, or physically can't do those things, then that's fine, as well...

[John Mayes]

I see it as it can be whatever you want it to be...

If you want your days filled with activities, they're there for you...

If you want to be a homebody, or physically can't do those things, then that's fine, as well...

Exactly!

[Laker14]

I see it as it can be whatever you want it to be...

If you want your days filled with activities, they're there for you...

If you want to be a homebody, or physically can't do those things, then that's fine, as well...

I agree. I think it takes a bit of time for most people to find the degree of business they can live with. During the "honeymoon" phase it's an easy trap to fall into, trying to do too much. Very similar to when some first retire, they think they will have more time, and more energy, to do more things than they really will be capable of.

There is a bit of FOMO that can take control of a person here. The good thing is one can always throttle it back a bit. You may have to take Nancy Reagan's advice and "just say no", once in a while.

Me? I play pickleball a few days a week, and golf a few days a week, both of which I would love to be able to do more of than I do, but if I get carried away, I get sore and can't do either. We play cards once a week.

And I nap a lot.

[Velvet]

To me The Villages Lifestyle means choices. You have many, at any level of ability. For example, there are I think 747 golf holes to play, you can play them all, 9 holes only or none. There are 102 or so pools, you can go to any every day, or never. I have social neighbors, many with dogs. Most of them come from somewhere else like me, looking for friends. You can talk to them, visit with them, play with them, or never do anything more than wave. Etc etc. There are several religious institutions. Volunteer work. You are encouraged to follow your hobby whatever it is. That is choice… you pick what you you want to do.

[manaboutown]

I still miss Katie Belle's!

[GpaVader]

For me, it just means if you're bored, it's your own fault. The activities are not required but are there to help you enjoy what you like and if they don't have what you like, start your own club or activities and find out how many other like minded people there are.

We still work FT, so we can't participate in many of the clubs as they occur during the working day, but we still have the evenings to participate in things, plus the weekends...

The other thing to keep in mind is the Lifestyle Visits TV uses to entice new residents/renters or visitors. The time is all yours and short of checking in/out like a hotel, nothing is required. The give you options to try what you like and they are there if you want more information about buying. It's not a Time Share presentation....

[Bilyclub]

Laying on the couch and watching TV all day is not it.

[dewilson58]

I see it as it can be whatever you want it to be...

If you want your days filled with activities, they're there for you...

If you want to be a homebody, or physically can't do those things, then that's fine, as well...

Bingo.

Your lifestyle here is as YOU DEFINE it.

A great thing about TV, activities are available................not required.

:gc:

[retiredguy123]

Bingo.

Your lifestyle here is as YOU DEFINE it.

A great thing about TV, activities are available................not required.

:gc:
Do you mean I can stop going to quilting?

[margaretmattson]

I once spoke to a man at LSL who told me that participating in activities one after the other was starting to feel like work.

We discussed taking in fewer activities and blending in time with the other participants to just socialize. It doesn't have to be costly! Here are a few suggestions, Perform needed stretches before and after to avoid injury, but while doing so, ask questions to get to know one another. Or, remind the participants that hydration is important and talk while enjoying a bottle of water. Late social club meeting? Suggest going to the square to listen to music. Chat and enjoy yourselves.

I think you will start to enjoy the "Villages Lifestyle" much better if you begin to practice socializing while playing.

[Skunky1]

So does my cat(nap a lot)!!!

[jedalton]

So do I!

[Papa_lecki]

This is an interesting question.

The east answer, as you’re planning to move to TV - or you talk to friends, is GOLF, golf, and more golf.

But, I’ve learned that golf is a fraction of the things to do every day.
I think it’s a balance between activities you’ve done for a lifetime (golf, tennis, pickle, painting, etc) and finding some new hobbies.
But as mentioned, don’t overdo it - don’t be too bust that you can’t enjoy ourself, your spouse and your new friends.

[Worldseries27]

i see it as it can be whatever you want it to be...

If you want your days filled with activities, they're there for you...

If you want to be a homebody, or physically can't do those things, then that's fine, as well...
agreed. My ideal is to live a life not ruled by clocks or a calendar anymore

[Laker14]

agreed. My ideal is to live a life not ruled by clocks or a calendar anymore

Good point! Because I golf and pickle primarily, my schedule is dictated by the clock. I notice that when rain is forecast, I sometimes feel like I did when I was a kid and there was a forecasted possibility of a "snow day".

[HJBeck]

“Use it or lose it. “. Pretty good phrase for what happens to the body when we are not active enough.

[La lamy]

I picked TV because of:
- the weather first
- the quality of pickleball play second
- ease of making friends third
I also regularly:
- frequent the book and jigsaw puzzle libraries
I sometimes:
- pick from the mega amount of extra activities
- nightly bands
And I absolutely LOVE TV's gorgeous landscaping on a daily basis.
I feel no pressure to do, or not do, anything. I'm my own boss.
Retirement heaven!

[Michael 61]

I picked TV because of:
- the weather first
- the quality of pickleball play second
- ease of making friends third
I also regularly:
- frequent the book and jigsaw puzzle libraries
I sometimes:
- pick from the mega amount of extra activities
- nightly bands
And I absolutely LOVE TV's gorgeous landscaping on a daily basis.
I feel no pressure to do, or not do, anything. I'm my own boss.
Retirement heaven!

Well said - we are so fortunate to be able to have moved to such a great place- Retirement is the best years of our lives!

[joannamcole@icloud.com]

I miss Katie Belle’s also.

[coffeebean]

For hubby and me, The Villages is like a cruise ship on land. You can do it all or do nothing or somewhere in between.

The main part of The Villages lifestyle is to be able to golf cart to just about anything you need or want to do in retirement. There is no place like this place in the world and I feel so fortunate to be able to live this lifestyle.

[MandoMan]

After living in the Villages for a few years I’m wondering what the Villages Lifestyle really consists of. TV seems to revolve around Activities. Pickleball, Golf, Bocce’, softball and a seemingly endless list of others. At the end of the day there’s always entertainment at the squares. Many of us stay so busy that we hardly have the time to get to know the people we enjoy all these activities with.
For most it’s hardly a relaxing retirement. With this highly active, busy lifestyle are we increasing our longevity or setting ourselves up for injuries and over exertion? Would a more relaxing lifestyle improve mind and body or are we better off pushing the limits as we advance into our 80’s?
Of course, we can always choose to slow down, relax and take it easy rather than live with daily 2 hour sessions of activities, one after the other. But if we were to choose that relaxing lifestyle would we feel displaced living in TV?
Does this portray the Villages lifestyle that you see or do you see the lifestyle here as something different?

Hey, Person of Interest! Last night I was watching a DVD of the TV series Person of Interest! Great show.

Before I moved here I discovered Talk of the Villages. At the top of the page is Entertainment, and I dragged down to Clubs and went through all of them. I printed out the club names and descriptions for about a hundred I thought sounded like fun. I put them in a notebook. So how many have I attended? Very few. I gave up on the idea of pickle ball and softball (which I loved as a kid) after talking to people who played and finding out how often they are injured. I gave up on golf because it’s just too hot for me. I don’t play cards. I don’t do crafts. I discovered that it’s not easy to get into a woodworking shop— there’s a waiting list. But I loved playing my guitar and mandolin at home, so I went to a couple jams held at Rec centers. I had such a great time that I was soon playing in NINE jams a week. I don’t do things halfway, so I was soon devoting most of the rest of my time to practicing, learning new instruments, developing songs I could perform, learning more about the sorts of music I was playing. I was spending at least forty hours a week on this and having a grand time. For me, that is ONE OF the Villages Lifestyles. In a few months I found I couldn’t keep up with it all, so, I cut down to three a week, with extra ones now and then. Thursday through Saturday I keep free at present. I LOVE being retired here. I’m a Hedonist: I live for pleasure. That could be the pleasure of playing a great solo, or eating a great slice of pizza, or smelling the fragrant air here, or enjoying the beauty I drive past every day. I want to notice and consciously enjoy it all and avoid everything I don’t enjoy as much as possible. That’s my Villages Lifestyle, I plan to be here until I croak.

[Papa_lecki]

The main part of The Villages lifestyle is to be able to golf cart to just about anything you need or want to do in retirement.

My wife and I say the lifestyle is “simple”. It’s simple to golf cart to dinner, or your neighbors, or golf etc - no getting in car, just hop in and go.

[Bay Kid]

For hubby and me, The Villages is like a cruise ship on land. You can do it all or do nothing or somewhere in between.

The main part of The Villages lifestyle is to be able to golf cart to just about anything you need or want to do in retirement. There is no place like this place in the world and I feel so fortunate to be able to live this lifestyle.

So true. I haven't been on a cruise since I found The Villages. Everything and so much more here!

[Steve]

After living in the Villages for a few years I’m wondering what the Villages Lifestyle really consists of. TV seems to revolve around Activities. Pickleball, Golf, Bocce’, softball and a seemingly endless list of others. At the end of the day there’s always entertainment at the squares. Many of us stay so busy that we hardly have the time to get to know the people we enjoy all these activities with.
For most it’s hardly a relaxing retirement. With this highly active, busy lifestyle are we increasing our longevity or setting ourselves up for injuries and over exertion? Would a more relaxing lifestyle improve mind and body or are we better off pushing the limits as we advance into our 80’s?
Of course, we can always choose to slow down, relax and take it easy rather than live with daily 2 hour sessions of activities, one after the other. But if we were to choose that relaxing lifestyle would we feel displaced living in TV?
Does this portray the Villages lifestyle that you see or do you see the lifestyle here as something different?

Let's keep this simple. Of all the activities available to us in The Villages, if you see one or two or three, etc. you're interested in...do it. If you aren't interested in an activity...don't do it. That's The Villages lifestyle. Do what you want to do, don't do what you don't want to do. It's not that difficult.

[Laker14]

My wife and I say the lifestyle is “simple”. It’s simple to golf cart to dinner, or your neighbors, or golf etc - no getting in car, just hop in and go.

We spend 5 months on a lake in NY State, which is pleasant and fun, but not always "easy".

My wife and I refer to life in TV as "easy"... Want to play golf? It's easy to get in the cart and play, likewise with pickleball, or going to the pool, or going out for an evening of music and food...

Our TV home, on one floor, designed for old people, is much easier to live in, day-to-day, than the lake house.

Easy living.

[Rodneysblue]

After living in the Villages for a few years I’m wondering what the Villages Lifestyle really consists of. TV seems to revolve around Activities. Pickleball, Golf, Bocce’, softball and a seemingly endless list of others. At the end of the day there’s always entertainment at the squares. Many of us stay so busy that we hardly have the time to get to know the people we enjoy all these activities with.
For most it’s hardly a relaxing retirement. With this highly active, busy lifestyle are we increasing our longevity or setting ourselves up for injuries and over exertion? Would a more relaxing lifestyle improve mind and body or are we better off pushing the limits as we advance into our 80’s?
Of course, we can always choose to slow down, relax and take it easy rather than live with daily 2 hour sessions of activities, one after the other. But if we were to choose that relaxing lifestyle would we feel displaced living in TV?
Does this portray the Villages lifestyle that you see or do you see the lifestyle here as something different?
You do you, others will do more or less it’s up to that person choice.

[Escape Artist]

Well said - we are so fortunate to be able to have moved to such a great place- Retirement is the best years of our lives!

It sounds like you are enjoying living in the village of Richmond :coolsmiley:

[Escape Artist]

We spend 5 months on a lake in NY State, which is pleasant and fun, but not always "easy".

My wife and I refer to life in TV as "easy"... Want to play golf? It's easy to get in the cart and play, likewise with pickleball, or going to the pool, or going out for an evening of music and food...

Our TV home, on one floor, designed for old people, is much easier to live in, day-to-day, than the lake house.

Easy living.

I’m originally from the Finger Lakes myself and I’d love to own a lake house there but property taxes are exorbitant.

[Laker14]

I’m originally from the Finger Lakes myself and I’d love to own a lake house there but property taxes are exorbitant.

yes they are.

[DonnaNi4os]

I have a dog and I prefer activities that include her. My dog’s idea of fun is going for a walk, stopping and communicating with some of the neighbors and then retreating to my lap. Yes, it limits many of the activities I might do did I not have her. But I am happy and content and I know many people who do the same. That doesn’t mean that I don’t do activities, but now that I am in my 70’s I am doing what makes me happy. My dog makes me happy.

[mntlblok]

Hey, Person of Interest! Last night I was watching a DVD of the TV series Person of Interest! Great show.

Before I moved here I discovered Talk of the Villages. At the top of the page is Entertainment, and I dragged down to Clubs and went through all of them. I printed out the club names and descriptions for about a hundred I thought sounded like fun. I put them in a notebook. So how many have I attended? Very few. I gave up on the idea of pickle ball and softball (which I loved as a kid) after talking to people who played and finding out how often they are injured. I gave up on golf because it’s just too hot for me. I don’t play cards. I don’t do crafts. I discovered that it’s not easy to get into a woodworking shop— there’s a waiting list. But I loved playing my guitar and mandolin at home, so I went to a couple jams held at Rec centers. I had such a great time that I was soon playing in NINE jams a week. I don’t do things halfway, so I was soon devoting most of the rest of my time to practicing, learning new instruments, developing songs I could perform, learning more about the sorts of music I was playing. I was spending at least forty hours a week on this and having a grand time. For me, that is ONE OF the Villages Lifestyles. In a few months I found I couldn’t keep up with it all, so, I cut down to three a week, with extra ones now and then. Thursday through Saturday I keep free at present. I LOVE being retired here. I’m a Hedonist: I live for pleasure. That could be the pleasure of playing a great solo, or eating a great slice of pizza, or smelling the fragrant air here, or enjoying the beauty I drive past every day. I want to notice and consciously enjoy it all and avoid everything I don’t enjoy as much as possible. That’s my Villages Lifestyle, I plan to be here until I croak.

*Nothing* better than having a passion or two.

[Flyers999]

Nice topic and good replies.

So what is this mysterious Village Lifestyle that everyone talks about? It’s hard to define and changes frequently. But here’s my opinion. It's an unwritten agreement between the developer and the Villagers. Started with the original mission of Harold Schwartz and Gary Morse, which was to establish a place where a blue-collar worker could retire and play golf for life, just like wealthier guys who have more than them. But I digress....

The only thing I want to add to the replies we've had so far is that, yes, scaling back can be a good thing but can have its downside. If you are playing golf 3-4 times a week and drop down to 1-2 times a week, you are not going to play as well, and if you are playing with guys who are playing 4-5, then you might not have as much fun. It goes for any sport, tennis, softball, pickleball, etc.