Are you approaching retirement age and mulling your options? Or someone already there, but realizing that life after 60 isn’t quite as you imagined it, and neither is retirement?

Perhaps you were counting on sharing retirement’s financial challenges with a now-absent partner. Maybe you’ve realized that your carefully accumulated retirement savings won’t be adequate, thanks to medical advances that could see you well into your 80s or even 90s.

So you’re looking for a way to stretch your retirement dollars. And you’ve heard that retiring abroad can reduce your cost of living to a fraction it its current level, but…

What about your health? Can retiring abroad also benefit your health and well-being?

Most definitely! In today’s video interview, Margaret and her expert expat guests, International Living’s senior editors Suzan Haskins and Dan Prescher, discuss the many ways retiring abroad can help you become and stay healthy. To learn more, read on. And enjoy the video!

How Retiring Overseas Can Mean a New Lease on Life

Think about it. Locations where cold, rainy or snowy weather rules several months each year don’t usually show up on lists of great places to retire to. Why?

Because a warm, sunny year-round climate is what most retirees want. Weather friendly to daily outdoor activity (even just walking to the local market to get dinner fixings) can mean a drop in your weight and blood pressure.

And speaking of local markets, retiring abroad offers the chance to bid farewell to frozen, processed chemical-laden food. Load up on freshly picked organic produce or dine on fish that were swimming in the ocean just hours ago. Both at prices to entice even the thriftiest retiree!

Finally, moving to the retirement place of your choice means, as Suzan puts it, awakening every morning “… somewhere that you want to be, where there are experiences that you want to have. And I think that makes you feel better overall! And it gives you sort of a better mental aspect to life. “

Wall Breaker, Yes; Wallflower, No

More healthy benefits of overseas retirement? In addition to regular walking, the car-optional lifestyle you’ll find in many places means cleaner air and quieter surroundings. It also encourages mingling with your neighbors, both local and expat.

Several studies have shown that social isolation takes a serious toll on our mental wellbeing after 60. Dan stresses that moving to a place where you aren’t fluent in the language requires an extra effort to engage with the locals in ways they understand. Remaining isolated simply isn’t an option!

Flying Solo

If you’re a single woman thinking, “This all sounds great,” but questioning the wisdom of retiring overseas, think again. Dan emphasizes:

“We recognized several years ago that more … single females were showing up at conferences. And we’ve added that into the itinerary of our conferences… Retirement is not what it used to be for single women. The sky’s the limit.”

And Suzan agrees, “But the amazing thing … is that I personally… tend to see more females, single females, moving overseas than men.”

Retiring Abroad: A Whole New You!

What exactly is driving so many women over 60 to retire abroad? It’s the opportunity, as Dan puts it, to “reinvent“ themselves as artists, B&B operators or bakers specializing in goodies-from-home for the expats.

Whatever your unrealized retirement dream is, the chances are you’ll have a much easier time bringing it to life abroad. For one thing, you aren’t likely to encounter snarls of red tape when getting your licenses or permits.

And renting a property to house your business? Expect to pay much less than you would in a developed country, and to stress much less over risking your retirement nest egg! Doing something you love without constantly weighing the cost — how great is that?

Every Journey Begins with a Single Step

So you’re ready to investigate how moving overseas can mean a healthier, happier retirement. But where to begin?

Start by reading Live Richer, Spend Less: International Living’s Ultimate Guide to Retiring Overseas. It’s a comprehensive look at all the practical considerations such a move requires. And as a woman over 60, you know the importance of practical considerations!

Then pay a visit to internationalliving.com. Click on the Topics button for links to all sorts of useful tips on topics such as where to retire within your budget or retiring as a single person.

Finally, when you’ve narrowed down your choices of retirement destinations, let Facebook guide you to their local expat communities. The 21^st century’s answer to pen pal letters, Facebook posts let you ask questions of, and establish relationships with, your future neighbors — long before you ever set foot in your adopted land!

What health concerns would you need to address before deciding to retire overseas? What are your thoughts on starting your own business abroad? How would the necessity of “engaging” with a new culture affect your decision to stay or go? Please join the conversation!