Nobody wants to spend their retirement in ill health, although sometimes we do not have a choice–or do we? The place we live has a lot to do with how healthy we are, our attitude toward life, and how much we enjoy our retirement years. Moving to Costa Rica for your health can be a wise decision that will allow you to enjoy your retirement to the fullest.

One of the many advantages of living in Costa Rica is the climate. Rather than four distinct seasons it has only two, the dry season and the rainy season. Far from being dry for half a year and wet the rest of the time, Costa Rica has a pleasant and temperate climate that avoids extremes.

During the rainy season a typical day includes several brief rain showers between hours of beautiful sunshine. In the dry season you can leave your umbrella at home and enjoy the warm, sunny days while you golf, go boating or enjoy other outdoor activities.

In fact, it’s the wealth of sunshine that makes Costa Rica such a healthy and pleasant place to live. In most of the world people have been told for years that the sun’s rays are harmful and responsible for melanoma and other deadly cancers. But did you know that the lack of sunshine is responsible for over half a million deaths annually?

Lack of sunshine prevents the body from producing vitamin D. Lack of this important vitamin can aggravate conditions such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and heart disease.

Cardiologists routinely test their patients’ levels of the “sunshine vitamin” and usually recommend that they take a supplement.

Research has discovered that 250,000 cases of colorectal cancers and 350,000 cases of breast cancers can be prevented with sufficient levels of vitamin D; raising the levels of this vitamin is one of the keys to preventing many types of cancer.

Costa Rica is an ideal place to maintain optimum levels of vitamin D. Just 15-20 minutes of exposing at least half your body to the rays of the sun is enough to keep your level of vitamin D where it should be to maintain good health.

This is not to say you should never wear sunscreen but it filters out the beneficial sunlight as well as its harmful rays.

As well as having the sunshine you need to stay healthy, Costa Rica encourages an active lifestyle at any level you are comfortable with. You can enjoy planting and cultivating a beautiful garden or choose a more vigorous activity like bicycling.

There are social activities to keep you busy and a multitude of causes to volunteer for if you enjoy doing things for others. Costa Rica is also a paradise for people interesting in anthropology; you’ll be able to see ruins of extinct cultures in the beautiful jungles and see relics unavailable anywhere else in the world.

As you can see, Costa Rica has everything that is needed for a healthy, happy retirement–abundant sunshine, limitless opportunities for physical activities and a wealth of resources to keep your mind active and engaged.

Written by Scott Oliver, author of 1: How To Buy Costa Rica Real Estate Without Losing Your Camisa, 2: Costa Rica’s Guide To Making Money Offshore and 3. ¿Cómo Comprar Bienes Raices en Costa Rica, Sin Perder Su Camisa?

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.