The surprising key to a happy retirement
It goes without saying that everyone wants to live a happy life in retirement. But if you thought having a comfortable nest egg equals happiness in your later years, you might be surprised to learn that isn’t the case. While having your finances in order is undoubtedly an important aspect of planning for a seamless retirement, research finds that your health is the number-one ingredient for happiness in your later years.
A 2014 Merrill Lynch and Age Wave study of 3,300 pre-retirees and retirees found that retirees rated their health as the number-one ingredient for a happy retirement. While other factors were important – such as financial security (58 per cent), loving family and friends (36 per cent), and having purpose (20 per cent) – good health trumped them all by a fairly large margin coming in at 81 per cent.
It comes as no surprise that baby boomers consider health important in retirement – throughout time, this generation has been proactive about health, actively taking charge of their wellbeing. As one participant said in the study, “All the money in the world isn’t worth a cent without good health.” Baby boomers know first-hand that the benefits of an active lifestyle – not just for physical health but mental wellbeing too.
With the knowledge that this generation will live longer than their parents, they know good health is imperative to be able to enjoy the retirement they want. Baby boomers don’t want to be constrained by health problems, illnesses or injuries. This generation wants to be able to travel the world, chase after grandkids, and pursue passions, all of which is much easier to do if when one is fit and healthy.
Luckily, if you’re about to retire or are retired, a recent 2016 study by the University of Sydney found that retirees are more likely to lead healthier lifestyles than their working counterparts. Retirees became more active, slept better and reduced their sitting time.
“A major life change like retirement creates a great window of opportunity to make positive lifestyle changes – it's a chance to get rid of bad routines and engineer new, healthier behaviours,” said lead researcher Dr. Melody Ding, Senior Research Fellow at the University’s School of Public Health.
While it’s true that you can’t predict what will happen in the future, the best way to ensure you’re both healthy and happy in retirement is to be active now. It’s never too late to start living a healthy lifestyle – even when you begin later in life, exercising will help boost your energy, keep you independent, make you feel younger, and improve your overall sense of wellbeing. After all, exercise isn’t just good for the body, it’s good for the mind and soul, too. And with a healthy body, mind and soul, you’ll be able to fully enjoy doing all the things you want to do in retirement.
Remember no matter your age or your current lifestyle, you will benefit from an active lifestyle, especially in retirement. Here are a few tips to get started today.
- Start slow – If you’re getting back to exercise after a long break or recovering from an injury or illness, gradually ease yourself into activity. Don’t try to go overboard, build upon your activity levels bit by bit. For example, start with a short walk a few times a week. From there, you can slowly increase the length and number of walks you do.
- Find an exercise pal – Whether it’s your best friend or your partner, getting fit with others is a great motivator. It puts the fun into exercise and it will keep you motivated on the days you’re tempted to skip that jog.
- Mix it up – When it comes to exercise, variety is the spice of life so try mixing your exercise regime up. Go for a walk one day, do a yoga class another, and then spend the night dancing with your friends. Remember, keeping active doesn’t have to be done at a gym – there are so many ways to get your body moving.
- Join a class – Groups classes are a great way to keep fit and active. Not only is there a trained instructor to guide you through the moves, exercising with like-minded people is fun, inspiring and motivating.
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