Keep Yourself Healthy If You Plan on Enjoying Retirement

Here's a piece from Money magazine about enjoying retirement. One major key: be healthy. Here's what they had to say on the issue of health and retirement.

Question: Isn't aging well just a matter of good genes and good luck?

A. You have more control than you think. Wealth and education are powerful predictors of quality of life in old age, and education may be the most important factor: Most college-educated individuals show almost no decline in functioning until their mid-eighties. They drive, dance, play sports. On the other hand, people with less than a high school diploma show a steady decline between 30 and 80.

Question: What can we do to better our odds of a happy old age?

A. Challenge yourself to learn new things. Learn a language. Take up the violin. Crossword puzzles and computer games aren't going to do the trick. You're retrieving information you've got in memory. Learning, though, seems to change the brain - it seems to improve resiliency.

Question: How important is physical fitness?

A. Obesity and inactivity will kill you. Aim for 30 minutes of exercise a day, but even just 10 minutes will help. Our bodies will benefit from any exercise at any age. Even frail, bedridden 80-year-olds benefit from regular programs of light weight lifting. After exercising they had fewer complaints of pain or discomfort.

We're all going to be seeing more and more of this issue in the years to come because healthcare is a MAJOR issue in retirement. In fact, before it's all over, healthcare costs may end up re-writing the "rules" of retirement.

Comments

[pension]

You're right! Retirement is meant to be enjoyed, stay active and enjoy it.

[rwh]

I work out daily, running, biking, lifting weights, walking the dog.

I come from a family of type II diabetics. If I live long enough I'll get it too. I definitely am in no hurry for that.

[Julia]

Weight lifting is VERY beneficial in fighting the muscle loss that comes along with aging. It helps you continue to be able to open jars, lift heavy pots and lift yourself up out of a chair and the potty. It keeps you in your own home longer, and I think most of us would prefer that!

[Mike]

Good point - it's really meaningless to accumulate a ton of cash if you're not in a position to enjoy it.

[Anitra]

I honestly wonder sometimes if my 92-year-old grandma is in better shape (physically) than my 68-year-old mother (her daughter). Grandma may be frail, but she walks a mile or two into town (with her walker) every day when the weather is nice enough, and is still healthy enough to live on her own. My mother, on the other hand, has type II diabetes, takes 9 different pills at every meal, and needs to stop halfway up a flight of stairs to catch her breath. She'll need daily assistance long before she reaches 90.

[Shaun Rosenberg]

Great post.

I think keeping yourself healthy is one of the most important things you can do. I also think is is overlooked too much in our fast pace world.