Feeling good in retirement
Retirees are using their retirement time to improve their health and well-being. How can you do the same?
A new lease of life in retirement
After following the lifestyle habits of 25,000 older Australians, Research Fellow Dr Melody Ding and her team from the University of Sydney found that retired people had higher activity levels, spent less time sitting and had healthier sleep patterns than people still working.
Key findings
When compared with people still working, retirees were found to have:
- Increased physical activity by 93 minutes a week
- Decreased sedentary time by 67 minutes per day
- Slept 11 minutes more per day1
More time for your health
According to Dr Ding, these healthier habits come with the extra time retirees have on their hands. “The lifestyle changes were most pronounced in people who retire after working full-time. When people are working and commuting, it eats a lot of time out of their day. When they retire, they have time to be physically active and sleep more,” she said.2
Make retirement a positive change in your life
Having the budget to make the most of your time in retirement is also likely to influence your daily activities and routines. If better health means living longer, you’ll need to make sure you have enough income to meet your needs. This means planning to save and invest for your retirement is more important than ever.
Need help managing your money?
Getting expert advice can make a big difference to how prepared you are for retirement - both emotionally and financially. By discussing your lifestyle goals with a StatePlus financial planner you’ll have a much better understanding of the super and income you’ll need to make retirement a positive change in your life.
For more tips and tools, download our free Retirement guide or call us on 1800 620 305
Related articles for you
- Making it happen: a guide to achieving your goals
- A regular income for your retirement years
- Putting yourself first in retirement
1 University of Sydney, Retirement is good for your health, 14 March 2016
2 University of Sydney, Retirement is good for your health, 14 March 2016
