Ill Health In Retirement Is Not Inevitable

We’re living longer – there’s no doubt about that – but the big challenge now is maintaining good health and quality of life during those quieter years. 

Researchers at Deakin University’s Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research (C-PAN) have reiterated the fact that ill health is not inevitable. It’s a matter of making the right choices in early retirement to ensure we continue to function well.

C-PAN Associate Professor Sarah McNaughton, Lead Investigator in the Wellbeing, Eating and Exercise for a Long Life (WELL) study, said diet, exercise and emotional wellbeing are all important.

“The WELL study … found that there are critical relationships between diet quality and general health, physical function, and emotional wellbeing at this point in their lives. These benefits are in addition to those we already know in relation to cardiovascular disease and diabetes,” she said.

Associate Professor McNaughton said pre-retirement is the ideal time to review your diet and lifestyle, just as you do with your finances to maintain that feeling of health and vitality.

“Chronic diseases such as obesity are known to increase from age 45 onwards, but it is estimated that 80 per cent of health problems associated with older age can be prevented or delayed if lifestyle changes are implemented in the 55 to 65 year age group.

“Our nutritional needs actually change as we age and we need more nutrient-dense foods and less energy-dense foods to avoid weight gain. In fact we need more nutritious food such as vegetables, fruits and whole grains as our bodies have to work harder to absorb the vitamins and minerals.

“Many retirees have to carefully watch their spending on food, however we know from our research that older adults consume too few vegetables and fruits, while national data has shown that over 30 per cent of their diet is made up of junk food.

“Poor health is not inevitable and we can’t let our bodies run on empty at this critical time,” she said.

C-PAN’s skeletal muscle development expert Professor Aaron Russell said that at the same time, many retirees are not sufficiently active to achieve good health.

“As we age there is a gradual reduction in our muscle mass which contributes to weakness, fatigue and makes it more difficult to perform exercise as well as when we were younger,” he said.

“Muscle mass is also very important for our metabolism, as less muscle mass means we are not as efficient in burning the energy that we take in with our food, which can contribute to weight gain.

“As we move into our 50s and through to retirement, maintaining levels of physical activity such as walking and gardening with higher intensity exercise, such as resistance training, will help reduce muscle loss and allow us to remain socially active and enjoy leisure activities in retirement.

“Maintaining strong muscles into older age is essential for maintaining quality of life.”

Tips for a healthy retirement:

  • Be physically active before you retire to combat muscle loss more efficiently as you age. It is never too late to get back into, or start being physically active. Aim to be physically active every day and participate in some form of physical activity throughout your entire life.
  • Combine both endurance and resistance training which is often incorporated into organized circuit classes
  • Different types of physical activity keep your muscles guessing and continuing to adapt
  • Maintain a balanced diet including plenty of vegetables, fruits and wholegrains. Make sure to include dairy foods such as milk and yoghurt to get enough calcium for healthy bones, and don’t forget protein-rich foods like lean meat, fish, eggs and legumes to help rebuild muscles.
  • Eating protein-enriched meals in the first few hours after exercise, especially resistance exercise, helps to maximise the muscle’s adaptive response to your workout.
  • When choosing vegetables and fruit, try and include lots of different varieties and think colours: green, orange, red and yellow.
  • Vegetables and fruits in season will often be cheaper and taste better. Don’t forget frozen and canned vegetables (without added salt) as they are just as nutritious and sometimes more convenient.

This article first appeared in The Retiree Magazine (www.the-retiree.com.au)

If you would like to find more detailed information and advice on how to stay healthy in retirement, our book “How to stay Healthy, Active and Sharp in Retirement” can certainly help. It contains articles from 15 leading health experts. You can buy it on the home page of our web site.

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