Financial wellbeing is crucial in retirement. After a lengthy career, you deserve peace of mind, knowing that you can withstand a monetary shock, that you can live your desired lifestyle unhindered, and that fluctuating costs are covered for the rest of your life.

But to really enjoy your retirement, you’ll want to maintain your physical and mental wellbeing too. Luckily, your life after work should provide the free time you need to concentrate on your health.

You might do so by staying mobile, taking up an active hobby, or enjoying a fulfilling social life.

Here’s how.

5 key tips for staying physically and mentally active in retirement

Physical fitness

1. Take up a hobby you enjoy

No one’s asking you to run a marathon in retirement, but if you enjoy running and want to think big, why not do just that?

Equally, you might have plans for your garden or intend to catch up with friends on local walks.

Nordic walking, for example, uses specially designed poles to reduce joint strain and provide an upper body workout. This could provide a fantastic way to stay active and meet new people at Nordic walking club. Swimming, too, is low-impact and a great all-around workout.

Combining exercise with fresh air, such as by pottering in your back garden, can provide a connection to nature and help to keep you active and mobile. This is great for your physical and mental health.

The important thing is to pick an activity that works for you, especially if you generally find it hard to stick to an exercise routine. Choose the right hobby, and it won’t feel like exercise at all.

2. Start small to help a habit form

If you are planning to run a marathon in retirement, your training will likely focus on specific elements of your fitness – cardio, say, and endurance. But even then, this will likely be through a slow increase in mileage.

Bring this approach to your fitness, whatever your current activity and mobility levels. And whatever you plan to do next.

Starting small means that you receive the endorphin or serotonin hit of a challenge completed without the negative effects of a perceived failure.

If you can realistically only exercise three times a week, don’t commit to five days. You’ll only be setting yourself up to fail.

Likewise, don’t run before you can walk. If you don’t exercise at all, get used to a simple stroll and then build up to something like the extremely popular (and NHS-backed) Couch to 5k.

This provides the perfect build-up for beginners, easing you in gently over a number of weeks.

3. Exercise while enjoying a balanced diet

For your new active hobby or exercise regime to really pay dividends, you’ll need to be eating healthily too.

That means a good mix of different food groups, including fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. You should also be eating lean proteins and the “healthy fats” found in foods like olive oil, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish.

Try to avoid processed foods as much as possible, and be conscious of what you drink.

Opt for caffeine and alcohol only in moderation and stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water.

Mental agility

4. Stay mentally engaged… even if through relaxation

Our brains naturally age as we do, but they can be trained like any other muscle.

There are plenty of simple ways to keep your brain active, from puzzles like crosswords and Sudoku to reading or learning new skills.

You might take up an instrument or learn a new language. Acquiring new knowledge can become harder as you get older, so you’ll need tenacity and patience, but you could see incredible rewards.

Remember, that you can keep your mind active even through relaxation. Adopting mindfulness techniques like meditation can train you to “be in the now”. This can help to alleviate stress and keep you mentally healthy.

5. Stay social

One of the best ways to keep your brain agile is to maintain an active social life. That means staying connected with family and friends through regular meetups and sociable walks.

It might also mean making new connections by joining social clubs in your local area or even online.

Find a group that practices your new hobby (an art class or photography workshop, say) or join a running or walking group.

You’ll meet like-minded individuals and could even make a new set of friends.

Financial wellbeing feeds back into your physical and mental health, too

To fully enjoy your dream retirement, you’ll need to be free (as much as possible) from money worries.

That means having enough money saved to live your required lifestyle for the rest of your life, with a contingency for things like later-life care, and an estate and legacy plan in place.

With these things covered, you’ll be free to sit back and relax. So be sure to speak to us if you have any questions.

Get in touch

Please get in touch at info@macfp.co.uk or call 01349 832849 to see how we can help provide the financial wellbeing you need to make your dream retirement a reality.

Please note

This article is for general information only and does not constitute advice. The information is aimed at retail clients only.

A pension is a long-term investment not normally accessible until 55 (57 from April 2028). The fund value may fluctuate and can go down, which would have an impact on the level of pension benefits available. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The tax implications of pension withdrawals will be based on your individual circumstances. Thresholds, percentage rates, and tax legislation may change in subsequent Finance Acts.