Stay Healthy my Retiring Friends

I don’t always pursue paying opportunities of interest and passion in my early retirement. But when I do I prefer being healthy enough to do it. Stay Healthy my Retiring Friends.

So you may be wondering why the play on good health. It seems that good health or at least not having bad health is key to living the retired lifestyle you dreamed of. Particularly those who wish to work at something new in their retirement according to a recent survey of retiring boomers.

The study by Bankers Life Center for a Secure Retirement – “New Expectations, New Rewards: Work in Retirement for Middle-Income Boomers” finds that Middle-income Boomers view employment as a part of the retirement experience. Of which I, Leisure Freak Tommy with my “retire early and often” mantra just can’t help but smile to know I am not as big a freak as I thought I was.

This may have surveyed Boomers. But the results should apply to any retiring generation. People are people. The survey found that 28%, almost a third of retired Boomers said they are now employed or have been employed for pay during their retirement. Of those currently employed, 61% work because they want to. Not need to work. Oh yes, the true definition of retirement: The absence of needing to work defines retirement, not the absence of working.

The survey dug deeper. It found that 59% worked for non-financial reasons. Like remaining physically active, to have a sense of purpose, and/or staying mentally alert. Finally I want to also list here that 78% of these employed retirees state they are as satisfied or more satisfied with their work when compared to their pre-retirement job or career.

A whopping 32% reported they were much more satisfied now than their pre-retirement career. All of this is exactly what my experience has been. But I now want to get to the purpose of this post. With all the wonderful results for the 28% who successfully pursued paying opportunities of interest and passions. What of the rest of the survey respondents?

Stay Healthy my Retiring Friends Because Poor Health Crushes Plans.

Of the surveyed retired Boomers who have not or are not currently engaged in paying work almost half (48%) would like to pursue paying opportunities but can’t, more than not because of health reasons.

It is bad enough to not need to work and having dreams of an encore career crushed by having to sit it out due to poor health but it is a very raw situation for those who need to work for pay to supplement their retirement income.

  • For many of the surveyed retirees they wanted to work longer but found themselves retiring earlier than planned due to poor health reasons. In total, 69% said they had to retire earlier than expected. Of that a huge 79%, almost eight out of ten people retired for reasons beyond their control like personal health reasons (39%), having to care for a loved one (9%), or being laid off (19%).
  • Of all the surveyed retired middle-income Boomers who had never worked for pay in retirement, half (48%) would like to work but can’t, either because of their own health reasons (35%), the health of a loved one (5%) or because they can’t find a job (8%). Health reasons is the biggest issue keeping retirees from finding any kind of retirement work.
Health has to be a higher priority.

We spend a lot of energy and planning setting the perfect frugal lifestyle budget, paying off all debt and keeping it paid off, and saving/investing a large percentage of our income to reach our early retirement and financial independence goals. But how much are we doing to insure we are as healthy as we want to be and need to be when the time comes to live the lifestyle that we envisioned and created? It is never too late to start taking our Health seriously and making it a priority.

  • Stop smoking. Why keep doing something you know is slowly killing you.
  • Don’t drink too much alcohol. Moderation is the key.
  • Eat healthy. We all know we can’t get away with eating Pizza like a college student anymore. Make an effort to eat better.
  • We should continue to exercise daily and plan for it to be part of our envisioned retirement lifestyle. Ride your bicycle, hike, use the stairs, and join a gym if that is what it takes to keep you motivated.
  • Get your Medical checkups. Get your physical exams, colonoscopies, mammograms, etc. as recommended. We never know when something goes wrong with us medically. Catch it early and chances are it won’t ruin the rest of your life or crush your retirement dreams.
  • Correctly take your prescribed medication. Pay attention to the directions and make sure you take them as recommended and take them regularly.
  • Drink more water. Time to move away from soft drinks and energy drinks.
  • Get plenty of sleep. More and more the importance of getting enough sleep comes up as important to good health.
Final Comments

The survey was targeting the most current group of retirees who happen to be Boomers. I hope that seeing “Boomer” didn’t turn any of my non-boomer readers off from reading the rest of this post because the same issues will be true for the next generation coming behind the Boomers. Check out the survey. It is an easy read and has some interesting findings.

Stay Healthy my Retiring Friends, no matter what generation you are or how young you are when you can pull retirement off.

Do you put your Health as a high priority just like you do your finances?