London - While slogging away at work, many of us dream of retirement as the time when we’ll finally get around to joining the gym – and even get a bit more sleep.
Now, scientists have shown that stopping work really delivers a healthier lifestyle.
A study found that those who had retired did around an hour and a half more exercise a week than workers, sat down for an hour less each day and slept 11 extra minutes a night. And half of women who smoked before retirement stopped.
Lead researcher Dr Melody Ding said: “A major life change like retirement creates a great window of opportunity to make positive lifestyle changes.
“It’s a chance to get rid of bad routines and engineer new, healthier behaviours.”
The researchers looked at 25 000 retired Australians, taking into account their age, sex, marital status, education and whether they lived in a city or the countryside.
There was no significant link found between retirement and alcohol use or fruit and vegetable consumption.
But the study, published in the Journal of Preventive Medicine, found that physical activity increased by an average of 93 minutes a week and sitting down decreased by 67 minutes per day.
Dr Ding, from Sydney University’s School of Public Health, pointed out that working and commuting “eats a lot of time out of the day”, while those who are retired have more time for exercise, sleeping and enjoying their hobbies.
The largest drop in time spent sitting was found in those who lived in urban areas and were more educated.
Dr Ding was inspired to do the study by her mother’s experience of the retirement age of 55 for women in China. She said her mother had been anxious about leaving her job but “now spends her days enjoying so many hobbies she can’t remember how she had time to work”.
Dr Ding said retirement is a good time for doctors to talk to patients about making their lifestyles healthier, which “could add years to their life”, adding: “We hope this information could translate to better health in older people, preventing cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
“The findings suggest that both health professionals and policy makers should consider developing special programmes for retirees to capitalise on the health transitions through retirement.”
Daily Mail