Martin Lewis ‘really important’ retirement tip ‘people should know’ | UK | News

Martin Lewis highlighted a “really important” life issue that he said “everyone should know” as people approach retirement in a recent episode of the BBC Sounds podcast.

The founder of Money Saving Expert regularly broadcasts episodes of The Martin Lewis Podcast on BBC Radio 5 Live, featuring “extra tricks and insider information you won’t find anywhere else”.

In his latest episode, ‘Tell Us’, the financial expert explored retirement and discussed the lessons people discover after they finish their jobs and will now share with others in advance. A particularly “important” insight highlighted by Mr Lewis was about protecting your health and understanding the difference between your ‘lifespan’ and ‘healthspan’. Mirror.

Summing up the week’s ‘Tell Us’ topic, Mr Lewis said: “What was it that you wanted to warn others about now that no one had warned you when you retired? So what I’m trying to get out of this is, if you’re retired, what’s the top tip you’d tell other people that you’d want someone to tell you, and we got some good answers.”

Mr Lewis referred to the answer given by listener Graham, who stated that lifespan and healthspan were ‘different things’. The financial expert said: “Very true. This is what my wife specializes in, so I hear a lot about it in my house.”

Reading the rest of Graham’s statement, Mr Lewis said: “Enjoy your health time and preserve your muscle mass as much as possible. You want to be able to lift cabin bags onto the overhead rack at 80° and not be out of breath going up the stairs.”

Giving his perspective on this, Mr Lewis said: “The important thing is cardio, but weights are also important, squats and being able to get up from a chair are also very important.”

Elaborating further on the issue of “lifespan versus healthspan”, which Mr Lewis described as “interesting”, Mr Lewis added: “That’s the whole point, ‘do you really want to live to 150’, is that what we actually want? That’s lifespan.”

“Healthspan is about living as long as possible when you have functional health, both mentally and physically, being outside and doing things you enjoy. And again, this all comes from my wife, Lara Lewington, who is a health technologist. Maximizing our healthspans and being healthy for as long as possible is arguably more important than maximizing our lifespans.”

Lifespan refers to the total number of years a person lives, while healthspan represents the time spent in good health, free of chronic conditions or diminished abilities. The important distinction lies between the quantity of years and the quality of those years.

The purpose of extending health span is not only to prolong life, but also to ensure that the years lived are healthy. Accordingly heart.orgA 2022 study in Nature Medicine suggests that even short bursts of physical activity (a few bursts lasting just a minute or two a day) may reduce the risks of cancer and cardiovascular-related death.

How can you increase your ‘healthspan’?

To maintain your health during retirement, it is important to follow a well-rounded program that maintains muscle strength and bone density, increases cardiovascular fitness, and promotes balance and flexibility to support independent living.

Experts recommend aiming for about 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, combining aerobic activity, resistance training, and workouts specifically focused on mobility and balance. Extending your health span requires maintaining consistent healthy practices, according to UCLA Health.

This includes engaging in various forms of regular physical activity such as resistance training and cardiovascular exercise, following a nutritious eating plan (such as the Mediterranean or DASH diet), ensuring seven to nine hours of quality rest, controlling stress levels, and nurturing meaningful social connections.

Key recommendations include avoiding harmful substances such as tobacco, reducing alcohol consumption and maintaining metabolic health.