Looking after your heart and your pension

With the State Pension Age increasing from 66 to 67 between 2026 and 2028, there is more need than ever to consider how we care for our hearts as well as our pensions.

According to Heart UK (A UK based charity, giving expert support and education in high cholesterol and heart decease) Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is the single most common cause of death before age 65, accounting for 16% of male and 10% of female deaths. Statistics suggest that, on average, someone in the UK will have a heart attack every seven minutes.

Advances in modern medicine and greater access to information around health, has seen a steady rise in our life expectancy, but this places a greater responsibility on us to make sure we are looking after ourselves.  So, how can we look after our hearts to keep them ticking long into retirement?

Eat healthy

Eating a varied diet of healthy foods can help you maintain your weight, blood pressure and cholesterol as stated by the British Heart Foundation, and will contribute to your overall heart health. Reducing salt, eating unsaturated fats (such as avocados, nuts and olive oil) and limiting your alcohol intake, are also some of the ways you can adopt a more heart health conscious lifestyle.

Get active

Regular, moderate physical activity is another key way to help keep your heart happy.  Maintaining your weight and leading a more active lifestyle can improve not only your physical wellbeing, but your mental wellbeing too. Try going for a short walk at lunch to break up your day. Statistics (from the NHS) show that regular gentle exercise can reduce your risk of major illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer by up to 50% and lower your risk of early death by up to 30%.

Stop Smoking

If you’re a smoker, the single best thing you can do for your heart health is to quit. Not only will this impact your overall health, but it could also have a positive impact on your bank balance too! You could invest any money you save on cigarettes into your pension and may even have a few more years to enjoy that longed-for retirement . . .

Manage stress

Easier said than done. When work pressures are mounting and family life seems overwhelming, stress can build up unconsciously and cause your blood pressure to soar. There is plenty of help to be found, from professional medical advice to wellbeing apps, but managing stress can sometimes be as simple as taking a break in the middle of your day to relax or talking your problems through with a friend. Good nutrition and exercise can also impact your stress levels, so getting a good balance between the two can decrease stress and contribute to a healthy, happy heart.

These are just some of the ways you can be more mindful of your heart health before you retire. It’s never too late, and it’s certainly never too early, to start taking your health and your pension seriously.