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Part two: planning to make your dream retirement a reality?

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For some, retirement might feel like the end of an era – a time to slow down and settle for a quieter way of life but with many of us living longer, healthier lives maintaining that full and busy lifestyle when we eventually stop working is fast becoming the norm.

It’s worth remembering that you will still be the same you when you retire but with the added benefit of not having to go into work every day!

Staying fit, healthy and active

While you’re working you might take for granted the ways in which you keep your mind and body active, but it’s important to really think about how to continue looking after yourself in retirement.

Does it take you fifteen minutes to walk to and from your workplace Monday to Friday? You probably don’t even think about it as ‘exercise’ but this daily walk helps to raise your heartrate and keep you physically mobile. NHS guidelines recommend that an adult over 65 who is generally fit and healthy should look to exercise for at least 150 minutes every week. This could equate to two thirty minute runs and 30 minutes of brisk walking, so consider how you could work those minutes into your weekly routine.

Is your current job physically demanding? You may be used to heavy lifting, walking or being on your feet all day and all of this activity benefits both your physical and mental wellbeing. Though you might be welcoming the chance to slow down a bit, you should try to make sure you have alternative plans in place to keep you fit and healthy. Age UK has some great tips on how to keep active and where to find exercise classes local to you.

Do you have a subsidised gym membership as part of your benefits and rewards package? Remember that your gym membership might cost you more when you retire so you may want to find an alternative or factor in the added cost.

Whatever retirement looks like for you personally, you can never save or plan for it too early. 4me has a wealth of interactive tools, short videos and a comprehensive library to help you with planning for the future. Find out more about how 4me can help you here.

Six ways to set personal goals

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With the New Year celebrations now behind us, lots of us are now looking forward to the year ahead!

And if your resolutions didn’t get past the first hurdle, then maybe now is a better time to reassert your will on personal improvement and goals.

Why not go for that dream promotion, or train for a muddy race? If you want to eat better you could sign up for a cookery class and you’ll even meet some new people in the process. The choice is yours, but the real question is: how do you stick to it?

Here are six ways to make an effective plan:

  1. Make your goal specific – when you have a clear goal in mind, you have a better focus on what needs to happen. For example, if you want to save more money, then set a realistic target amount and visualise what that money is going to be spent on… eventually.
  2. Measure it – it’s great when you can see your progress as it is a clear indication that you’re on the right track. If you want to lose weight, set yourself a goal weight and date to achieve it by, and use a fitness app to track your weight loss – it can help to motivate you.
  3. The goal should be achievable – when setting targets, you should be realistic about them, otherwise you will be disappointed if you don’t get there. Large-scale goals might be motivational in the beginning, but if the effort required to achieve them is unsustainable, you’ll feel worse than when you started out. Try breaking down big goals into bite-sized pieces and celebrate your small achievements!
  4. Be realistic – think about the timeframe of your goal. You may want to set long and short-term targets such as fitting into your old jeans or being race ready for a marathon which is six months away.
  5. It should be exciting – setting a goal that you’re not really bothered about will demotivate you, so make sure you don’t lose interest. Remember to visualise the end result often to keep up those levels of motivation.
  6. Record it – keep a diary of certain milestones during your journey, or log your progress on an app. You will be able to look at how far you have come and it will serve as a reminder for why you set those goals in the first place.

Be kind to your mind

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Everyone experiences some level of mental anxiety or distress at points during their lifetime.

In fact, one in four people across the world will suffer with some form of mental illness in their life. It’s completely normal to feel a range of emotions from anger and fear to deep sadness, worry and being overwhelmed when something traumatic happens, or even just when times are difficult at work or home.

Long-term impact

Though it’s normal to experience these emotions sometimes, it might indicate a more serious mental illness if the feelings don’t go away or get worse over time. Unfortunately, though efforts are being made to break down the stigma attached to being mentally ill, many people still find it difficult to seek the professional help they need, and the indications are that without proper treatment it might have a significant impact on long-term health.

There are over 200 types of mental illness, with a broad variety of symptoms.

Recognising the signs

There are over 200 types of mental illness, with a broad variety of symptoms but in general changes in behaviour, thinking and mood can be early signs of mental illness. It’s vital that we try to recognise these indicators in ourselves and in the people around us, and seek medical help as soon as possible to help minimise any lasting effects on our health.

Even if you are not suffering with a mental illness, it’s still important to be kind to your mind and put in place some simple measures to help look after your own mental wellbeing.

  • Do the things that make you happy. Sounds simple enough, but sometimes just freeing up the time in your daily routine to read, listen to music, chat with your family and friends or indulge in a relaxing bath is enough to help ease away the pressures of the day.
  • Exercise your body to help your mind. All sorts of good chemicals such as endorphins are released in your brain when you exercise helping with general feelings of happiness and wellbeing. In addition, it can help to promote positive self-esteem and see off those feelings of low confidence and poor self-worth.
  • Therapeutic hobbies. Creative hobbies have long been known to help promote calm and stem anxious thoughts through repetitive activity. Try taking up colouring, knitting or drawing to really discover the benefits of gentle activities to help relax and calm your mind.
  • Eat yourself to mental wellness. Good nutrition is essential in providing your mind and body with all of the elements it needs to function properly. Making sure you eat a diet that’s balanced will help to maintain balance in your mood and general sense of wellbeing.

Cut down on the stress of your daily commute

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Whether you take the train, tube or bus, or drive into work every day, the chances are that you experience some level of stress during your journey.

Your drive in might be relatively easy unless you reach that particular pinch point roundabout a few minutes later than usual, and your train journey might be reasonable until an unforeseen delay due to a signal failure.

A commute longer than 20 minutes increases your susceptibility to chronic stress.

In fact, even though the uncontrollable events that sometimes hinder our daily commutes can have a negative effect on our mood, the impact of ever longer journeys on our general mental and physical health is much more sinister.

Getting to work

According to statistics from the Royal Society of Public Health, just last year there were a staggering 24 million regular commuters in England and Wales travelling to and from work for just under an hour, on average, per day. This rose to almost an hour and quarter for those commuting into big cities such as London and Manchester. It seems like a long time to be suffering the associated stresses of uncomfortable temperatures, overcrowding, journey delays and lack of control (as a passenger), doesn’t it? But consider too, that a commute longer than 20 minutes (however you choose to travel) increases your susceptibility to chronic stress, and over 35 minutes makes you more cynical, it’s clear to see the negative impact a lengthy commute can have on your mental wellbeing.

Unfortunately it doesn’t just stop there. A longer commute time sees an increased likelihood of snacking (particularly on unhealthy ‘fast’ food) and less time for exercise which means physical health can also be negatively affected.

So what can you do to minimise the strain and pain of an extended commute into work?

  • Take advantage of flexible working if your company supports it. Employers are increasingly open to flexible working patterns and working from home is more common than ever before.
  • Try parking a little further away from the office, or get off the bus/tube one stop before your destination and walk. Even walking for 10-15 minutes will help to raise your heart rate and gives you some vital time to prepare yourself calmly for the day ahead.
  • Why not cycle to work? Cycling will help to keep you fit and healthy, sees you doing your bit for the environment by reducing carbon emissions and won’t cost in fuel (apart from your own!) If your company operates a cycle-to-work scheme, you can ‘hire’ a bike through the scheme and pay for it through Salary Exchange (as long as your company offers it).

Our Why BWell 2017 research shows that 35% of the 18-29 age group and 29% of the 30-49s surveyed agree or strongly agree that their commute has a negative impact on their mood. Find out more about wellbeing in the UK workplace in the full research HERE.