He urged retirees to do something that he himself does every day
Martin Lewis has urged pensioners and those planning for their retirement to think about an important habit. The money expert asked listeners to his BBC podcast who had already retired, to share their ideas for what they wished someone had told them going into retirement.
One idea that came up in the responses was to stay active and look after your health. One retiree urged people to take care of their physical health, saying: “Lifespan and health span are two things. Enjoy your health span while you can and maintain your muscle mass. You want to be able to lift cabin bags into the overhead rack at 80, and not be out of breath walking up a flight of steps.”
Mr Lewis gave his support to this idea of keeping in robust physical condition. The finance expert, who is aged 53, said he himself gets in “loads of exercise” and does exercise every day.
He shared some thoughts on the importance of having variety in your fitness routine: “Cardio is important, but weights are important, and squats and being able to get up out of a chair.”
Explaining the difference between lifespan versus health span, the expert said: “This is interesting. Do you want to live to 150? – That’s lifespan. Health span is about living as long as you can when you have your health to be able to be both physically and mentally functional, and doing things out there that you enjoy.”
He went on to say: “Maximising our health spans, being healthy as long as possible, is arguably more important than maximising our lifespans.” Another listener urged people planning for their retirement to think about what structure they want for their life in retirement. They said: “Routine, purpose and social connection – without those even a healthy pension pot can feel empty.”
Mr Lewis agreed with this sentiment and pointed to four key areas to think about. He said: “One of the other health span things is social interaction. They say the main things are exercise, sleep, eat well and social interactions. Those are the things that keep you going as you get older.”
Discounted rates
On this topic of keeping fit in your senior years, many older people can get free or discounted memberships at leisure centres and gyms. You may be able to get these through your local council, so it may be worth checking with them to see what is on offer.
These schemes often apply to people aged 60+ or 65 and over. For example, leisure centre chain Better has a senior membership for people aged 66 and over, offering a “competitive price” for access to its gyms, swimming pools and leisure facilities.
Of course, it’s also a good idea to make sure your finances are in good health. Those approaching retirement may want to check how much state pension they are eligible for. You can do so using the state pension forecast tool on the Government website.
A key rule change to note when it comes to accessing your state pension is that the age when you can access the DWP benefit is increasing. From April 2026, the access age will move up from the current 66, moving up in stages to reach 67 by April 2028.
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