Canadian doctor cracks the ‘science of a healthy, happy retirement’ — and anyone can do it

Almost half (46%) don’t expect to be financially prepared for retirement. So it’s no wonder they’re stressed out.

While financial stability is clearly important, some older adults might be focusing too much on their financial portfolio — and not enough on their life portfolio.

“Retirement messaging tends to swing between two extremes: a sober check on whether you’ve saved enough and a seductive promise of retirement as one long vacation with zero responsibilities,” said Dr. Mike Evans, a semi-retired professor of family medicine at the University of Toronto, in his latest whiteboard video on “the science of a healthy, happy retirement.”

Hint: It has nothing to do with how much you’ve saved up in your 401(k).

Making contributions to your ‘life’ portfolio

No matter what your ‘magic number’ is for retirement, one of the most important assets in your “life” portfolio is your health, according to Dr. Evans. And there are no shortcuts here.

Your health is a cumulative effect of “the interest paid on what an average day looks like: moving more, eating less processed food, building better default settings for how you think and respond to stress, protecting sleep, and maybe most importantly, investing in real human connection,” said Dr. Evans.

And, while we can’t necessarily prevent dementia, we can influence our cognitive health.

“The brain does not come with a lifetime guarantee, more like a solid warranty that requires regular care,” said Dr. Evans. “The thing is, retirement can be a threat to that warranty.” By year two of retirement, many people “slip into a passive routine involving a lot of quality time with the remote control.”

In cognitive testing of retirees, he said, they often experience a dip in verbal memory around the 14-month mark.

Dr. Evans points to longer-term data from MIDUS (Midlife in the U.S.), which shows that people who pull back from meaningful challenges see their cognitive ability slide more quickly.

The findings also support what’s referred to as the unengaged lifestyle hypothesis, “whereby people may slip into so-called ‘mental retirement,’ leading to post-retirement cognitive loss,” according to a study based on MIDUS data published in Psychology and Aging.

And that can come with financial costs, too: the monthly median cost of an assisted living facility is $6,200 while a private room in a nursing home is $10,798.

“In plain terms, it’s perfectly fine for you to retire. But your brain doesn’t. It needs a new job description,” said Dr. Evans. That means keeping your brain and body active.

The Framingham Heart Study, which followed more than 4,300 adults for almost 40 years, found that midlife exercise cut dementia risk by 41%. But even moderate-intensity activity makes a difference: housework, climbing stairs, brisk walking.

And a separate Framingham study found that people started seeing cognitive improvements after just 10 to 20 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous activity.

Taking your retirement from good to great

One ‘hack’ for a happier retirement is finding your sense of purpose, which can boost your health and cognitive function.

For example, a meta-analysis published in Psychosomatic Medicine found that having a higher sense of purpose in life is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality.

After the honeymoon phase of retirement is over, many retirees find themselves feeling adrift without a sense of purpose. Not only have they lost the daily structure of work, but they may have also lost their identity and social connections.

“Before retirement, purpose often comes kind of baked into our lives: raising kids, doing meaningful work, being the person others count on,” said Dr. Evans. “And when those structures fall away, purpose doesn’t vanish. But it does stop arriving on autopilot.”

But this is the “gift” of retirement, he said, where you can deliberately choose your life’s purpose.