Live life to the full: Next generation of pensioners eye up active retirement

Plans to travel, to spend time outdoors, to “live life to the full” and keep physically fit are priorities as they age for those between 55 and 65.

This is in stark contrast to their parents who suffered health problems, had less disposable income and just generally seemed older as they lived a more traditional retirement lifestyle.

The retirees of the future will be more ‘active age pensioners’ than ‘old age pensioners’ with many more viewing themselves as busier than the previous older generation.

More than one in two plan to travel (59 per cent) with the same proportion wanting to be outdoors more and more than half (54 per cent) say they want to live a full life with no plans to slow down.

And they plan on keeping fit to stay healthy enough to enjoy their work free years, found the poll.

Three quarters (76 per cent) of the 55-65s surveyed say they regularly take part in activities such as walking, swimming and cycling.

The more adventurous among them looking forward to trying Pilates, white water rafting, rock climbing and even trampolining when they have more free time.

This can-do attitude is the same when it comes to their health.

Although 62 per cent worried about ill health getting in the way of enjoying their retirement and want to stay healthy and active for as long as possible (40 per cent), they are unlikely to languish on an NHS waiting list for weeks or months if they have a health issue.

Over half of respondents said they would rather pay for knee (54 per cent) or hip (53 per cent) surgery than join long waiting lists, helping them get back to their active lifestyles more quickly.

Ian McDermott, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at London Bridge Hospital, part of private insurers HCA Healthcare UK, said: “I’m not surprised that so called ‘older people’ have no plans to slow down.

“Every week I’m told by patients needing knee surgery that they feel younger than their years and that they want to continue with the activities they love, such as jogging, playing golf and going to the gym.

“My patients don’t want health problems getting in the way of living life and they’re not content with just being able to ‘hobble to the shops’ as they may have been expected to in previous generations.

“I’ve seen a definite increase in patients who are happy to go private and ‘self pay’ for their knee operations so they can avoid long waiting lists, be treated at a time of their choosing and get back sooner to all the things they love doing.

“It’s great that people are continuing to be active for longer, but I would advise trying lower impact cardiovascular workouts such as swimming, rowing and cycling.

“High intensity exercise classes and boot camps are fashionable at the moment and may be fine when you’re in your 20s, but they are really hard on your joints and your knees suffer most of all.”