3: Working can boost your HEALTH, keeping you active and sharp
You'd think that retiring would make you healthier. Finally you can leave all the stress of the working world behind. Think again. Complete retirement leads to an 11 percent decline in mental health, an 8 percent increase in illness, and a 23 percent increase in difficulty performing daily activities over a six-year period, according to Dhaval Dave of the National Bureau of Economic Research and Bentley College. Of course, there's a quick fix for this: Keep working. "The declines in health are much lower and in some cases nonexistent for those that continue to work part time," Dave says.
This is a story that Britton Chance, 93, knows well. He bikes three quarters of a mile to the University of Pennsylvania for work each day and has never thought much about retirement. A professor emeritus of biochemistry and biophysics, Chance says, "Most of the people who work on cognitive deficits realize that it's better to use it than to lose it." And as he continues to supervise and furnish ideas for medical research, write reports, apply for funds, and attend seminars where he keeps up to date on the latest findings, Chance is not just providing a service to medical science but contributing to his own longevity.
The Alzheimer's Association identifies four major components to staying healthy later in life: mental stimulation, physical activity, social connectedness, and a healthful diet. Working or staying otherwise active and engaged is one good way to make the first three happen, especially if your job gets you off the couch--talking to people and learning new things. "It's important to challenge yourself and to constantly try to better yourself, and for lots of people, that's what staving off retirement can do," says Elizabeth Edgerly of the Alzheimer's Association.
Challenge. Working longer is not always the path to better health, of course. If your work is routine and stressful or not intellectually challenging, then working longer can actually hurt your health, Edgerly says. The objective should be to find a job that keeps you meeting fulfilling goals.
Sharon Nelson, 60, did just that. She retired after 27 years as a vocational instructor to become a docent at the Ano Nuevo wildlife preserve in California. During the elephant seal breeding season, December through March, she leads guided 3-mile walks, rain or shine, out to the dunes so that people from all over the world can watch these large mammals battle for breeding hierarchy. Nelson has learned about elephant seal behavior, the area's ecology, and ocean currents, things she knew nothing about when she was teaching. Edgerly calls this a "triple-bonus-point activity," because it incorporates mental stimulation, social connection, and physical activity--all essential to living a longer and healthier life. Other triple-bonus-point examples include dancing, playing golf, coaching sports, and being a musician in a band. "People accuse me of taking Botox injections," Nelson says. "I just tell them I don't have any stress in my life anymore. It just takes those lines out of your forehead, I guess."
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