Retirement is good for your health

True for me.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/uos-rig031016.php

Public Release: 11-Mar-2016
Retirement is good for your health
Study finds that retirement leads to positive lifestyle changes
University of Sydney

A landmark study led by University of Sydney has found that people become more active, sleep better and reduce their sitting time when they retire.

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"Compared with people who were still working, retirees had increased physically activity levels, reduced sitting time, were less likely to smoke, and had healthier sleep patterns.

"A major life change like retirement creates a great window of opportunity to make positive lifestyle changes - it's a chance to get rid of bad routines and engineer new, healthier behaviours." she said.

The data revealed that retirees:

Increased physical activity by 93 minutes a week
Decreased sedentary time by 67 minutes per day
Increased sleep by 11 minutes per day
50 per cent of female smokers stopped smoking

The differences were significant even after adjusting for factors such as age, sex, urban/rural residence, marital status and education. There was no significant association found between retirement and alcohol use or fruit and vegetable consumption.

Dr Ding said retirement gave people more time to pursue healthier lifestyles.

"The lifestyle changes were most pronounced in people who retire after working full-time. When people are working and commuting, it eats a lot of time out of their day. When they retire, they have time to be physically active and sleep more," she said.

"In terms of sedentary time, the largest reduction in sitting time occurred in people who lived in urban areas and had higher educational levels.

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