3 Tips for Maintaining Your Wellbeing as You Head Towards Retirement Age

I’m in my 40s, and retirement is something I think about more than I ever expected to. Not because it’s imminent, it isn’t, but because I’m now two years into a 20-year plan to save enough to retire comfortably in my early 60s if I can.

As someone who is self-employed, with the highs and lows that brings, that plan feels both exciting and uncertain. But the financial side is only half of it.

The other half is health.

Because what’s the point of reaching retirement age with enough money saved to have some fun if your body won’t let you enjoy it?

Why your 40s are the time to get serious about this

I notice things now that I didn’t in my 30s. Little signs that age is creeping in – not dramatically, but undeniably. And looking around at people we know, friends, family and acquaintances who are only a few years older than us, others a decade or two, the difference between those who’ve looked after themselves and those who haven’t is already stark.

Some people in their late 40s are dealing with a multitude of health issues. Others are thriving.

We don’t have any health issues yet, and I intend to keep it that way for as long as possible. But I’m under no illusion that happens automatically. It takes intention.

I’ve also watched people close to us die prematurely from diseases that may have been influenced by lifestyle choices – and that stays with you. It’s a big part of why healthy living matters so much to me.

I want to be one of those people in their 60s who is still active, still travelling the world, still doing things. Retirement for me is an opportunity to explore and have adventures – but only if I’m well enough to do it.

Here are the three things I think matter most.

1. Stay physically active now – not later

The biggest mistake people make is assuming they’ll get fit when they retire. By then, it’s much harder to build the habits, and the body is less forgiving. The groundwork needs to happen now, if it hasn’t been a part of your life already, in your 40s and 50s, when you can still build strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular fitness that will carry you into your later decades.

This doesn’t mean training like an athlete. It means moving consistently – walking, cycling, swimming, yoga, strength training, whatever works for you and that you’ll actually keep up. The goal isn’t to be impressive. It’s to stay capable. If you don’t use your body and move it, then you’ll lose it!

We’re conscious of this as a family. Regular walks, staying active, not letting the busyness of work and family life become an excuse to do nothing. The habits you build now are the ones that will protect you later. We could do more. We can always do more, but we squeeze in what we can, always feeling guilty we’re not doing enough and should be doing more! But I know we do more than a lot of people out there.

Staying active also has immediate benefits for mood and mental wellbeing – it’s not just about the future. Movement is one of the most reliable things you can do to feel better right now, which makes it easier to keep doing.

2. Take your health seriously before problems arise

One pattern I notice in people who struggle in their 50s or 60s is that they didn’t address things when they were manageable. Small issues became bigger ones. Preventable problems became chronic ones. The earlier you take your health seriously, the more options you have.

This applies to everything – diet, sleep, stress, dental health, regular check-ups, and being honest with yourself about lifestyle habits that aren’t serving you. It also means making small but consistent changes rather than waiting for a health scare to motivate you.

For us, a lot of this comes down to food. Eating a plant-based diet rich in vegetables, legumes, and whole foods, avoiding processed food as much as possible, and genuinely thinking about what we’re putting into our bodies. Not perfectly – but consistently. Over decades, that consistency compounds.

It also means keeping your mind active and engaged. Whether that’s through work, learning something new, creative projects, or simply staying curious – mental stimulation matters for long-term cognitive health just as physical activity matters for the body.

Luckily, I’m naturally a busy, motivated person, and I can’t sit still for long. If I’m not working, I like to be moving, and if I’m not moving, then I need to keep my brain engaged, and mostly that’s through nonstop working on my businesses, coming up with ideas, implementing them, and being creative, not just spreadsheets and emails!

3. Make financial and lifestyle plans while you still can

There’s a reason retirement planning advisors say to start as early as possible. Not just because of compound interest – but because having a plan reduces the anxiety around the future and lets you make intentional choices now rather than reactive ones later.

I’m self-employed, which means my income fluctuates and there’s no employer pension to fall back on. In fact, I don’t have a pension at all. Instead, I’m saving into a LISA for my future, along with some other savings platforms.

Running a business into later life is something I fully expect to do. I genuinely love what I do, most of the time! But I also want the choice to step back when I want to, not because I have to.

Being two years into a 20-year plan feels meaningful. It gives direction to the financial decisions we make now – what we save, what we spend, what we prioritise. And the lifestyle choices sit alongside the financial ones.

Investing in your health now through good food, regular movement, proper sleep, and stress management is also an investment in your future costs. Healthy people tend to spend less on healthcare.

The bottom line

You can’t fully control what happens to your health as you age. But you can give yourself the best possible chance by making good choices consistently over time, starting now.

I want my 60s to look like adventure, not decline. That means the habits I build in my 40s matter enormously. Not perfectly – but intentionally. And with a plan.