Are You Fit Enough For Retirement Calculator

Are you fit enough for retirement? 

Most people have a retirement fund. Very few have a retirement body plan.

We spend decades contributing to pensions, investments, and savings accounts because we know one day we’ll want the freedom to travel, enjoy hobbies, and spend more time with family (oh, and of course, be able to eat and live with a roof over our heads in old age). 

Unfortunately, none of that freedom matters if your body can’t keep up. Being able to haul a suitcase into an overhead bin, walk a few miles through a city, carry the shopping into the house, or kneel down to play with grandkids all require a baseline of strength, balance, and stamina.

I’ve seen too many people discover in their retirement that their bodies don’t let them do what their finances can. Even in my 30s, I notice lots of my friends are already losing muscle, energy, and mobility. I see my parents’ friends hitting retirement age, excited for adventure, only to find simple everyday functions like climbing stairs or standing for long periods are limiting what they can actually enjoy.

That’s why I often talk about your physiological pension. Just as you save money over decades, you need to “save” fitness. Every workout, every healthy habit, every choice to move is a deposit into an account you’ll rely on later.

The problem is that most people are under-saving for their body the same way they under-save for retirement. They think short-term. They worry about weight loss for summer, or they hit the gym hard for a few weeks and then sack it off. Instead of building long-term reserves of muscle, endurance, and mobility, they are trapped in the present with no eye to the future.

This article, and the Are You Fit Enough For Retirement Calculator that goes with it, hopefully gets you to reframe fitness as long-term planning. It will show you the physical requirements for the retirement you want, and whether you’re currently on track. The goal here is to be prepared, because when the time comes, you don’t want your body to be the thing that holds you back.

What People Want to Do in Retirement (And Why It Requires Fitness)

When people picture retirement, they usually imagine freedom. Freedom from schedules, freedom from deadlines, freedom to finally use their time the way they want. Ask a group of people what they’re looking forward to most, and you’ll hear a wide range of answers, but common themes always emerge.

For many, it’s travel. They picture strolling the streets of Paris, exploring markets in Morocco, hiking through national parks, taking that long cruise they’ve dreamed about, or simply having the time to take regular city breaks without worrying about using up vacation days. Travel sits at the top of most retirement wish lists.

For others, it’s family time. They imagine playing with grandchildren on the floor, attending school plays and sporting events, or being able to say yes to spontaneous visits and adventures without worrying about being too tired from work. For many people, grandparenting becomes one of the greatest joys of retirement.

Plenty of people look forward to hobbies and passions. Gardening, woodworking, fishing, painting, dancing, golfing, swimming, or finally learning that instrument they’ve always wanted to play. These are more than just leisure activities — they’re identity-shaping, purposeful, and fulfilling.

Some dream about active lifestyles that they couldn’t sustain while working. Long bike rides, daily walks, kayaking trips, ski holidays, or simply being outdoors more. Retirement offers time to explore these at a slower pace, but the activities themselves still demand a surprising amount of physical capability.

Then there’s a group that values something even simpler and arguably more important, independence. They don’t necessarily want to climb mountains or run races. What they want most is to live in their own home without relying on others for everyday tasks. To get up and down stairs, carry their own shopping, cook for themselves, maintain their house or garden, and enjoy day-to-day life without assistance.

All of these goals may look very different on the surface, but they all share one thing in common: they require a body that can do the work.

Unfortunately, most people won’t have the physiological ability to do these things when the time comes. Not because they lack motivation or because their dreams are unrealistic, but because they never built or maintained the physical foundation required.

It’s heartbreaking to watch, but as a coach, I see it all the time. People wait decades to finally retire, dreaming of travel, hobbies, or grandkids, only to discover within months that their bodies simply can’t handle it. Their heart says “yes,” their finances say “yes,” but their body says “no.”

If you want those dreams (the trips, the hikes, the hobbies, the independence) you need to start thinking now about what it will actually take to make them possible.

The Overlooked Physical Demands Of Retirement

Even seemingly “simple” goals come with hidden challenges. Independence at home means being able to climb stairs with laundry, stand in the kitchen cooking for an hour, or get in and out of a bathtub without fear of slipping. Travelling requires stamina for long airport days, hauling luggage, navigating stairs and escalators, and walking on uneven cobblestones or sand. Grandparenting involves squatting to the floor, picking up and carrying 10-20 kg children, and maintaining balance while holding them. Gardening asks for grip strength, hip and knee mobility, and the endurance to bend, kneel, and lift repeatedly.

None of this sounds like running a marathon or competing in sport. Yet when you add it up, it’s a baseline level of strength, balance, endurance, and mobility that many people simply don’t have when they reach their 60s and 70s.

The sad reality is that if you don’t build this baseline, everyday life in retirement doesn’t feel like freedom. It feels like being a prisoner in your own body.

Fitness As Long-term Planning

This is why we need to reframe fitness. It’s not just about summer abs, losing a few pounds before a wedding, or going through cycles of “get fit, fall off, repeat.” That’s all short-term thinking.

Instead, think of fitness the way you think about money. You’re not just living paycheck to paycheck (hopefully!); you’re planning for decades into the future. You’re building a physiological pension. Every workout, every healthy meal, every habit is a deposit. You may not need to cash it in today, but in 10, 20, 30 years, those deposits add up.

A well-rounded portfolio of fitness includes:

• Strength for lifting luggage, rising from the floor, carrying shopping, and protecting bone and joint health.
• Cardiorespiratory fitness (VO₂ max) for long travel days, hikes, dancing, swimming, or simply having the energy to enjoy active days.
• Power and balance for preventing falls, reacting quickly, staying agile on uneven ground, and climbing stairs safely.
• Mobility and posture for comfortable sitting, reaching overhead cupboards, crouching in the garden, and pain-free movement throughout the day.
• Body composition and metabolic health for reducing disease risk, supporting energy levels, improving mood and cognition, and protecting against age-related decline.
• Skill and confidence for moving well, pacing yourself, handling aches and niggles, and keeping activity enjoyable instead of stressful.

When you reframe your fitness habits this way, you realise that each training session becomes a deposit into your future freedom.

The Retirement of Time vs. the Retirement of Body

In 1930, economist John Maynard Keynes suggested that rising productivity would shrink our workweek to about 15 hours within a century. He was broadly right about productivity growth, but wrong about how we’d actually spend those gains. 

Instead of cutting our work weeks, we mostly kept working ~40 hours, and banked the “surplus time” for retirement.

• Assume a typical workweek of 40 hours rather than Keynes’s 15, that’s a 25-hour difference per week.
• Assume ~50 working weeks/year over ~40 working years.
• That’s 25 × 50 × 40 = ~50,000 hours of “extra” work time accumulated across a career.

What does 50,000 hours look like?

• ~17 years of 8-hour “leisure days.”

The average retirement in developed countries lasts 15-20 years, depending on health and life expectancy. In other words, Keynes’s “lost leisure” didn’t vanish, we just postponed it. All those extra decades of work hours were stored up and cashed out as a block of time at the end of life.

However, time isn’t the same as freedom. If your body can’t use those 15 years, they don’t feel like a dividend, they feel like debt. We’ve saved up decades of leisure on paper, but unless we also invest in the physical capacity to enjoy them, the return on that investment is painfully small.

The hidden “costs” of your retirement dreams

Let’s break down the physical requirements of retirement more concretely.

• A simple travel day: 8,000-15,000 steps, bursts of brisk walking to catch connections, hauling a 10-15 kg bag, climbing stairs, standing for queues, and staying alert through jet lag.
• A “relaxing” city break: hours on your feet each day, often over cobblestones, sand, or uneven terrain.
• Grandparenting: frequent transfers from the floor to standing, lifting and carrying 10-20 kg, getting up from low chairs, and maintaining balance with a wriggly toddler in your arms.
• Gardening or DIY: grip strength for tools, general total body strength for moving pots, hip and shoulder mobility for bending and reaching, stamina to be on your feet for hours.
• Hosting or volunteering: long periods of standing, carrying trays or supplies, and plenty of walking.

None of these demands are “elite athlete” level. But if you don’t have the baseline capacity for them, you will feel your restrictions every single day. On the other hand, if you prepare, these same activities feel effortless. Retirement becomes liberation, not limitation.

The Earlier You Start, The Easier It Gets

The physiological reality is that our bodies peak in early adulthood and then gradually decline. VO₂ max drops about 10% per decade after 30, unless trained. Muscle strength decreases about 1-2% per year unless trained. Balance and mobility fade if ignored.

But, and this is crucial, the decline is not set in stone. People who train consistently lose capacity far more slowly, and they maintain a much higher “ceiling” of function into their 70s, 80s, and beyond.

The key idea is building a reserve.

If you want to hike comfortably at 70, you can’t just build the minimum required for hiking now. You need a buffer. Extra strength and aerobic capacity that you can afford to “spend” as you age, without dipping below the threshold that activity requires. If you want to easily lift a grandchild at 70, you’ll need to be lifting considerably more than that in your 30s-50s.

Think of it exactly like compound interest in investing:

• The earlier you start making deposits, the more time those deposits have to grow.
• Skip deposits for 10 years, and catching up is possible, but harder, requiring bigger contributions later.
• Start late, and you can still grow your account, but you won’t benefit from the decades of compounding that make it so much easier.

Your body works the same way. The stronger, fitter, and healthier you are in your 30s-50s, the more reserve you’ll carry into later life, and the more you’ll be able to enjoy the retirement you’ve been working toward all along.

Retirement dreams are built on a physical foundation. Whether it’s hiking, travelling, gardening, dancing, swimming, or simply living independently at home, each activity comes with measurable requirements. Build those capacities now, and retirement becomes a chapter of freedom. Ignore them, and even ordinary days may feel like uphill battles.

How The Are You Fit Enough For Retirement Calculator Works

Up to this point, we’ve talked about retirement dreams and the physical requirements that come with them. But it’s one thing to know in theory that you’ll need strength, stamina, and balance, and another to know exactly how much you’ll need and whether you’re currently on track. That’s where the Are You Fit Enough For Retirement Calculator comes in.

Think of it as a personal audit for your physiological pension.

Step 1: Enter your current age

Start by telling the calculator where you are today. This matters, because while the body doesn’t decline at the same rate for everyone, we do know the general averages from research on ageing, strength, aerobic capacity, and mobility. A 30-year-old has different benchmarks than a 50-year-old, who has different benchmarks than a 65-year-old.

Step 2: Pick the activities you want at age 70

This is where you make it personal. Do you want to hike? Travel? Golf? Dance? Carry grandkids? Maintain your garden? Or is independence at home the top priority? Select the activities that reflect the retirement you actually want.

The power here is specificity. Instead of saying “I want to be fit,” you’re saying: “I want to be able to hike moderate trails at 70,” or “I want to play actively with my grandkids without pain,” or “I want to travel without worrying about my stamina.”

Step 3: See the targets

Once you’ve entered your age and chosen your goals, the calculator does two things:

1. Shows the requirements at age 70. These are the minimum levels of strength, VO₂ max (cardiovascular fitness), balance, mobility, or other capacities you’ll need to perform those activities comfortably.

    

2. Shows what you should be capable of right now based on your current age and the normal rates of decline, the calculator gives you a “target buffer” to aim for.

The whole system is built on research into what are called decline curves: the well-documented drop-offs in aerobic capacity, muscle mass, strength, balance, and mobility that happen with age. We know, for example, that VO₂ max drops about 10% per decade if untrained, and that strength declines ~1-2% per year from around age 30 onward. But we also know these losses can be slowed dramatically, even reversed, with consistent training.

By combining this research with the real-world demands of retirement activities, the calculator gives you a clear picture of:

• What you’ll need to do at 70.
• What you should be able to do at your current age.
• Where the gaps are between where you are now and where you want to be.

In short, this tool takes vague goals like “travel more” or “play with grandkids” and translates them into actionable benchmarks. It’s your roadmap to making sure your body will actually be ready when the time comes.

Are You Fit Enough For Retirement Calculator

Master Retirement Activity Fitness Requirements (Age-Scaled)

Now that you have had a chance to play around with the Are You Fit Enough For Retirement Calculator, I know some of you will want to see the various standards for the different activities laid out.

Every activity you might want to do in retirement (whether it’s hiking, travelling, playing with grandkids, gardening, dancing, golf, or even just living independently at home) can be broken down into specific physical requirements. Some are obvious, like strength and cardiovascular fitness. Others are less obvious, like balance, grip strength, mobility, or even reaction time.

Now, these numbers are not absolute. There’s no giant database that says, “at age 70, you need exactly this much strength to travel.” Real life is much messier. Some of the data is very strong, like VO₂ max decline curves or grip strength norms. Other numbers are more like educated approximations, based on research, my coaching experience, and the practical demands of the tasks. Think of them as good benchmarks rather than rigid rules.

Here’s how the table works:

• Each activity (travelling, hiking, carrying groceries, etc.) is paired with the limiting factor metric most relevant to that task. For example, hiking is paired with VO₂ max because cardiovascular capacity is usually the rate-limiting factor. Carrying the shopping is tied to grip strength. Getting up from the floor is tied to sit-to-stand performance.
• For each metric, you’ll see the requirement at age 70. This is the baseline you’ll want to hit if you plan on comfortably doing that activity in retirement.
• You’ll also see the scaled expectations for younger ages, 60, 55, 50, and so on, down to 25. These are the “reserve” numbers. In other words, if you’re 40 today and want to be hiking at 70, here’s what you should be capable of now to stay on track.

Let’s pull out some examples so you can see how to read this:

• Climbing stairs: At 70, you’ll want a VO₂ max of about 20 ml/kg/min, and you should be able to do at least 10 step-ups per leg. If you’re in your 30s, that means aiming for a VO₂ max of 33-35 and 22-24 step-ups per leg.
• Carrying groceries: At 70, grip strength of ~25 kg is enough to handle shopping bags. But if you’re 40, you should be hitting ~32–33 kg now. That extra buffer keeps you above the line later.
• Travelling (airports and luggage): By 70, you’ll want a VO₂ max of around 25 and the ability to lift 15 kg overhead. In your 30s, that translates to a VO₂ max close to 39-41 and an overhead lift closer to 30-35 kg.
• Hiking a moderate trail: At 70, you’ll want a VO₂ max of 30 and the ability to manage a 2-mile uphill walk. By 40, that means aiming for a VO₂ max around 41 and an uphill walk closer to 4 miles.
• Playing with grandchildren: At 70, being able to lift 20 kg safely is a must. At 40, you should be lifting closer to 30-35 kg with good form.
• Fall prevention: The ability to balance for 20 seconds on one leg and perform 15 sit-to-stands is what protects you at 70. At 30, you should be aiming for closer to 60 seconds of balance and 30 sit-to-stands.
• Long walking tours (cities, photography trips, birdwatching): By 70, walking 5 miles in a day should feel reasonable. At 30-40, you should be able to walk 9-10 miles without issue.

When you look across the table, a theme emerges: the demands of retirement are not extreme, but they are very real. At 70, you don’t need the fitness of an Olympian. But you do need enough aerobic fitness, strength, balance, and mobility to handle the hidden costs of everyday activities. To make that possible, you need to build and maintain a reserve in the decades leading up to it.

The real gift of this table is clarity. Instead of vague goals like “I want to be in shape,” you can see the actual numbers that map to the life you want. You can test yourself against them now, train toward them deliberately, and track your progress over time.

Ultimately, retirement activities have physical price tags. The table shows you what those price tags look like at 70, and what you should be capable of at younger ages to afford them. If you keep making deposits in strength, endurance, balance, and mobility now, you’ll be able to cash them in later for the life you want.

Target Metrics Explained

The calculator works by translating everyday retirement activities into measurable physical benchmarks. These benchmarks are simple ways to capture the different qualities of fitness that matter most as we age: strength, endurance, balance, mobility, coordination, and resilience.

Below is an overview of the key metrics the calculator uses. 

VO₂ max (ml/kg/min)

This is your aerobic engine. It is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during exercise, scaled to your bodyweight. A higher VO₂ max means you can walk farther, climb hills, handle long days of sightseeing, or recover faster between activities. It’s one of the strongest predictors of independence and longevity. You usually need to get it measured in a lab, but these days, you can usually get an approximation from fitness tracking wearables. 

To put it in perspective, a VO₂ max of ~30 is modest and would typically correspond to very slow marathon times (well over 5 hours in most cases), if you would even be able to complete a marathon at all at that level. Whereas a VO₂ max of 40 is sufficient for many trained non-specialists to run a marathon in around 3:45 to 4:30 hours (all else being equal).

Grip strength (kg)

Grip strength is a simple but powerful marker of whole-body strength and resilience. It directly relates to carrying groceries, handling luggage, doing DIY or gardening, and even fall recovery. Research also shows it’s strongly associated with overall health and survival.

To put grip strength into context:

• For men, average grip strength in midlife is around 40-45 kg. Below 30 kg is considered weak and is linked in research with higher risk of disability and earlier mortality. Above 50 kg is strong, often seen in people who regularly lift, climb, or do manual labour.
• For women, average midlife grip strength is around 25-30 kg. Below 20 kg is considered low, while above 35 kg is strong and uncommon without deliberate strength training.

To translate this into daily life:

• At 20 kg, you may struggle with heavy grocery bags, jars, or carrying luggage up stairs.
• Around 30-35 kg, you can usually manage everyday tasks confidently and recover from slips or falls more effectively.
• At 40 kg+ (for women) or 55 kg+ (for men), you’re in an elite range. This is the kind of grip you’d expect from someone who trains with barbells, rock climbing, or manual trades.

Overhead Press (kg)

This reflects your ability to lift or reach objects overhead—think luggage compartments, shelves, or simply raising your arms without strain. It’s both a strength and mobility measure, since stiff shoulders can limit overhead reach even if the muscles are strong enough.

To put the overhead press into context:

• For men, pressing about 30-40 kg (65-90 lb) is typical for someone recreationally active. Pressing your own bodyweight overhead (e.g. 70-80+ kg) is an advanced strength milestone usually only seen in serious lifters.
• For women, pressing 15-20 kg (35-45 lb) is common among active adults. Pressing their bodyweight overhead (50+ kg for most women) is extremely rare without dedicated strength training.

In everyday life:

• Being able to press 15-20 kg means you can confidently load carry-on bags into an overhead bin.
• Around 30-40 kg, you have the strength to move boxes, handle awkward items overhead, and do repeated lifts without strain.
• Beyond 50-60 kg, you’re at a level that allows strong athletic performance.

It’s also worth noting that limited shoulder mobility can cap overhead press performance, so improving range of motion is often just as important as building raw strength.

General lift (kg)

This is a broad measure of lifting ability. It covers everyday tasks like picking up boxes, carrying grandchildren, moving shopping bags, or lifting trays. It’s less about maximum strength and more about practical, repeatable loads.

To put general lifting ability into context:

• For men, comfortably lifting 40-50 kg (90-110 lb) from the ground is a solid, everyday benchmark. Below 25-30 kg may signal difficulty with heavier chores, moving furniture, or carrying a child. Above 70-80 kg suggests strong functional capacity, which is the sort of strength you’d expect in someone who trains regularly.
• For women, being able to lift 20-30 kg (45-65 lb) covers most daily needs (groceries, luggage, boxes). Below 15 kg may limit independence in daily life, while above 40-50 kg represents exceptional functional strength for non-athletes.

In practical terms:

• 15-20 kg = a standard carry-on bag or a toddler.
• 30-40 kg = a loaded suitcase or a big box of household items.
• 50+ kg = moving furniture, carrying heavy luggage up stairs, or lifting an older child.

The easiest way to think of this is, if you were in the gym, what weight of a dumbbell would you struggle to manoeuvre around, if you did have to move it?

Deadlift (% of bodyweight)

The deadlift represents safe lifting from the ground, scaled to your bodyweight. It’s not about the gym exercise itself, it’s about being able to pick up heavy objects (suitcases, garden bags, furniture) without strain.

To put the deadlift into context:

• For men, lifting about 100% of bodyweight from the ground (e.g., an 80-kg man lifting 80 kg) is a very functional baseline, as it means you can handle almost any household or travel task safely. Around 150% is a strong level that translates into real-world resilience, and 200%+ is a very good strength level, typically found only in dedicated lifters.
• For women, lifting about 75-100% of bodyweight is a solid, functional standard for independence. Around 125-150% represents excellent strength, and 175%+ is advanced/elite.

In everyday life:

• 50% of bodyweight = lifting a medium suitcase or a large bag of garden soil.
• 100% = picking up a heavy box, moving furniture, or carrying a child plus luggage.
• 150%+ = strong athletic capacity, the kind of strength that makes awkward, heavy loads much safer to manage.

The goal isn’t to train for a competition max, but to develop a safe and confident ability to pick things up off the ground, which is a key skill for maintaining independence and avoiding back injuries.

Pack carry (% of bodyweight)

This shows how much you can carry in a backpack, as a percentage of your bodyweight. It’s directly tied to hiking, camping, and even travel days when you’re carrying packs or bags for hours.

To put pack carrying into context:

• For men, carrying about 15-20% of bodyweight (e.g., a 75-kg man with 11-15 kg) is a comfortable and practical baseline for day hikes and travel. Around 25-30% is a solid level that supports multi-day hiking or steeper terrain, while 35-40%+ is demanding and usually reserved for trained individuals on expeditions.
• For women, carrying about 10-15% of bodyweight (e.g., a 60-kg woman with 6-9 kg) is a good functional standard for travel and light hiking. Around 20-25% represents strong capability for longer trails or heavier loads, and 30%+ is advanced, requiring specific conditioning.

In everyday life:

• 10-15% BW = a city daypack, shopping backpack, or carry-on bag.
• 20-25% BW = a loaded hiking pack for trails or a larger suitcase carried short distances.
• 30%+ BW = expedition-style packs, extended trekking, or heavy-duty travel loads.

The goal isn’t to train for maximum pack weight, but to build the strength and endurance to carry moderate loads comfortably for hours, as this is the kind of resilience that makes travel, hiking, and long active days feel easy rather than exhausting.

Step-ups (reps/leg)

Single-leg strength is crucial for stairs, curbs, vehicles, and uneven ground. Step-ups test both strength and stability. The version with added load (like a 10 kg weight) simulates real-world challenges such as carrying shopping upstairs.

To put step-ups into context:

• For men, being able to perform 12-15 controlled step-ups per leg at bodyweight is a solid baseline for everyday independence. Around 18-20 reps shows strong functional endurance for travel days, hiking, or carrying loads. Adding a 10 kg load and still performing 10-12 reps demonstrates excellent capability for real-world tasks like carrying luggage or groceries upstairs.
• For women, 10-12 step-ups per leg at bodyweight is a good baseline for functional mobility. Around 15-18 reps reflects strong independence and stamina, while managing 8-10 reps with a 10 kg load represents advanced functional strength.

In everyday life:

• 10 reps/leg = comfortably climbing several flights of stairs or stepping into a tall vehicle.
• 15-20 reps/leg = confident stamina for long travel days, hills, or carrying shopping bags upstairs.
• Loaded step-ups (10 kg) = simulates real-world tasks like hauling groceries, luggage, or supplies without strain.

The goal isn’t endless repetition, but to build controlled, balanced single-leg strength that makes stairs, curbs, and uneven ground feel effortless at any age.

Squats (reps)

Squatting strength and endurance matter for rising from chairs, cars, toilets, or gardening positions. Being able to perform repeated squats shows leg strength, mobility, and cardiovascular resilience all at once.

To put squatting into context:

• For men, performing 20 continuous bodyweight squats is a solid functional baseline, showing enough strength for daily standing and sitting without strain. Around 30-40 reps indicates strong endurance for long days on your feet, gardening, or active travel. 50+ reps represents excellent lower-body conditioning and resilience.
• For women, 15-20 squats is a good everyday baseline. 25-35 reps suggests strong independence and comfort with repeated rising from low positions, while 40+ reps reflects advanced strength and stamina.

In everyday life:

• 15-20 reps = rising easily from chairs, sofas, and toilets.
• 30-40 reps = maintaining comfort during gardening, DIY, or long standing periods.
• 50+ reps = the kind of endurance that makes sightseeing days, dancing, or hours of activity feel effortless.

The goal isn’t to chase high numbers for their own sake, but to build enough strength and stamina in the legs to keep sitting, standing, and moving smooth and pain-free well into later life.

Sit-to-stand tests

These tests come in different versions:

• Standard (time for 5 reps): how quickly you can get up and down from a chair five times.
• Deep (reps): how many times you can rise from a low seat.
• Deep (time): how quickly you can perform five reps from a lower starting point. 

They all measure independence, leg strength, and functional mobility, which is the things that let you rise easily from sofas, bathtubs, or the floor.

To put sit-to-stand ability into context:

• For men, completing 5 reps from a standard chair in under 12 seconds is a functional baseline. Being able to rise repeatedly from a lower seat (deep sit-to-stand) without using the hands shows excellent hip and knee strength (12-15 continuous deep sit-to-stands). A time of under 10 seconds for 5 deep reps represents strong lower-body capability and resilience.
• For women, finishing 5 reps in under 12–13 seconds from a standard chair is a good baseline. Managing 8-10 continuous deep sit-to-stands without hands indicates strong independence, while 5 deep reps under 12 seconds shows advanced functional strength and mobility.

In everyday life:

• Standard 5 reps < 12s = confidence with normal chairs, toilets, and rising from seated positions.
• Deep sit-to-stands = getting out of bathtubs, off the floor, or from low sofas without help.
• Faster times/more reps = the reserve strength and mobility that makes repeated rising (grandkids, gardening, household chores) feel easy instead of exhausting.

The goal isn’t just to beat the clock, or do endless reps, but to ensure you can rise smoothly and independently from any seat well into later life.

Balance measures

Balance shows up in many ways, from standing on one leg to holding steady in a crowd. It’s what keeps you upright on uneven ground, prevents falls, and lets you move with confidence in everyday life.

• Single-leg balance (seconds): standing on one leg tests stability for walking on uneven ground, climbing stairs, or avoiding falls.
• Unstable stance (seconds): balance when your footing is narrow or wobbly is useful for boats, cobblestones, sand, or icy paths.
• Quiet stand (minutes): holding steady without moving is important for long queues, ceremonies, or when standing still.
• General balance: a catch-all applied to activities like dancing or moving fluidly in groups.

To put balance into context:

• Being able to hold a single-leg stance for 20-30 seconds is a functional baseline for safe walking on stairs or uneven ground. Holding 40-60 seconds demonstrates strong stability for hiking, sports, or dancing.

In everyday life:

• Single-leg balance (20–30s) = confidence stepping off curbs, walking on sand, or climbing stairs without wobbling.
• Unstable stance (20–30s) = steadiness on boats, cobblestones, or icy paths.
• Quiet stand (2-3 min) = standing comfortably in queues, ceremonies, or when waiting without shifting constantly.
• General balance = moving smoothly in dancing, gardening, or group activities where coordination matters.

The goal isn’t perfect stillness, but to develop enough control that everyday challenges, whether it’s uneven ground, crowded spaces, or sudden shifts, don’t throw you off your feet.

Reaction time (seconds)

Quickness of response to a stimulus is important for safe driving, avoiding trips and falls, and staying agile.

To put reaction time into context:

• A reaction time of around 0.5 seconds or faster is considered a solid functional baseline for everyday safety. Times closer to 0.3-0.4 seconds reflect excellent responsiveness, while >0.6-0.7 seconds can begin to affect driving safety and increase fall risk.

In everyday life:

• 0.3-0.4s = sharp responses for driving, sports, and quickly catching yourself if you trip.
• 0.5s = safe, functional reaction speed for most daily activities.
• 0.6-0.7s+ = slower reflexes that may make slips, stumbles, or delayed braking more likely.

The goal isn’t to have lightning-fast reflexes, but to maintain a level of responsiveness that keeps you safe, confident, and adaptable in the real world.

Walking distance (miles)

How far you can comfortably walk in a day. Think city tours, museum days, or walking holidays.

To put walking distance into context:

• Being able to cover 3-5 miles in a day is a good baseline for independence and light travel. 6-8 miles reflects strong endurance for active sightseeing or long outings, while 9-10 miles shows excellent capacity for walking-heavy trips or holidays.

In everyday life:

• 3-4 miles = a relaxed city tour, errands, or a half-day of museum visits.
• 6-7 miles = a typical full sightseeing day, with meals and breaks mixed in.
• 9-10 miles = long active days such as European city breaks, guided walking tours, or nature outings.

The goal isn’t to walk marathons, but to have the stamina to cover the distances that travel, leisure, and daily independence often demand without pain, exhaustion, or needing long recovery.

Uphill walking and hiking

Uphill walk distance and uphill hike duration both measure stamina on inclines. They matter for trails, mountain trips, and even just cities with hills or lots of stairs.

​​To put uphill stamina into context:

• Being able to sustain a 2-mile uphill walk or a 1-2 hour moderate hike is a solid functional baseline for travel and everyday independence in hilly environments. Handling 3-4 miles uphill or 3-4 hours on trails reflects strong endurance for mountain trips or long sightseeing days. Beyond that, 5+ miles uphill or 5-6 hours hiking shows advanced fitness for sustained outdoor adventures.

In everyday life:

• 1.5-2 miles uphill = confidently handling steep city streets, long staircases, or short hilly walks.
• 3-4 miles uphill = moderate trail hiking or long active sightseeing days.
• 5+ miles uphill = extended hikes, mountain trips, or multi-hour excursions without strain.

The goal isn’t to train for mountaineering (unless that’s your dream), but to ensure inclines, whether it’s hills, stairs, or trails, feel manageable and rewarding rather than exhausting.

Stairs climbed (flights)

This captures your ability to ascend multiple flights without fatigue, which is useful for hotels, transport systems, or homes without lifts.

To put stair climbing into context:

• Being able to climb 3-4 flights continuously is a solid baseline for everyday function and travel. Managing 6-8 flights indicates strong leg endurance and cardiovascular fitness, while 10+ flights reflects excellent resilience for long travel days or hilly environments.

In everyday life:

• 2-3 flights = hotels or apartments without lifts, visiting friends or family in multi-story homes.
• 5-6 flights = sightseeing in hilly cities or managing long staircases in stations and airports.
• 8-10 flights = extended climbs such as monuments, old towers, or long transport hubs without fatigue.

The goal isn’t to train for stair races, but to build enough leg strength and cardiovascular fitness that multiple flights of stairs are never a barrier to travel, independence, or enjoyment.

Swim endurance (minutes)

Time you can swim continuously. Important for safety, snorkeling, and water-based hobbies.

To put swim endurance into context:

• Being able to swim 5-10 minutes continuously is a good baseline for water safety and short recreational swims. Sustaining 15-20 minutes shows strong capacity for snorkeling, casual laps, or holiday swimming, while 30 minutes+ reflects excellent stamina for open-water swimming and water-based sports.

In everyday life:

• 5-10 minutes = basic safety buffer in pools, lakes, or the sea.
• 15-20 minutes = relaxed snorkeling, holiday swims, or casual lap sessions.
• 30 minutes+ = confidence for open-water swimming, boat excursions, or more demanding aquatic hobbies.

The goal isn’t competitive swimming, but to develop enough endurance that time in the water, whether for fun, fitness, or safety, feels confident and enjoyable rather than tiring or risky.

Plank hold (seconds)

Measures core endurance. A stronger trunk supports posture, reduces back pain, and improves stability when carrying loads.

To put plank endurance into context:

• Holding a plank for 60-90 seconds is a solid functional baseline, showing good trunk stability for daily life. 120 seconds indicates strong resilience for lifting, carrying, and long periods on your feet. 150-180 seconds+ reflects advanced core endurance, useful for sports and high activity levels.

In everyday life:

• 45-60 seconds = stable posture for standing, walking, and lifting light loads.
• 90-120 seconds = strong support for carrying luggage, gardening, or long days of activity.
• 150+ seconds = a buffer that makes demanding or repetitive tasks easier and helps prevent back fatigue.

You want to build a core that’s strong enough to protect your back, support your posture, and give you confidence in all the lifting, carrying, and moving you’ll want to keep doing later in life.

Seated posture endurance (time)

How long you can sit upright without slumping or discomfort. Matters for instruments, crafts, flights, or meals.

To put seated posture into context:

• Being able to sit comfortably upright for 45-60 minutes is a good baseline for meals, short flights, or events. 90 minutes or more reflects strong postural endurance for concerts, long meetings, or extended travel, while 2 hours+ shows excellent control for hobbies and long-haul flights.

In everyday life:

• 45-60 minutes = sitting comfortably through a meal, short class, or church service.
• 90 minutes = sustained upright posture for flights, rehearsals, or workshops.
• 2 hours+ = long-haul travel, extended crafting, or music practice without stiffness or slumping.

You don’t need to be able to keep perfect posture at all times, but you do need to have enough endurance in your trunk and postural muscles that sitting remains comfortable and pain-free, even when daily life or hobbies ask you to stay seated for longer stretches.

Standing endurance (hours)

Time you can stand comfortably. Relevant for cooking, volunteering, hosting, or sightseeing.

To put standing endurance into context:

• Being able to stand 1 hour continuously is a solid baseline for independence in the kitchen, chores, or travel. 2 hours shows strong endurance for volunteering, hosting, or sightseeing, while 3+ hours reflects excellent resilience for long active days.

In everyday life:

• 1 hour = preparing a meal, light chores, or casual shopping.
• 2 hours = sightseeing tours, hosting gatherings, or volunteer shifts.
• 3+ hours = long travel days, big events, or extended periods on your feet without fatigue.

You need to build enough stamina in your legs, core, and feet that time standing feels comfortable and sustainable rather than exhausting.

Mobility measures

Mobility is about the range of motion your joints allow. It underpins comfort, independence, and safety in everyday movement.

• Shoulder flexion (°): ability to raise arms overhead.
• Hip abduction (°): how far you can move legs outwards, which is useful for mounting bikes, horses, or straddling movements.
• Hip flexion (°): how well you can pull knees toward chest, which is important for getting in/out of cars, chairs, or the floor.
• Ankle dorsiflexion (°): shin-to-foot angle, which is key for stairs, squats, and balance.

To put mobility into context:

• Shoulder flexion (~150° or more): lets you reach overhead cupboards, place bags in airplane bins, or change light bulbs without strain. Limited shoulder mobility makes overhead tasks awkward even if you have the strength.
• Hip abduction (~40°): allows you to straddle a bike, swing a leg over into a car or bed, or mount a horse. Insufficient abduction makes wide steps and side-to-side balance harder.
• Hip flexion (~100° or more): needed to get into and out of cars, low chairs, or off the floor. Restricted flexion leads to compensations like using hands or momentum to rise.
• Ankle dorsiflexion (~10° or more): crucial for comfortable stair climbing, squatting, and stable balance. Limited dorsiflexion increases fall risk and knee or back strain.

You need enough mobility in key joints that daily movements remain smooth and pain-free, so you can remain independent well into later life.

Breath control, exhale (seconds)

How long you can steadily exhale. Important for wind instruments, snorkelling, or simply managing breathing under exertion.

To put breath control into context:

• Being able to exhale smoothly for 20 seconds is a solid baseline for everyday breathing efficiency. 25-30 seconds reflects strong lung capacity for activities like snorkelling, singing, or playing wind instruments. 35+ seconds represents excellent control and endurance, often developed through deliberate training.

In everyday life:

• 20 seconds = steady breathing for walking hills or carrying loads without gasping.
• 25-30 seconds = confident snorkelling or managing breath during dancing, swimming, or music practice.
• 30+ seconds = a good reserve for water-based hobbies, performance, or vigorous activity.

The goal here is to maintain smooth, controlled breathing that supports stamina, relaxation, and confidence in both everyday exertion and recreational activities.

Finger taps (per 30 seconds)

A measure of fine motor speed and coordination. Relevant for instruments, crafts, or any activity requiring dexterity.

To put finger tapping into context:

• For men, achieving 60-70 taps in 30 seconds is a good functional baseline. 75-85 taps indicates strong dexterity and coordination, while 90+ taps represents excellent fine motor speed, often seen in musicians or those who train regularly with their hands.

In everyday life:

• 60 taps = comfortable dexterity for typing, phone use, or light crafts.
• 70-80 taps = smooth, accurate control for sewing, woodworking, or playing an instrument.
• 85+ taps = high-level fine motor speed, useful for demanding tasks like fast piano passages or intricate craftwork.

The goal isn’t raw speed alone, but to maintain enough fine motor control that the small, detailed tasks of daily life, and the hobbies you love, remain easy and enjoyable well into later life.

Step-up height (cm)

The maximum height you can step onto safely. Think RVs, jeeps, high curbs, or climbing into vehicles.

To put step-up height into context:

• For men, being able to step onto a surface around 40 cm (mid-shin height) is a solid functional baseline for curbs, buses, and home steps. 50–55 cm shows strong single-leg strength and mobility for RVs, jeeps, or trail obstacles, while 60+ cm represents advanced capability and athleticism.

• For women, 35–40 cm is a good everyday baseline for curbs, transport, and most household steps. 45–50 cm demonstrates robust strength and hip mobility for higher vehicles or uneven ground, while 55+ cm reflects excellent functional strength and balance.

In everyday life:

• 35–40 cm = stepping onto curbs, buses, or front steps with ease.

• 45–50 cm = climbing into SUVs, RVs, or over low obstacles on trails.

• 55+ cm = confident mobility for jeeps, boats, or steep hiking steps.

The goal isn’t to train for maximum step height, but to maintain enough single-leg strength, hip mobility, and balance to handle the practical “big steps” life throws at you without hesitation or risk.

Kneel-to-stand (reps)

How many times you can rise from kneeling to standing. Useful for gardening, floor play with children, or cultural practices that involve kneeling.

To put kneel-to-stand ability into context:

• Being able to rise smoothly from kneeling to standing 5-6 times in a row is a solid functional baseline. 8-10 reps shows strong lower-body control and endurance, while 12+ reps reflects excellent mobility and independence.

In everyday life:

• 4-6 reps = confidence rising from the floor after gardening, chores, or cultural activities.
• 7-9 reps = comfortably keeping up with grandchildren during floor play or repeated kneeling tasks.
• 10+ reps = a high reserve of strength and mobility, ensuring independence in getting up and down from the ground at any age.

You want the strength to perform smooth, controlled movements here, so rising from the ground always feels safe, confident, and effortless.

Grip hang (seconds)

Time you can hang from a bar or ledge. Reflects grip endurance, shoulder stability, and practical strength for activities like ziplining, sailing, or carrying loads for longer periods.

To put grip hang into context:

• For men, holding a dead hang for 20-30 seconds is a solid functional baseline. 40-50 seconds indicates strong grip endurance and shoulder stability, while 60+ seconds represents excellent capacity often seen in climbers, gym-goers, or manual laborers.
• For women, 15-20 seconds is a good baseline for everyday grip strength. 30-40 seconds reflects strong endurance for activities like sailing or carrying heavy bags, while 50+ seconds shows advanced strength and stability.

In everyday life:

• 20 seconds = enough grip and shoulder stability for basic tasks like carrying shopping or luggage without strain.
• 30-40 seconds = confidence for more demanding tasks like holding onto rails, sailing ropes, or longer carries.
• 50-60+ seconds = a strong reserve of grip and shoulder endurance for adventure activities such as ziplining, climbing, or manual work.

Why these matter

Individually, these metrics might sound trivial. But together, they capture the essence of what it takes to live fully in retirement: stamina to travel, strength to carry and lift, balance to stay safe, mobility to move freely, and endurance to enjoy whole days without collapse.

Think of them as the hidden price tags attached to the life you want. A suitcase in an overhead bin isn’t just a bag, it’s grip strength, an overhead press, and shoulder mobility. A sightseeing tour isn’t just a stroll, it’s 8-10 miles of walking endurance, stair climbing ability, and balance on uneven ground. Playing with grandkids isn’t just fun, it’s squats, kneel-to-stands, and the ability to safely lift 15-20 kg again and again.

In other words, these benchmarks translate vague aspirations like “I want to travel comfortably” or “I want to keep up with my grandchildren” into concrete, measurable abilities you can understand, test, and deliberately train for. They take the abstract idea of “fitness for later life” and make it practical and actionable.

By focusing on these specific metrics, you’re not training to be an athlete, you’re training to be independent, capable, and free. Each one is a small deposit into your physiological pension, and together they add up to the capacity that lets you keep saying “yes” to the opportunities retirement offers.

Why You Need a “Reserve” of Strength and Fitness

The thing about retirement fitness that most people never think about is that you need more than enough earlier in life so you can afford to lose some and still be capable later. 

That “extra” is what I call your physiological reserve or your physiological pension.

If you only train to the minimum standard of what you need today, you’re essentially living paycheck to paycheck with your body. There’s no cushion, no buffer. And as the years go by, the natural decline in strength, endurance, and mobility will chip away at that limited capacity until one day you’re below the threshold you actually need to enjoy the things you want to do.

But if you deliberately build a surplus in your 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s, you give yourself a safety net. That reserve is what buys you decades of freedom later.

You see, from around age 20 onward, your body begins to lose physical capacity unless you stay on top of it. This doesn’t happen overnight, and you might not notice it at first, but your fitness is degrading. It’s slow, steady, and surprisingly predictable.

• Cardiovascular fitness (VO₂ max) declines by about 10% per decade if you don’t train it. That means the aerobic engine that lets you walk briskly, hike, or climb stairs gets smaller and smaller every decade.
• Muscle strength and size starts to dip earlier than most people realise. In fact, research shows most people begin losing muscle in their 20s. After 30, the average adult loses 1-2% of strength every year or about 10-15% per decade. By 70, an untrained adult may have lost nearly half their peak strength. If your peak isn’t that large to begin with, this can be quite debilitating. 
• Balance and mobility also fade with time, mostly because they aren’t challenged in modern life. Without practice, the small stabiliser muscles weaken, joint range of motion tightens, and coordination becomes rusty. That’s why tasks like walking on sand, stepping off curbs, or getting up from the floor feel harder with age.
• Add it up, and by the time most people reach 70, they’ve lost 30-50% of their peak strength and endurance, if they haven’t been training consistently.

However, these declines are not set in stone. Yes, ageing changes the body, but the rate of decline is massively influenced by what you do (or don’t do).

• Train your heart and lungs with regular cardio, and you can slow the VO₂ max decline dramatically. In some cases, older adults who start training actually increase their aerobic capacity.
• Lift weights consistently, and you can preserve muscle mass and strength well into your 70s, 80s, and beyond.
• Challenge your balance and mobility, and you can maintain agility and joint health for decades.

I’ve coached clients in their 60s who were stronger and fitter than they were in their 30s, because they finally trained in a way that built reserves instead of letting them erode.

There are a few simple principles I always remind people of when it comes to retirement fitness. They cut through the noise and make the whole idea less abstract, more actionable. You don’t need complex science or a perfect program, you just need to understand a handful of truths about how the body ages, and how training changes that story.

The first is simple: use it or lose it. If you use it, you can keep it. Muscles and lungs don’t disappear because of age alone; they get weaker mostly because they aren’t challenged. Training flattens the decline curve.

The second is: freedom requires capacity. Money may buy flights and tickets, but only your body lets you board the plane, carry the bags, and walk the streets. Independence isn’t a given, it’s earned, and it has a physical price tag.

And then there’s what psychologists call the effort paradox: we often dread the work, yet we value most, what we’ve invested in. That’s why training doesn’t just build muscle, strength and fitness, it also builds meaning. Every deposit you make becomes a story of effort carried forward, a reminder that your freedom later was something you built, not something handed to you.

Ultimately, decline with age is normal, but the slope of that decline is up to you. For someone sedentary, the curve is unfortunately pretty steep, and independence shrinks quickly. For someone who invests in their fitness, the curve is much shallower, which means decades more freedom, adventure, and capability.

So, if you want your body to be able to say yes to the things you’ve been dreaming about, you can’t leave it to chance. You need to train now to flatten that curve.

Let’s look at hiking as an example.

At 70 years old, to comfortably hike a moderate trail, you’ll need a VO₂ max of about 30 ml/kg/min. That’s just the basic aerobic fitness required to walk uphill, carry a backpack, and not collapse halfway through. But if you only aim for a VO₂ max of 30 in your 30s or 40s, you’ll be in trouble. Because aerobic fitness declines roughly 10% per decade, by the time you reach 70, that number won’t be 30 anymore, it’ll be far lower.

That’s why, in your 30s and 40s, you should aim for a VO₂ max closer to 45 ml/kg/min. That gives you the extra capacity to weather three or four decades of decline and still have plenty left at 70. That’s your reserve. Now of course, if you maintain your training, the decline will also be slower, but there will generally be a decline even with perfect inputs.

The same applies to strength. At 70, you might want to pick up your 20 kg grandchild with confidence and control. But if you only ever train yourself to handle 20 kg, you’re cutting it too close. By the time natural muscle/strength loss has taken its toll, you won’t have that strength anymore. If, however, in your younger years you’re regularly lifting 35-40 kg with good form, you’ll still have plenty left in the tank when you’re older.

And it doesn’t stop there. Traveling, gardening, golf, swimming, dancing, and even standing in the kitchen cooking for an hour, all require a baseline level of fitness that’s easy to underestimate. To be ready for them at 70, you need to overshoot those requirements now.

So, this isn’t just about numbers like VO₂ max or kilograms on a barbell. It’s about whether you can say “yes” to the things you love later in life.

• With a physiological reserve, a long day of sightseeing feels like an adventure. Without it, it feels like punishment.
• With a physiological reserve, getting down on the floor with your grandkids is playful fun. Without it, it’s a struggle you avoid.
• With a physiological reserve, gardening for three hours is peaceful and productive. Without it, it’s exhausting and painful.
• With a physiological reserve, carrying groceries upstairs is no big deal. Without it, you’re gasping halfway up.

Every one of those scenarios is determined not by what you can do now, but by whether you’ve built enough buffer to stay above the line when age inevitably chips away at your capacity.

So, if you want to enjoy retirement the way you imagine it, full of travel, hobbies, family time, independence, and freedom, you need to train for more than the minimum.

Don’t just prepare for what you want to do at 70. Overshoot it now. Build the reserve. Because when the time comes, that extra capacity is what will make the difference between scraping by and living fully.

Your future self will thank you for every deposit you make today.

Train for the Life You Want Later

Unfortunately, when most people think about fitness, they think short-term. They want to lose a few pounds, tone up for summer, or get back in shape after the holidays. And while those are fine goals, they miss the bigger picture. Fitness isn’t just about how you look or feel right now. It’s about building the physical foundation for the decades ahead.

Just as you save money for retirement, you need to invest in your body. Everyone understands the financial side of creating a pension plan, where you work, you save, you make deposits, and over time those deposits compound. Later in life, you withdraw from those savings to fund your lifestyle. If you under-save, you have fewer choices. If you over-save, you have security, freedom, and peace of mind.

Your body works exactly the same way. Every workout, every healthy meal, every night of good sleep is a deposit into your physiological retirement account. You may not notice the payoff immediately, just as you don’t see your pension growing day by day, but over months, years, and decades, those deposits add up. Strength, endurance, balance, and mobility, are all forms of physical wealth that can either grow steadily or erode if neglected.

At some point, you’ll start making withdrawals. In your 60s, 70s, and 80s, those withdrawals won’t look like cashing a cheque, they’ll look like picking up a grandchild without worrying about your back, loading a suitcase into an overhead bin, walking ten miles on a sightseeing day, getting down onto the floor and back up with ease, or simply living independently in your own home without relying on others. If your account is empty, you don’t get to choose those experiences. If you’ve built a physiological reserve, you’ll still have options, freedom, and confidence.

The important thing to understand is that you don’t need to be superhuman now. You don’t need to squat twice your bodyweight or run marathons. That’s not the point. The point is to create enough of a surplus and enough reserve capacity that even as the natural decline of ageing chips away at it, you’ll still have plenty left.

I said it above, but it is really important to get this into your mind. If you only train for what you need today, you’re living paycheck to paycheck with your fitness. You might feel fine now, but you won’t have enough in reserve when life later demands it. 

On the other hand, if you build extra capacity now, by lifting a little heavier, walking a little farther, training your balance, and protecting your mobility, you’re creating a safety net. That safety net is what will let you keep saying “yes” to opportunities later in life.

This is the real goal of training. It’s not just to look good now, but to buy yourself freedom later. The freedom to travel without worry, to say yes to adventures, to keep up with grandchildren, to keep your independence, and to live the retirement you’ve been dreaming of.

So, don’t just train for today’s goals. Don’t just chase a number on the scale or a summer body. Train for the life you want later. Because one day, that’s what will matter most.

Baseline “Retirement Ready at 30” Standards

If you’re in your 20s or 30s, it can be hard to picture what you’ll need physically at 70. That’s why it helps to have a simple baseline standards that make almost any retirement dream realistic.

These aren’t elite athlete numbers. They’re solid, practical targets that give you enough reserve capacity to weather the normal declines of age while still having plenty left to live life on your terms. If you can tick these boxes by around age 30, you’re in a strong position:

• VO₂ max: ≥ 40 ml/kg/min for men, ≥ 35 ml/kg/min for women.
• Run or brisk walk a 5K comfortably and without long recovery.
• Deadlift 85% of your bodyweight with good form (rep range doesn’t matter—just the ability).
• Balance 60 seconds on one leg, steady and controlled.
• Plank for 2 minutes without sagging or holding your breath.
• Be able to walk 9-10 miles in a day without pain, exhaustion, or needing long recovery.

If you are able to hit these in your 20s/30s, you are doing well. If you aren’t, then you have a bit of work to do.

Training Principles For Building Building Retirement Fitness

Of course, knowing the benchmarks is only half the picture. The real question is: how do you maintain or build them? The good news is, you don’t need a perfect program or hours every day. What matters most is consistency across strength, cardiovascular fitness, and balance/mobility.

Here are the core training principles:

• Strength: Aim for at least 2 focused resistance training sessions per week. Prioritise the big, functional movements like squats, hip hinges, pushing, and pulling. These are the foundations of being able to lift, carry, rise from the floor, and keep your bones and joints strong.
• Cardio: Hit the standard of 150 minutes of moderate activity per week (brisk walking, cycling, swimming) or 75 minutes of vigorous activity (running, rowing, interval training). Both improve heart health, lung capacity, stamina, and energy for long days on your feet.
• Balance & Mobility: Build these in daily, even if only for a few minutes. Yoga, tai chi, single-leg work, gentle stretching, or mindful movement all count. These small practices protect against stiffness, falls, and joint problems.

Put simply, two resistance training sessions, regular cardio, and daily movement snacks are enough to not only meet the standards but to stay ahead of the curve.

The combination of these standards and training principles shifts fitness from a short-term project to a long-term investment plan. Meeting them doesn’t guarantee you’ll be unstoppable at 70, but it gives you the foundation for almost any retirement dream you might have, and the confidence that you’re on track.

There is what I call a “20 year echo” with this stuff. Every year you under-deposit into your physiological pension echoes two decades later. You must think ahead, and plan for the future.

Are You Fit Enough For Retirement Calculator Safety & Reassurance

Before we wrap up, it’s important to pause and set realistic expectations. Talking about decline, reserves, and long-term planning can feel intimidating. Some people read this kind of information and think, “I’m too far behind,” or “I wish I’d started earlier, but now it’s too late.”

Let me reassure you that it’s never too late.

Yes, decline is normal. Everyone loses some strength, endurance, and mobility with age. That’s part of being human. But the slope of that decline is very much under your control. Even people in their 60s, 70s, and 80s can regain significant strength, improve cardiovascular health, build balance, and dramatically increase quality of life with consistent training.

In fact, research shows that many “age-related” problems, like difficulty standing up from a chair, climbing stairs, or carrying groceries, are more a result of inactivity than of ageing itself. The body responds to training at any age. Muscles adapt, lungs adapt, the heart adapts, and the brain adapts.

That means whether you’re 30 and thinking ahead, 50 and realising you need to catch up, or 70 and wanting to keep your independence, there is always progress to be made. Even small, steady changes like more walking, simple strength work, and practising balance daily, can make a meaningful difference.

The goal isn’t perfection. It’s not about meeting every benchmark or hitting every number in the calculator. The goal is being on the right trajectory. Moving toward more strength, more stamina, more mobility, and more confidence in your body.

So wherever you’re starting from, start there. Build slowly. Stay consistent. Celebrate progress. No matter your age, the investment you make in your body today will pay off tomorrow.

Are You Fit Enough For Retirement Calculator Conclusion 

Most people think of retirement as something you prepare for financially. You save, you invest, you plan ahead so you’ll have the freedom to live the life you imagine. But the truth is, money alone won’t get you there. If your body can’t keep up, the retirement you dreamed of slips out of reach.

That’s why now, not someday in the future, is the time to start planning your physiological reserve. Whether you’re 30 and building capacity, 50 and catching up, or 70 and determined to stay independent, the principle is the same: every step you take today is an investment your future self will thank you for.

If your bank doubled your savings but halved your physical capacity at 70, would you take the deal? If you could trade places with Warren Buffet, would you take the deal?

Most of you would not. You know that having money is important, and it gives you a lot of freedom, but that freedom is useless if you can’t actually enjoy it because you don’t have the physical capacity. It certainly doesn’t mean you life is meaningless if you don’t have the physical capacity, and many people can find joy in their limited movement ability. But I don’t know of anyone who would consciously make the trade to have less physical capacity. 

Unfortunately, many people are making that trade unconsciously. Comfort today can reduce freedom tomorrow. Discomfort today can buy comfort later. That is the paradox that we must grapple with. When do we want to be comfortable. The discomfort is to be paid either way.

The Are You Fit Enough For Retirement Calculator is here to give you clarity. Use it to see where you stand, to match your retirement dreams with the physical benchmarks they require, and to find out what you should be capable of right now to stay on track. It takes the guesswork out of “am I fit enough?” and turns it into a roadmap you can actually follow.

So don’t wait. Don’t put it off until it feels urgent. Start building your physiological reserve now. Lift, walk, move, practice balance, protect your mobility, and nurture your health like you would any long-term investment. Do that consistently, and you’ll be buying freedom, independence, and joy for decades to come.

I am a big fan of history and philosophy, and as I see it, many of the ancients saw this clearly. It may have been easier for them to see it, because death and decline was more prominent for them. But we can still borrow their wisdom. Juvenal wrote mens sana in corpore sano (a sound mind in a sound body). Aristotle reminded us that money is only instrumental; true ends (telos) require capacities to act. Fitness is not an optional luxury, but the means that protects life’s ends. Nietzsche challenged us to “become who you are”, aligning our actions not with trends but with chosen values. And even Heidegger hinted that being-toward-the-future means living today in ways that disclose the life we want later.

Freedom requires capacity. Without it, the ends we imagine remain out of reach.

Your future self will look back and be grateful you started today.

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