The secret to a long and healthy retirement could be as easy as two 30 minute weights sessions a week. That’s appealing advice from researchers who say that while walking has its benefits, one of the biggest impacts on lifestyle for older people is building and maintaining muscle tone. Indeed, there is a weight of research that shows physical fitness is inexorably linked to good brain function and happiness in our retirement years.

A University of British Columbia study found that regular aerobic exercise appears to boost the part of the brain that controls verbal memory and learning by stimulating chemicals in the brain which are responsible for the health of brain cells. Exercise also improves mood and sleep and reduces stress and anxiety.

Good nutrition and a little regular exercise will take you a long way. “Even more exciting is the finding that engaging in a program of regular exercise of moderate intensity over six months or a year is associated with an increase in the volume of selected brain regions,” says Dr. Scott McGinnis, a neurologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the US.

And increasingly, the experts say it is never too early to start getting your body - and mind - fit for retirement. “You need to start young to stay young,” is the motto of American fitness guru Paul Frediani who says people in their 50’s and older can get so much more out of their retirement years if they stay active. The key, he says, is to follow an exercise program suited to your stage of life - not to the body you had in your 20s.

“The big mistake 50, 60, and 70 year-olds make when they go to a gym, is doing an exercise program that is beyond their reach and they quickly become defeated and stop working out. The fact is we can, through intelligent exercise, mitigate the aging process. So, instead of focusing on being a decade younger, focus on preparing and training to become the healthiest and fittest you can be for the future.” From a practical point of view you will also save a fortune in medical expenses, drugs and treatments if you keep your body in top shape.

Griffith University academic Dr Belinda Beck agrees that exercise needs to be tailored to the needs of older Australians, with a strong focus on maintaining muscle strength so people can continue to perform everyday tasks for as long as possible.

“Walking is great and is certainly recommended, but in reality, the thing which will make the most difference to quality of life as you age is muscle strength,” says Dr Beck, head of Griffith’s school of anatomy.

“It has all sorts of outcomes - the endocrine system (hormones), bones, they all respond to muscle strength. Muscles control all sorts of things and the more muscle, the better health you have in general. Muscle is king because of the impact it has on many other things. When older people have the muscle strength to live independent lives, there is no doubt they are happier and more content.”

Dr Beck is a big fan of high-intensity muscle training, known as HIIT, which involves few repetitions with heavier weights just twice a week for 30 minutes. “Our research is exciting because we are finding evidence that you don't have to do a huge amount of activity to get benefits. With a bit of cardio for your heart as well, getting stronger allows you to maintain your independence, which gives people a new lease of life.”

She also says “diet is seriously one of the most important things you need to pay attention to,” and advises people to enjoy a variety of foods from the five food groups (vegetables, fruit, grain, lean meat/poultry/fish/eggs/beans, dairy), choose mostly plant-based foods, limit added saturated fats, sugar and salt, and choose water as your main drink.