A new piece of research has scotched the common view of life for the average retiree as being one of penny pinching, restrictive lifestyles and inactivity. According to the survey by Skipton Building Society, the average retiree now enjoys three holidays a year and is, in many cases, fitter than they were while they were working.
Researchers who carried out a detailed study found that a large percentage of pensioners were ignoring the traditional retirement expectations of the previous generation and rediscovering their youth instead.
The statistics revealed that more than half of those who were polled are now exercising more than they ever did in their twenties - regularly hiking, swimming and cycling and one in 10 have opted to go back to school in a bid to keep their minds active via language lessons, evening classes and higher education.
Stacey Stothard from Skipton Building Society, which conducted the study among 623 older adults, said: "Years ago the general perception was that once you had given up work and entered retirement, you'd pretty much had it. You were on the journey to your grave. But these days people have a much brighter attitude to retirement, acknowledging the fact that actually, there's a good third of your life left to enjoy.
"As such people are embarking on activities which would once have seemed risky for a pensioner to try - such as Zumba, dance classes and aerobics."
The study finds eight in 10 people are treating their retirement as the beginning rather than the end of an active life.
Research shows rather than relaxing into a gentle retirement, 76 per cent of pensioners are choosing to remain as busy and active as possible. Four in 10 senior citizens are choosing to use their later years to 're-live their youth' by taking up hobbies and interests they previously enjoyed before taking on family and work commitments.
A quarter of elderly people volunteer or do charity work on a regular basis, while others embark on interests such as shopping, cooking, photography, gardening and reading.
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Many people of retirement age also have active social lives - with many seeing close family members and grandchildren at least twice a week. The average person has four very close friends and spends at least two days and one evening a week socialising over dinner, at the pub or having coffee mornings.
The study indicates 76 per cent of older people try their best to remain active and busy so that they are healthy for as long as possible, 15 per cent want to set a good example to the grandchildren and 23 per cent like the idea of continuing to contribute something to society.
A third of those polled feel lucky that they have shared interests with their partner and 37 per cent are proud of their bustling social life. And just under half of the pensioners polled say they are now doing things they didn't have time to do as a youngster.
Looking to the future, 29 per cent of Brits have aspirations to travel the world, 11 per cent dream of learning a language and one in 10 want to get a dog. Writing a book, getting back out on the dating scene, decorating the home and garden and taking up a new exercise are among other ambitions commonly shared by older people.