Should you work until you drop?

This post comes from MSN Money's Liz Pulliam Weston.

France threw a collective hissy fit at the idea of moving that nation's minimum retirement age from 60 to 62.

Here in the U.S., we shook our heads in wonder. A recent survey by Sun Life Financial found 52% of respondents believe they'll have to work at least three years longer than originally planned because of economic conditions and lack of savings, with just as many expecting to retire at 70 as at 65.

• Estimate your credit scores

Many of my readers despair of ever being able to retire, and those who think they will often pick age 70 as the point they'll quit work.

 "I'm 57 and I'd love to retire now, but there's no way financially!" a reader named Pam Buford from Kearney, Mo., confided on my Facebook fan page. "I'll probably have to work until I drop!"

At the other end of the scale are those who can't ever imagine walking away from work.

"I don't to plan to retire until I have to," said Tiffany Wright Yatsko, a 35-year-old nurse in St. Louis. "I'm one of the lucky ones that can say they truly love what they do. I'm targeting my [retirement] goals for 2035, [but] hopefully I'll be working beyond that point."

Suggesting that people work longer is often touted as a way to save our Social Security system (by raising the minimum as well as the full retirement age), rebuild portfolios tattered by the recession or make up for a failure to save enough in earlier years.

Working longer is a pretty effective prescription, since it gives people more time to save -- and shortens the period of retirement they'll have to cover.

The problem is that working longer can really be a drag.

Even those who are now enthusiastic about remaining employed forever might change their mind after a few more decades. And I fear too many people who really would like to say goodbye to full-time employment are giving up their dream without trying to figure out a way to make it work.

Some won't have a choice about when to quit. As I mentioned in my last two columns about retirement, many of us -- 41%, according to the latest survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute -- are forced to retire earlier than we planned, typically because of health issues (our own or a family member’s) or a layoff.

The reality is that many people don't age well, particularly if they're overweight or involved in strenuous jobs.

• Bundle: Would you spend more on a car than retirement?

"So many Americans at 60 have already developed serious arthritis, kidney issues, diabetes, cancers, back and knee issues, from driving truck, building houses, landscaping, and their bodies are ready to rest and recoup at 60," noted Larry Doisher, 53, who was forced to retire because of health problems. "My neighbor is struggling to get to his 65 in a few months, and it is killing him."

Desk jobs may not take the same physical toll, but you may still find yourself mentally worn out after several decades of the 9-to-5. Switching gears to a lifestyle where you can pursue your passions or find new interests can bring new life to your years.

For Kenneth Cameron of Altoona, Iowa, that would mean giving back.

 "I would really like to retire at 51 or 52 and do mission, community, and disaster work," said Cameron, who’s 34 and runs a family counseling center. "I don't want to just sit down, but continue to be productive without worrying about the next pay check."

For Bill Kelly, 47, it would mean transitioning from full-time work to part-time -- say 40 weeks a year, for 30 hours a week.

"I wish the government and companies would change whatever rules they have in order to let more people work in a semi-retirement," said Kelly, who lives in Gonzales, La. "This (40-week) schedule would allow [older workers] to keep making money, although in smaller amounts; allow them to contribute their knowledge and skills to the economy; and give them time away from work to pursue some other interests or just to rest their older minds and bodies."

Even people who are fit, healthy and love their jobs could regret the decision to work into their eighth decade. Eventually our bodies start to break down, and we may wish we had spent some of our younger, healthier years doing what we loved while we still could.

That's what is driving Beth Culbertson's plan to pull the plug soon.

"I'm 58; my husband (age 56) is retiring from his full-time position in 18 months. We're planning to sell our current home, and relocate near family and continue to work part-time -- mainly to fund the travel that we love," said Culbertson, who lives in Milwaukee. "It will be wonderful to work on my terms for a change -- not the 8-5, Monday-Friday grind . . . we'll find something to keep us busy and engaged in our new location."

I don't have a magic bullet solution that will get you to an early, or even on-time, retirement if you haven't saved enough or you don't have a fat pension waiting. I will suggest you check into the voluntary simplicity movement and the book "Your Money or Your Life," for people have retired from full-time work decades earlier than their peers.

And I'd strongly urge you young 'uns to save as if you're

going to want to retire someday, even if you don't think you will. I'll bet your older self will thank you for it.