What makes health and wealth related?

When we think of being wealthy, we focus on the amount of money in our bank account and things that we own like a home, car, designer items or new gadgets. But in actual fact, wealth also comes in the form of having rich experiences in life and being in good health. As young adults, we should start practising healthy habits daily to maintain our good health. By taking care of ourselves, we also protect our savings and family from hospital expenditures, critical illness or disabilities. Find out how to have a healthy routine for a longer, happier and richer life with these simple lifestyle tips.

Tip #1: Prepare your own meals

Many of us know the proverbial saying ‘you are what you eat’ has its truths when we’re all too familiar with the lethargic feeling after having a fast food meal. Your nutrition is the number one healthy lifestyle change you can make instantly to start seeing its benefits on your overall physical and mental well-being. Cooking a meal for yourself is a great start to be healthy on a budget – you get the dual benefits of fresher ingredients and huge savings from overpriced restaurant meals. Learning to cook also saves you time with bulk meal preps and you can mix up your portion based on your grocery budget to save even more money.

Tip #2: Get your coffee fix at home

In 2019, Filipinos consumed a total of 204 million kilograms of coffee. Whether it’s working parents or university students, having a cup of coffee has become an essential start to the morning routine for many families. Usually, we’ll end up grabbing a cup of coffee at the local cafe which ends up costing up to a third of our daily meal expenses! Fortunately, there’s a very easy fix to this unnecessary expenditure by brewing your own coffee at home. It’s not only a money saving habit but it’s healthier in the long run by choosing quality beans and low fat milk. After making the change, look at your lifestyle and you’ll discover even more creative ways to save money from your everyday expenses. 

Tip #3: Avoid or quit unhealthy habits

Due to various factors such as our social circles, living environments and stress levels, it’s easy to fall into the trap of unhealthy addictions that can have short and long term damages on our health. While we can’t change the past, we can start working towards a healthier lifestyle for our family and future. For many of us we need a little push to kick the habit, it’s easier to make healthy lifestyle changes when you’re being rewarded for it – that’s where AIA Vitality comes in! In essence, it’s a wellness program that helps individuals adopt healthier habits through exclusive rewards and savings just by improving your health.

Tip #4: Home workouts to stay fit

Before the pandemic struck in 2020, over 41% of Filipinos said they were inactive when at home. However due to the lockdown measure, 1 out of 3 Filipinos explored how to have a healthy routine and have started working out at home. The key to living a healthier lifestyle is in doing activities that you actually enjoy, like a relaxing yoga session or an intense 10-minute HIIT workout. AIA Vitality can help you reinforce healthy activities through its science-backed program where you can clock in your workout duration, intensity and get an analysis on your overall health. Once you have a fitness schedule set up, it’s a creative way to save money and you get to ditch the expensive gym memberships.

The best investment is in your health

When you start practising healthy habits, it also helps you build your savings – both in the short term, such as cutting down on takeout meals; and in the long term, such as medical bills from a potential heart attack. Through minor lifestyle changes on your nutrition, fitness and daily habits – you can get healthy on a budget. Start investing in your health to enjoy a more fulfilling and better quality of life as you grow older.
 

*Article sources:
AIA Vitality product feature: https://www.philamlife.com/en/our-products/vitality.html
Top spend by filipinos: https://www.janio.asia/resources/articles/the-philippines-top-ecommerce-product-categories
2019 coffee spend: https://www.statista.com/statistics/314989/philippines-total-coffee-consumption/
2020 unhealthy lifestyle: https://mb.com.ph/2020/09/25/filipinos-cant-break-unhealthy-habits-study/