The hustle culture of Singapore can have us feeling stretched sometimes. Needing to keep up and maximise every waking hour of the day can get to the best of us. According to a study by Kisi, Singapore is the second most overworked country in the world. Sometimes, the intensity and pace of our work can dictate our habits and lifestyle, leading us to fall into the trap of eating unhealthy or neglecting our relationships. When this happens, it’s necessary that we pause for a second, take a step back and reassess what’s important. Dedicating time to the essentials would put our minds and bodies in a healthy state—keeping us content and humming along.
How do you live a healthy lifestyle?
Leading a healthy life starts in the mind. We need to ask ourselves a few important questions. What’s important to me and how do I set aside time for it? What habits or activities do I need to remove from my life right now? By re-orienting ourselves and adopting greater self-awareness, we’re able to put things into perspective. Through reflection, we also remind ourselves of the value of rest and balance. Adopting a few methods like eating well and exercising regularly allows us to thrive.
Adequate rest and sleep
A good rest is absolutely vital to living a fulfilling life. A lack of sleep can have dire consequences to our health over a period of time, negatively impacting our mental well-being and also increases the chances of developing cardiovascular diseases or chronic illnesses like diabetes.
We should not be feeling guilty or shameful if we’re not doing anything productive while we rest. It’s important that when we’re resting, we completely switch off and leave work at the desk. Having seven to eight hours of sleep every day makes us feel rested the next day, allowing our bodies and minds time to process information, memories and emotions. We’re sharper, more energetic, and motivated to achieve our goals.
Fit in exercise
Exercise provides us with a host of benefits. Apart from keeping us trim and fit, it lets us sleep better, improves our mood and increases our energy levels. With some tweaks to our schedules and lifestyle we can incorporate exercise into our lives, no matter how busy our days may be.
Plan your week ahead and block out an hour, three to four times a week, to exercise. In this way, you can plan your work, dinners and other appointments around your exercise schedule, making it a priority. Joining a boxing or pilates class, would liven up your routine and also make it a regular part of your week, helping you quickly build a habit. Try to also add fitness into your commute and day: if it’s a short journey, skip the bus and walk instead or take the stairs instead of the elevator or choose to cycle to work.
Prepare nutritious meals
Sometimes eating healthy can take a backseat when we’re busy and stressed. We skip meals, overeat, eat at odd times of the day or eat processed foods too often. Doing this occasionally might be inevitable sometimes, but having this be our lifestyle can be detrimental.
To get ourselves back on track, we can first start off with small changes to our diets. Instead of processed, white bread, we can choose to have whole grain bread. Instead of eating late suppers, we can eat early and at regular times. Once we’ve achieved some mastery over our eating habits, we can start making our own meals and experimenting with meal prep. This allows us full control over what we eat.
Make time for your relationships
Humans are built to connect and having quality relationships is vital to us living happy, comfortable lives and increases our life expectancy by 50%. Knowing that there are people we can count on to feel seen, heard and loved gives us the strength to weather life’s challenges. When your workload is heavy and our plate is full, it’s easy to neglect our friends and family. Be conscious when this happens and dedicate a few quality hours each week to them. Schedule a hike or a weekend brunch and be fully present when you’re there with them.
Build a healthy life with a few simple steps
Prioritise living a healthy, fulfilled life that balances the different factors. Cultivating healthy habits like eating well, getting enough quality sleep, taking health care seriously and nurturing fulfilling relationships with others in the expat community, makes for happy individuals. Take a step further to safeguard your health and give yourself a sense of assurance with medical insurance. When you build a healthy life, you hold the reins to your future.
