While being distracted by the urgent demands of daily life, we tend to forget what is important in the big picture. A popular quote says “don’t put off to tomorrow what you can do today”, but frankly, there are just too many things to be done that there will definitely be things pushed out to tomorrow. But can you afford to risk your health?

As working adults, we tend to focus our energies on wealth and other urgent demands of daily life, while neglecting one very important but less demanding aspect which is health. Perhaps we think we have a get-out-of-jail card by having plenty of medical insurance coverage.

Medical insurance in Malaysia does help to cover your hospitalisation and surgical (H&S) costs and acts as the first line of defence. However, there are exclusions including preexisting conditions and it does not prevent you from getting sick in the first place. It is in your hands to build that shield yourself with adequate healthcare insurance, better health habits, and simply making conscious choices to live healthier.

To help you stay motivated to build your shield against poor health, here is an idea that might appeal to the finance mind of yours. Would you treat your health differently if you viewed it as a health bank account, instead?

What Do We Mean By a Health Account?

The concept is simple. Just like a basic bank account, think in terms of deposits, withdrawals, and balance. Make good health decisions? That’s a deposit. Decide to do something unwise for your health? That’s a withdrawal right there, taking advantage of your still-positive health account balance. However, when your health account goes bankrupt, you are probably six feet under or heading there with little time left to regret. Yikes!

With a healthy health account, you have more opportunities to enjoy your accumulated wealth. Think of the life you will get to live in your old age with minimal aches and pains, less tablets to swallow, and more energy to do what brings you joy. If that appeals to you, then it is certainly worthwhile to take time out now to consciously make regular health deposits and closely monitor those health withdrawals.

 

What Counts as Health Deposits and Health Withdrawals?

Be mindful of your choices and consider how many of these health decisions you are making and in which direction.

Below we have outlined 7 categories of general health decisions as guidance. For each decision, it’s a health deposit if you do it or a health withdrawal if you do not.

 

1. Exercise Often

  • Exercising regularly (150 minutes or 30mins 5x a week).
  • Doing an exercise that works for you.

 

2. Eat Healthily

  • Reduce eating fried food. Choose raw (vegetables, fruits), steamed, baked, boiled, or grilled.
  • Reduce eating processed food. Choose real food where possible.
  • Reduce eating food exposed to pesticides, hormone injections, and antibiotics.
  • Reduce eating red meat.
  • Eating 5 servings (80g each) of non-starchy, fruit and vegetables a day.
  • Add more fibre in your diet (30g a day).
  • Balancing nutrition. Take supplements where necessary.
  • Choosing to eat low GI food.
  • Choosing to consume less salt.
  • Choosing to consume less sugar.
  • Eat more anti-inflammatory foods.
  • Eating regular meals.
  • Finding out what eating habits work best for you.

 

3. Stay Hydrated

  • Drinking enough water (3L a day).
  • Avoid carbonated drinks.
  • Reduce your alcohol intake.

 

4. Weight Management

 

5. Get Sleep and Downtime

 

6. Mental Health

  • Be kind to yourself.
  • Take a break when you need it.
  • Forgive others.
  • Let go of resentment and tackle frustrations rather than dwell on them.
  • Sharpen the saw.
  • Give hugs.
  • Smile more.
  • Spend quality time with family and friends.
  • Do things that spark joy.

 

7. Set Health Habits

  • Schedule and go for routine medical checkups.
  • Schedule and go for dental checkups (2x a year).
  • Keep your immunizations (vaccinations) up to date.
  • If you’re on medication, take your medication appropriately. Don’t skip.
  • Avoid (or at least reduce) smoking, including second-hand smoke.

Customizing Your Health Withdrawals and Health Deposits

Unlike money, there is some room for customization when it comes to deciding what is a health deposit or a health withdrawal for each person. In general, we know some things work for all humans, for example, eating healthy.

But, some things are definitely specific to your individual needs and preferences. For example, eating healthy by following a ketogenic diet works for Person A, but eating healthy by following a vegetarian diet works for Person B. It’s worthwhile taking time to figure out your specific needs. Keep the end in mind and stay motivated! This is your healthy long life we are talking about.

Monitoring Your Health Account Balance

Just like we monitor our bank accounts, it is a good idea to set a regular reminder to examine where your health account lies. Take time out to analyze what the data says and then adjust your “spending” accordingly to cater to what works the best for you and your health account.

Another point worth noting is that as you pay more attention to your health and gain more awareness of your body’s condition, it may also be worthwhile to take a look at your medical insurance coverage. Re-examine the terms and conditions, the exclusions, the riders, etc. You may want to work with your agent to adapt your coverage as you have a better idea of your potential medical needs.

Keeping Up The Momentum

Utilize technology and get help from apps. You can set daily reminders to do certain things such as drinking water or going for a brisk walk. Set periodic reminders to check your health account balance.

Consider using fitness tracking gadgets and apps such as FitBit if exercise is a key focus for you. For those who are counting calories, the MyFitnessPal app has a decent Malaysian/Singaporean food database. For everything else, there are habit tracking apps that not only track your progress but also encourage you to continue the habit, such as Habitica. Healthy habits will help you sustain your lifestyle change better.

Conclusion

Treat your health as you would your wealth. It is far more precious and easily damaged. Take time out today and look into what you can do to make more health deposits and reduce your health withdrawals. May you have a long and happy life, with less spending on medical bills, and more spending on things that make you happy for a long, long time ahead!

 

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What are your thoughts about a health account? How do you best monitor your health withdrawals and health deposits?