ILLUSTRATION BY STEPH BRAVO
Healthy living is the new cool. Aside from fortifying the body’s immune system and making it extra resistant to chronic diseases and illnesses, a healthy lifestyle also brings forth positive feelings.
While adapting to a healthier way of life may seem daunting (though we may as well admit that we are just really lazy to do so), we can take baby steps towards it. And where else to start living a healthy lifestyle than from your very own home?
1. Make space for wellness
Turn a corner of your living space into your own wellness center. Simply free this area of clutter and set up some fitness accessories which don’t require you to break the bank. You can have a yoga mat here, a stability ball, a set of dumbbells or a kettlebell. Having a corner of your home always ready for a workout can help remind (read: pressure) you into doing these exercises every day. All you need is to check out YouTube for some free workout videos or download a free fitness app in your phone and you’re good to go.
2. Keep a healthy pantry
Your body is your best investment, so you might as well nourish it through a healthy, wholesome diet. Always have a bowl of fruits on your kitchen counter. Fruits and berries are a better alternative to salty and oily potato chips (we hear a number of hearts breaking, including ours). According to Healthline, healthy fruits and berries include apples, avocados, bananas, blueberries, oranges, strawberries, cherries, grapes, grapefruit, kiwifruit, lemons, mango, melons, olives, peaches, pears, pineapples, plums, and raspberries.
Nuts and seeds are also a good option for snacking. Fill your pantry with almonds, macadamia nuts and walnuts. If going vegan feels like a stretch (we get you, we will not lie by denying that we don’t welcome a mouthwatering piece of steak occasionally, too), whip up a vegetarian meal from your kitchen for you and your family at least once a day.
3. Find a healthy lifestyle companion
Ever looking out for the health and well-being of Filipinos, Medicard Philippines launched its new blog, called Medicard Lifestyle (medicardlifestyle.com). Through this blog, the health maintenance organization aims to “inspire and motivate you to live the best life that you can and be the best you, inside and out.”
Medicard Lifestyle offers easy to follow recipes, health tips and simple workout routines to help you make the switch into a healthier lifestyle. The blog also keeps you up to date with Medicard Lifestyle events that you can join to further up your fitness game. You can also find there a water intake calculator, a BMI calculator and calorie calculator, which you can readily use for free.
With the Medicard Lifestyle blog, you need not even leave the comforts of your home just to jumpstart your shift to a healthy, holistic lifestyle.