Getting a chance to work overseas is an opportunity that does not come easy to everyone. To make sure that employees are at their most productive state, foreign employers are very strict in screening their applicants for illnesses and other conditions which could compromise their performance at work once hired.
If you are among one of those who get the opportunity to work abroad as an OFW, remember that your career as an OFW is not permanent. Therefore, you need to set your priorities straight. Aside from maximizing your earning potential overseas through saving up and investing for your future, you also need to invest on your health. Here are some simple (and common) ways to remain healthy even when you are based overseas.
4 Tips for OFWs on how to Stay Healthy Overseas
1. Drop the vices.
If you are a practical person – the type who looks at the pros and cons of things before doing something, then you should know by now that nothing comes good out of living with a vice. Besides its impracticality, considering that the prices of daily necessities are constantly on the rise, having to live with a vice is like signing up for an advanced slot for your death bed at the expense of the years you live away from your family and loved ones. Sounds horrible? Well, it should be… because the reality of it could only be far much worse.
2. Make effort to include exercise in your daily routine.
Have you ever heard of the millennial phrase: “Sitting is the new smoking”? Well, that is the case today. Such a simple phrase could capture the perfect image of how work-life imbalance could take a toll on our health even through our younger years. But if you’re all bent up on building a great career, what can be your compromise? Sure, office work never ends because you’re running a company, or at least the processes which sustain your company, for that matter.
But would you believe me if I tell you that you don’t have to go to the gym to stay fit and healthy? It’s all about self-discipline and mindful habits. Start doing small things and reap big dividends. For example: allot some time to walk your way to work or to take the stairs instead of the elevator to get to your floor. When you maximize the health benefits of doing these simple things, you are doing yourself a big favour health-wise.
Here are some simple things you can do to exercise even at work:
3. Watch what you eat.
The scenarios may play differently for every OFW. While some would rather skip meals in order to save up the money they spend on food, others (particularly those working in hotels or cruise ships) get to indulge for their own good.
While your circumstances may be entirely different from someone else’s, it’s important to realize that quality is always more important than quantity. Eating the right kinds of food (balanced meals) in appropriate portions is key to a healthy diet.
4. Deal with stress properly.
This is actually a bonus tip. Why? Because the only way to deal with stress is to do something that makes you feel good. And we don’t mean for you to make eating out with your friends a regular habit. Rather, choose a fun, physical activity to unload some of the tension or stress which you may have collected at work. You can go for a nice massage or play sports with your pals during the weekend to detoxify your body and warm up your muscles from the lack of physical activity at work. But most importantly, make sure to have fun when you go out and ply with your friends. Our body has a natural way of eliminating stress through the release of dopamine, also known as the happy hormone. You get this when you exercise or do a fun physical activity such as playing sports or go dancing.