Leading a healthy lifestyle is important for anybody at any age. Eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and maintaining strong relationships in your life are all key aspects of great health and well-being. The importance of staying healthy doesn’t become any less important when you move to another country and become an expat. If anything, taking your health seriously and living healthy as an expat is more important when you’re going through such a significant change in your life.
Moving abroad can be stressful and worrisome. There’s no doubt about that! However, taking the right steps to maintain your health and well-being as you settle into life as an expat will make things much easier for you. Remember that good health lays the foundations for all other aspects of your life, so it’s not something you should neglect or ignore!
Let’s take a closer look at the best tips for living healthy as an expat.
Purchase International Health Insurance
Health insurance is one of the most important parts of living healthy as an expat. It’s a must when traveling abroad whether permanently or temporarily. Even if you’re maintaining citizenship in your home country, you will need to get international health insurance that offers coverage across multiple areas of the world.
International health insurance enables you to access healthcare services in your chosen expat country, and many policies subsidize the costs of treatments and therapies, so you don’t need to fork hefty medical bills yourself.
In some countries, you might even be denied access to hospitals or primary healthcare facilities unless you have an active health insurance plan.
Health insurance enables you to confidently navigate healthcare and continue living healthy as an expat. You can access specialized medical treatments, therapies, and medications, and, usually, the services you are offered with health insurance are of a higher quality than those available to people without coverage.
You can never predict when accidents will occur and you could sustain serious injuries that require immediate medical attention when you’re abroad as an ex-pat. Your health insurance coverage will enable you to head straight to the nearest emergency department and receive immediate medical attention to prevent your injuries from worsening.
Take a look online to discover the many global health insurance policies that are available to you. Read carefully through the details of each policy so you can find the most suitable option for your needs, especially if you have pre-existing medical conditions that require specialist medical therapies.
Eat a Nutritious and Well-Balanced Diet
Eating a nutritious diet is one of the more obvious ways to continue living healthy as an expat. The recommendations for healthy eating differ between countries but there are some general guidelines that you should follow to maximize your nutrient intake and continue to live healthy as an expat.
Dietary nutrients can be split into two main categories – macronutrients and micronutrients. The former encompasses carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. The latter includes vitamins and minerals. All macro and micronutrients are vital for your body to function optimally.
Your nutrition needs and food choices are unique. The number of calories you need and the types of foods that are best for your body will depend on your age, gender, physical activity levels, and existing medical conditions. This makes providing specific nutrition advice tough in this article!
However, your best choice is to consume a nice range of complex carbohydrates, lean proteins, healthy fats, fruits, and vegetables. Hitting all of these food groups will maximize your nutrient intake and enable you to stay as happy and healthy as possible during your expat journey.
Get to Know Other Ex-Pats in Your Chosen Area
Health isn’t just about your physical well-being. It also encompasses your social and emotional health. To stay socially and emotionally healthy, you need to form strong relationships and bonds with the people in your life.
If you’re heading on your expat journey alone and leaving your loved ones behind, you might struggle emotionally. You’ll be living independently and away from your family, whom you might usually rely on for support.
However, if you’re serious about starting afresh as an expat in a foreign country, you can’t avoid this situation. You’re going to need to put yourself out there and make new friends in the area you’re moving to so you can start building a new support network.
Of course, you’ll still be able to speak with your loved ones back at home. Thanks to video calling technologies like FaceTime, Zoom, and Skype, you can chat with your family members in real-time, even if there is a time difference.
It’s likely that you’ll come across other expats in the area who are in the exact same boat as you are and are also hoping to make new friends. Building new bonds with locals and other ex-pats enables you to settle into your new life more quickly, gives you more incentive to continue living healthy as an expat, eases your worries, and makes the process more enjoyable.