SingaporeMotherhood | Parenting
September 2016
6 Ways to Empower Your Life and Enjoy Watching Your Children Grow
As parents, we always make our children the first priority and tend to forget to take care of ourselves. But we are no good to our kids if we are not well. Let’s ensure that we will be there for them by making these six choices.
You’re a parent. You want immortality. You want to see your baby grow up, and grow old with her. You want to be there for him through every step of his life. How can you improve the odds that you will be there – without becoming a burden to your child? We owe it to our children to take good care of ourselves. We also – and perhaps most importantly – have to prepare for rainy days when life doesn’t go as planned. Here are six excellent ways to do so.
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Live Well
1. Rise & Shine
When was the last time you got enough sleep since baby came along? Over time, sleep deficit accumulates and puts you at risk for a host of health issues. Dr Chong Yaw Khian, who runs the Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Clinic at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, says these include weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, premature ageing and memory loss. If possible, go to bed as soon as you feel tired, and avoid eating, coffee or alcohol near bedtime. Power down devices an hour or two before bed as the light they give off is known to confuse the sleep cycle. Another mum shares this tip: “Instead of catching up on chores when baby naps, I join her for some shut-eye!”
2. Break a Sweat
You don’t have to be an athlete – just taking a brisk walk for 30 minutes daily can make a big difference. Regular exercise can help lower blood pressure, reduce your LDL (bad cholesterol) and boost your HDL (good cholesterol), so you will gain health while burning calories. Get everyone in the family involved in active pursuits together, like jogging, cycling, swimming, skipping, badminton – and enjoy the bonding and the health benefits!
Stay Sane
3. Achieve Work-Life Balance
Achieving work-life balance often seems impossible. Experts agree that the compounding stress from never-ending workdays is damaging. It can hurt health, relationships with loved ones and impact overall happiness. What can you do? Strive for excellence – not perfectionism – at the office, says clinical psychologist and executive coach Marilyn Puder-York, author of The Office Survival Guide. Learn to say no. Limit unnecessary commitments. Avoid bringing work home. Commit to ‘unplug’ from work emails and texts. At the extreme, consider requesting a job scope change or making a career switch.
4. Relax & Recharge
Take time out for yourself. Read a book, go for a walk, or take time out to daydream – you deserve it! Mums, get the girlfriends together for a shopping spree and catch up over afternoon tea. Dads, grab the buddies to catch a football match or go on a bike ride. Here’s another idea from a mum who used to come home from work and slave over the stove: “I order dinner in or get take-out once a week. That way, I can actually enjoy the meal with the family without being all frazzled!” Remember to set aside time for the whole family to spend together. Whether it’s a morning at the beach, a family staycation or even a short getaway, use the time for heart-to-heart chats, share your worries and joys, and of course, have fun!
Choose Peace of Mind
5. Save & Invest
Start your financial planning even before the kids come. Apart from cash, emergency savings and basic life insurance policies, think about your financial objectives. Are you saving for your children’s education or building a retirement plan? Consider your existing commitments, how much you can afford to invest, and your appetite for risk. Consult a financial advisor and plan how to invest your savings to meet your goals. Review your plans periodically and adjust accordingly.
6. Get Yourself Triple-Protected
Apart from life and savings insurance, another type of policy that you should purchase is a critical illness (CI) protection plan. You may be young, athletic, a healthy vegetarian, a breastfeeding mother, and still get a serious illness. When that happens, if you have to stop working to recover, who will take care of your family?
This is where a CI insurance plan comes in. The payout from a CI plan will help you manage your family’s living expenses and supplement the loss of income in such a situation. You can also use it to cover additional medical costs if they snowball beyond what MediShield Life or Integrated Shield plans cover.
However, most CI plans on the market will only cover you once, as the coverage terminates upon a claim. And even after you recover, you may find it tough to obtain further coverage. But if you choose the AIA Triple Critical Cover, you can still continue to be protected – even after a claim.
The AIA Triple Critical Cover is the first and only policy in Singapore to offer comprehensive protection against 104 critical illnesses across early, intermediate and late stages, and continues to cover you after a claim. It also has a Power Reset feature that restores the coverage to 100 per cent of the insured amount after 12 months from when a claim was paid. Even better, this reset happens more than once, giving you up to 300 per cent coverage!
What’s more, unlike most CI plans on the market, you are guaranteed 100 per cent cash value (less any CI claims paid) for the AIA Triple Critical Cover Life plan at maturity (age 100). You can also choose to terminate the plan after age 75 or the 60th policy year and receive a guaranteed cash value of 75 per cent (less any CI claims paid). Finally, upon your death, your family will receive 100 per cent of your coverage amount (less any CI claims paid), plus a compassionate benefit of $5,000. Now doesn’t that give you peace of mind already?
Journey to Better Health & Be Rewarded
Aside from making sure you have the support you need when you fall ill, AIA also wishes to assist you on your journey to better health and reduce your risk of contracting serious illnesses. Sign up for AIA Vitality, a wellness programme that provides knowledge, tools and motivation to encourage you to achieve your personal health goals. As an AIA Vitality member, you get to enjoy an upfront 5 per cent discount on premiums for AIA Triple Critical Cover in the first year, and up to 15 per cent discount on future years’ premiums, as well as discounts on gym memberships, health screening packages and even airfares, as you get healthier and improve your AIA Vitality status.
Obviously, one of the most important things that you can do as a parent is to take care of yourself. It’s not always easy, because we are hardwired to make children our priority, but remember that you won’t be any good to them if you aren’t good to yourself first.
Want to find out more about how you can #FightItRight with AIA Triple Critical Cover? Visit the AIA Singapore website here.
Sign up for AIA Triple Critical Cover before 30 November 2016 and receive gifts (worth up to $1,599) like a fitness tracker, massager and staycation. You’ll also be entered into the AIA 85th Anniversary Lucky Draw where you stand to win $8,500 cash and over $30,000 worth of prizes.
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