ExecutiveChronicles | Staying Healthy While Living Abroad: The 3 Best Tips | Living in another country has a lot of benefits. There is a lot to learn about other cultures and languages and even about yourself. It’s a fantastic way to grow as a person. A lot of focus is put on the types of benefits and also the advantages of living abroad. Less focus is put on some of the things you need to be careful about when living in another country.
For instance, staying healthy when abroad can be challenging for some. It may be because of turmoil in the country, a lack of access to healthy foods, or simply because you are having too much fun living there. It’s important to find ways to make sure that your health is being attended to by making sure that you have good health insurance abroad and that you are actively protecting your health in other ways.
In this article, we will go over some of the ways that you should be trying to protect your health while living abroad.
1 – Eat a balanced diet
One of the most exciting aspects about living in another country is the access to delicious and unusual foods. There is usually a wide variety of things to eat that are not accessible in your home country. It’s easy to overdo it and want to eat all the time.
The problem with this is that sometimes you aren’t focused on eating a balanced diet. You need to be eating the right things to make sure that you are going to stay healthy and fit. Eating too many carbs, for instance, can end up leading to weight gain, insulin spikes, and an increased risk of diabetes.
Some cuisine specialties can also be very heavy on meat and when you aren’t careful, you can overdo it without balancing it out with plenty of fresh vegetables. It’s also tempting to eat out a lot since you want to enjoy all the culinary delights the country has to offer.
Try to cook for yourself as often as possible and use whole foods to cook from scratch. This will ensure that you are not eating processed foods and are in control of what is going into your meals. Make sure that you are cooking lots of vegetables and eating fruit instead of dessert.
If you don’t know how to cook, or are interested in learning how to cook the local cuisine, then taking some cooking classes will help you cook and eat healthier.
2 – Stay active
Staying healthy means that you need a strong immune system. One of the best ways to keep your immune system working properly is to get plenty of exercise. Staying active will allow you to stay healthy and has many other benefits.
When you get enough exercise, you also get better sleep which adds another layer of protection against getting sick since your body has the ability to properly repair itself from any unhealthy behavior.
Try to make it a point to not drive everywhere you go. If you are in Europe, for example, the cities are often compact enough that you can ride your bike or walk to get around. This gives you plenty of exercise without having to make a concerted effort or schedule things in.
Try joining a gym and getting a trainer so you can get a customized workout based on your needs and schedule. You can slo look into playing sports with the locals. This is a great way to also integrate and make local friends in addition to staying healthy.
3 – Avoid excesses
Remember that you live in your new country and are not there on vacation. This way you can remind yourself to live in a sustainable way without partying every chance that you get. It’s exciting to be in a new country and experience everything it has to offer. However, you do have to maintain an equilibrium.
Make sure that you are limiting yourself to staying out late to once a week and when you are able to take it easy the next day. It’s important to get plenty of sleep to stay healthy so you aren’t lowering your immune system response by being tired all the time.
Although it is very tempting to explore the country and hit all the hot spots, you do have to try to maintain some kind of a routine of working, relaxing, socializing, and being responsible.
Conclusion
Many countries have excellent healthcare systems, but not all of them do. This means that if you live in a country with less than ideal outcomes if you get sick, it is best to try to prevent getting sick to begin with. Using these tips should be able to keep you feeling great so you can enjoy your life abroad to its fullest.
