5 Things Malaysians Can Do To Ensure A Better Future For Their Loved Ones

Our loved ones are people that we hold near and dear to our hearts. Naturally, we want to try our level best to keep them from any harm or danger. Given how much we value them, we will always feel an urgent need to shield them from any threat they may face in this big, bad world.

These threats can come in many forms, and as humans, we need protection and nourishment in all aspects. Some common examples of these are our personal safety, health issues, emotional well-being and financial security in order to lead a fulfilled and happy life.

So, what can we do for or with our precious loved ones to ensure that they stay protected at all times? We’ve got you (and your loved ones!) covered with this list of things to make sure that they are safe and sound.

1. Encourage them to enroll for self-defense classes

Have you ever watched those heroes on the silver screen defeat the villains with a couple of cool martial arts moves? Marvelled at the way they can defend themselves and come out on top even when they’ve been backed into a corner? Surely you can worry less if you knew your loved ones could pull off some slick karate moves and protect themselves in an event that there’s any dire need.

Hence, you can motivate them to participate in any self-defense courses. There are various types to choose from, such as karate, Aikido, Jiu Jitsu, Krav Maga, capoeira, kickboxing and all sorts from around the world. Better yet, self-defense classes is also a great way to learn patience and self-discipline, which is sure to be very helpful to everyday life. In addition, going for self-defense classes is actually a great form of exercise and helps to improve health.

2. Help create a workout routine for them 

One of the leading causes of death in Malaysia is coronary heart disease and this number is increasing steadily, according to the Statistics Department of Malaysia.

According to NHS, regular exercise lowers the chances of heart disease, stroke and cancer up to 50% and decreases the risk of early death by up to 30%.

Based on these statistics, it is more important than ever to lead an active lifestyle. Washington Post reported that keeping active decreases the risk of certain cancers, as well as prevents Type 2 diabetes. Not only that, the article states that maintaining a fit physique boosts brain activity, which means there is less chance of your loved ones suffering from degenerative brain diseases in their later years. The body also becomes less prone to injury due to increased flexibility and less bone density loss.

Now that you know the importance of doing regular exercises, you should definitely encourage your loved ones to workout. To ensure that they get the most out of their exercise, spend some time to help them create a suitable workout routine based on the different types of exercises available. You can protect your loved ones’ health by coming up with the best workout routine for their bodies.

3. Support them to eat healthily and have a well-balanced diet

Keeping to a regular workout routine is a constructive step in making sure your loved ones are in good health. But it should be paired with a balanced diet to help your loved ones feel (and not to mention look) amazing. 

One of the best ways you can motivate your loved ones to eat healthily is to actually prepare more home-cooked meals, which is the easiest way to help limit the not-so-healthy bits in what they eat. However, sometimes when you are feeling a little lazy, you can choose to bring them to health-centric restaurants or even go for the healthier options in restaurants.

It’s these simple changes to their eating habits that will make a difference. For example, swapping their sugary drinks to plain water, pastry desserts to nuts, and deep-fried meals to boiled or steamed ones.

You don’t have to go crazy counting calories for each of their meals and restricting what they can eat, but instead encourage your loved ones to eat healthier and avoid over-indulgence. 

Moreover, Malaysians have been rated as the most obese among South East Asian (SEA) countries according to a study published by The Lancet in 2014. So both exercise and a healthy diet will definitely keep your loved ones’ health in check!

4. Providing them support 

Other than their physical health, we should also take care of our loved ones’ emotional well-being. A good way of doing so is to provide them with adequate support and encouragement whenever they need it.

A study conducted by Nesta, an innovation charity, compiles the evidence from over 1,000 studies to confirm that emotional support is clearly effective to boost health, especially when based around specific activities. This ultimately improves the quality of life, even during the golden years. This is because emotional support reduces the secretion of damaging stress related hormones.

Studies revealed that the stress related hormone, cortisol, is produced to prepare your body’s defenses. Overproduction of this hormone can be a burden on our immune system, which causes us to be more vulnerable to illnesses.

So providing your loved ones with the necessary support when they need it will do wonders to their future!

5. Prepare a financial safety net for them 

Providing a better future for your loved ones also includes lessening their financial burdens. There are several ways we can do so, for example, we can choose to invest in long-term assets such as properties, insurance plans or saving funds. In fact, one of the easiest and fastest ways to ensure that the financial future of your loved ones is secure is to invest in insurance plans.

This is because insurance plans not only provides a financial safety net in the event of tragedy, but it is also an awesome way for people to protect those they love and cherish the most. That is why every Malaysian is strongly encouraged to own at least one insurance policy!

Here’s a simple infographic that gives you a basic idea of the types of insurance plans available in Malaysia.

There are so many types of personal insurance plans that you can buy for different kinds of situations. All you need to do is find the right one that offers the most suitable coverage for your loved ones. After all, it’s better to be safe than sorry!

What better way to show your love and care for someone than to buy them something that will effectively secure their future?

Check out Allianz’s homepage here, for more information about their awesome products.