5 Tips to stay healthy and fit while working and living abroad

Tips to stay healthy and fit while Living Abroad

For many expatriates, working and living abroad opens the doors to new adventures and challenges. However, it is imperative to stay healthy and fit while experiencing your new expat assignment. There are many potential health risks that you will want to avoid, especially in some third world countries. In this article, we will discuss 5 tips to stay healthy and fit while living abroad in a new country.

1. Eat Healthy and Drink Clean Water

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), developing a healthy diet helps protect against leading noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and cancer. Expatriates living and working abroad should avoid fast food or street food stands. Always go to local grocery stores or markets to find some fresh fruits and vegetables – but you should be careful about eating raw vegetables in some developed countries.

It is suggested to avoid unhealthy weight gain through consuming excess calories, sugar and salt. Clean water is critical for staying healthy, whether it is used for food production, drinking or domestic purposes. According to a recent report retrieved from World Health Organization (WHO), contaminated drinking water is estimated to cause hundreds of thousands of deaths each year.

Expatriates living and working abroad should be aware of the potential health risks of contaminated water and should take steps to secure clean water at work and home. Contaminated water is a major transmission source of many diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid, dysentery, and cholera. It is strongly recommended for expatriates to boil water before drinking if you are not 100% sure that the water is safe. In the end, maintaining hydration is critical both at home and abroad, especially in hot climates.

2. Build an Exercise Routine

Physical activity has significant benefits for your health while living abroad as an expatriate. It has been reported by the WHO that physical inactivity has been identified as the fourth leading risk factor for mortality causing 3.2 million deaths globally. Expatriates should exercise regularly through cycling, walking or sports while living and working abroad. Some expatriates may find it hard to rebuild an exercising routine in their destination country due to security risks or extreme climates. One suggestion is to purchase an exercise machine at home or join a gym. A healthy exercise routine will help expatriates to stay active and energetic.

3. Obtain International Health Insurance

In many countries where local public healthcare facilities may not up to western standards, expatriates will want to use private medical care. However, these private facilities are usually very expensive, especially in emergency situations. Without an appropriate international health insurance, expatriates could end up with receiving large medical bills, putting your financial status at risk. A global medical plan can not only cover large medical expenses, but it can also cover you for preventative health and medical tests that can help you maintain you and your family’s health. This can even include vaccinations and health monitoring.

An international health insurance plan will provide expatriates and their families with worldwide coverage (except in the USA unless you add it as an optional benefit). It allows you to seek medical care internationally and it is critical for expatriates residing in less developed countries where medical care facilities are substandard. Expatriates living and working abroad will benefit from an global health insurance plan with day-patient care and full hospital coverage, extensive cancer coverage, dental and vision care, international medical evacuation, and repatriation.

4. Be Aware of the Potential Health Risks

Expatriates living and working abroad may travel frequently. There are many potential health risks such as tropical diseases, respiratory illness, and open wounds. These diseases may not make people feel too bad at first, however, they can deteriorate and quickly become life threatening. If you feel sick in your destination country, seek medical help as soon as possible. Don’t postpone treatment. To stay healthy, it is often important to update routine vaccinations and avoid any potential health risks. Expatriates should always consult a medical professional about vaccination requirements before traveling.

5. Stay Socially Active and Maintain your Mental Health

Expatriates may find it harder to socialize than they did back in their home country. However, researches have shown that staying socially active can help people maintain good emotional and physical health – especially when you are living abroad and living in a new country and experiencing culture shock. It is important for expatriates to join a group of trusted friends that they can socialize with and plan some activities together in their destination country – most cities have active expat social scenes and clubs.

These kinds of social interaction offer many benefits to expatriates. For example, global relocation and stresses may have a negative impact and cause mental health challenges such as depression. Being socially active will minimize the stress level, monitor signs of depression and prevent other mental health issues.

Also, don’t forget to help your expat spouse and children as their new life abroad can be exciting, but also stressful and isolating. If your spouse is unable to obtain a work permit, maybe he or she can work remotely or volunteer. For expat kids who are experiencing difficulties living abroad, making friends and getting used to the new school – maybe consult a psychologist if required. Many expat health plans will cover mental health and counselling.

Expat Financial offers independent advice, solutions and excellent service and support to clients around the world and we have extensive experience in sourcing medical cover for individual expats and expat employers worldwide. For expats who may have questions about international medical insurance plans we offer to individual expats or expatriate group insurance plans, please contact us. We look forward to hearing from you soon.