Healthy living, wellness, and longevity. These are more important now to everyone especially since the onset of the new normal in response to the global pandemic, COVID-19. Let’s look into the best practices and tips from three of the top progressive cities in Asia.
BANGKOK
Bangkok is Thailand’s capital and is one of the most preferred major cities in Asia when it comes to healthy living. Even with its massive population compared to other countries, they have one of the lowest COVID-19 infection rates in the world (ranked second) and as reported by the NY Times, is also one of the few who have slowly returned to a sense of normalcy while still adapting to the needs of the “new normal” situation brought about by the pandemic.
Because of their advanced medical technologies that are at par with their western counterparts, very cheap medical and hospital fees, and good hospital care, medical tourism in Bangkok is thriving. Hospitals in Bangkok are also equipped with doctors and staff who can communicate using English, making language barriers basically non-existent.
Aside from the wonderful warm weather all-year-round, the low cost of living makes people enjoy and maintain healthy living there. It is also very easy to travel from Bangkok, Thailand because of the inexpensive flights to and from other countries.
Bangkok takes healthcare very seriously. In fact, aside from government-formed agencies, they also have non-governmental organizations that monitor and research about pesticide problems on fruits and vegetables that most health-conscious individuals rely on.
In terms of healthy living in Bangkok, people there prefer healthy & organic food over exercise.
However, Thailand Pesticide Alert Network (Thai-PAN), one of the most notable non-governmental organizations in Thailand conducted a study about pesticide residues on vegetables and fruits in Bangkok. According an article in the Bangkok Post, Thai-PAN found that over 60% of popular vegetables and fruits are contaminated with pesticide residues.
Thai-PAN warned people in Bangkok to switch over to seasonal and local products like sai bua (lotus stems), phak wan pa (Melientha Suavis Pierre), or bai liang and finger roots, all of which were not contaminated by pesticide residues.
If health-conscious people in Bangkok still wish to buy vegetables and fruits, they need to make sure vegetables and fruits are soaked in vinegar, baking soda, or blanched. Bangkok Floating Market is very popular with locals especially foreign tourists when it comes to shopping for local produce. Note that it is better to buy those fruits that have not been opened to ensure that you can decontaminate and remove most of the pesticide residues.
Bangkok has many world-class hospitals with state-of-the-art facilities that are on par with Western countries’ technology but at a far cheaper rate in comparison. Communication isn’t a barrier because most hospital staff are well adept in the English language.
Bangkok post released some tips to help people manage their health and well-being as well as promote longevity which are as follows:
KEYS TO A LONG AND HEALTHY LIFE:
1.) Have the level of your hormones checked.
Hormones are responsible for the body’s metabolism, balanced hormone levels are the basics for staying in shape, having healthy skin, and feeling confident in one’s body. As part of the body’s endocrine system, hormones control the aging process and energy level of the entire body. In fact, the endocrine system starts to become less productive by the age of about 25 but the symptoms don’t start to appear until about 40.
2.) Avoid foods high in sugars and fats. Consume less sweet food and drinks to prevent the onset of age-related conditions. They told everyone to “think of refined sugar as poison”.
3.) Keep your eating in a day to a period of 12 hours and abstain from eating for the other 12 hours.
4.) As you grow older, eat smaller meals.
5.) Skincare begins with eating right, exercising, and getting sufficient rest and relaxation.
6.) We should eat a variety of healthy foods, including vegetables and fruits.
7.) Exercise at least 150 minutes a week or walk 5,000-10,000 steps a day.
8.) Do not get less than 7 hours of sleep every night.
9.) It is better to go to bed at 10:30pm than midnight because the hormones that work against aging are more effective between 10:30pm and midnight.
10.) Avoid stress and be happy. Keep your mood stable and stay positive.
For more healthy living tips in Bangkok, this article is a great source of reference.
Indeed, Bangkok has health, wellness, and long life as priorities. A perfect example of this is the THAILAND HEALTH, FITNESS & WELLNESS EXPO 2021 which will be held from March 25-28, 2021 at Central World Bangkok. The Expo covers the main aspects of healthy living, including: Fitness focusing on your physical health and wellness encapsulating nutrition, strength, conditioning, flexibility, and body composition looking at the ways in which they influence each other and the way in which choices create entire lifestyles. The Expo includes 30 Exhibitors, Group Classes, Health and Fitness Party, Fashion Show, Master Classes, Healthy Lifestyle Seminars, and Healthy Cooking Workshops.
SINGAPORE
Singapore is the only city-island-nation in the world. It boasts of excellent world-class healthcare that is sometimes even better than most Western countries. Singapore was ranked 6th in the World Health Organization’s ranking of the world’s health systems in the year 2000. Bloomberg ranked Singapore’s healthcare system as the most efficient in the world in 2014. The Economist Intelligence Unit placed Singapore 2nd out of 166 countries for health-care outcomes.
Channelnewsasia.com has announced that Singapore on Tuesday (Oct 13, 2020) reported no new COVID-19 cases in dormitories for the first time in more than six months. Singapore, with its numerous races mixed together, has battled population diversity in the midst of combatting the pandemic. The Singapore Pandemic Response Model has been lauded by medical experts and is being viewed as a good model to adapt to countries like Africa, which also has a similarly vast population diversity.
Singapore has a very straightforward and holistic approach to healthy living with the aid of its Health Promotion Board (HPB). This includes staying physically active while maintaining a balanced diet, and lastly, an emphasis on preventive health by going for regular screenings and check-ups. Normally, we only do check-ups when we’re feeling sick or when something is wrong. In Singapore, regular check-ups regardless of whether you “feel healthy” are a must.
The Health Promotion Board also spearheads programs that allow Singaporeans to embrace healthier dining habits and healthier, more organic choices of food. In fact, they have the “Healthier Choice Symbol” on packaged food products to help indicate and show to shoppers which products are the healthier options. This helps health-conscious Singaporeans make better food choices.
Since Singaporeans support healthier options in order to adopt a healthier eating habit, the HPB has also released the WOG Healthier Drinks Policy wherein all drinks sold or provided at government premises must comply with the policy requirements to have lower or no sugar. This is to help combat the risk of Type 2 Diabetes after a study was conducted and showed that Singaporeans are consuming too much sugar.
If you visit Singapore, you will definitely see shops and cafes which cater to health-conscious people, such as providing vegan, organic, and gluten-free food. They also develop new healthy food trends such as fruit and vegetable flours, healthier alternative meat products, alternative milk and dairy products from nuts, etc.
As for exercise, a lot of Singaporeans are health conscious and are used to traveling using bikes and walking long distances. They also have small green parks that allow fresh oxygen intake even in the middle of a busy city area. Most building complexes also offer exercise parks where one can use exercise tools that may be more enjoyable for mature and old individuals than the tools found in a regular gym.
Smoking is also illegal in public, and in order to help smokers quit the substance abuse, HPB launched the “I Quit 28-Day Countdown program”. This program helps smokers by providing support and encouragement in their quitting journey. Aside form smokers, Singapore has a very efficient health care system for senior citizens as well as good accessibilities for disabled citizens and tourists.
Straitstimes have also revealed that Singaporeans are going to tap on technology to develop two tech-related health care initiatives. The first one is e-health coaching which involves smart wearable devices like step trackers to track things like sleeping habits, heart rate, and diet. The second is a one-stop digital platform for people to store their health information and track indicators such as weight-loss targets and immunization schedules.
TAIPEI
Taipei is the capital of Taiwan which ranks 4th best in the world in terms of combatting the spread of COVID-19. Life expectancy in Taiwan averages over 80 and is still growing. This is why they have very well-laid plans on welfare and pension programs. Taiwan has instated the Long-term Care Plan 2.0, a 10-year initiative that aims to provide affordable, comprehensive care to the aging population.
The negative thing about Taipei is that they have a lot of sugar-rich food however, many health advocates agree that Taiwanese are generally slim and healthy in nature which can be contributed to their health and eating habits. The night market in Taipei called Shilin Night Market, for example, offers fattening food but portioning is in moderation.
Taiwanese follow 2 basic rules regarding a healthy lifestyle. One is PORTIONING or making sure that they eat only small portions of food at a time. The second one is DAILY EXERCISE which is mostly composed of walking.
Similar to Singapore, people in Taipei love to walk, which is the best exercise since you don’t need equipment and you can walk as much as you can.
Taiwan also has a National Health Insurance Program, a compulsory social insurance plan that covers examinations for elders no matter their age or income. The maintenance of the health of senior citizens is one of the major factors in life expectancy in Taiwan.
Taipei is one of the best Asian cities in the world that emphasizes the importance of healthy lifestyles. In fact, they have an online map of healthy restaurants and sports centers as part of their efforts to help residents lose weight and live more healthy lifestyles. The app makes use of the Google Maps application and features healthy dining in three Taipei City districts: Daan, Datong, and Neihu as well as exercise centers in seven areas: Daan, Datong, Neihu, Xinyi, Zhongshan, Zhongzheng, and Beitou.
There you have it, 3 of the best Asian cities with the best response to the COVID-19 pandemic while maintaining excellent performance in terms of healthy living, wellness, and longevity.