[This is a sponsored article with AIA Malaysia.]
According to a National Health Morbidity Survey in 2015, the life expectancy of men in Malaysia is shorter than women by about five to six years.
Being at home under CMCO does mean that a lot of us are missing out going to the gym or taking fitness classes together with buddies.
But that doesn’t mean that we can’t learn new skills, to keep fit or maintain our mental health. In conjunction with Movember along with AIA, we’ve put together a list of a few online classes that men can use to manage diet, physical and mental health.
The More You Know: Movember is an annual event that happens in November—to raise awareness for men’s health issues. Movember was originally a movement where men grow their moustaches during the month of November.
Watching What You Eat Actually Matters
One important aspect of health management is as simple as watching what we eat. If you are just devouring greasy food daily, then you face increased risk of diabetes, acne, heart disease and stroke too.
While most online classes that focus on diet are courses for nutritionists, there are some out there for the average Joe just looking to know more about taking care of his own health.
1. Introduction to Human Nutrition – Revised
Alison is an international portal with over 2,000 courses for different skills. But this course focuses on nutrition to give you insight on your personal diet choices.
At the end of the course, you’ll get an idea on how to create a healthy diet catered to your own body.
Price: Free / Alison
2. The First Step Course
Nutrition Track is a local company founded by Adele Wong, a nutritionist who offers dietetic services to corporate groups, media, teams and individuals.
Through her First Step Course, you will get a better understanding of a sustainable way of eating healthy. This is actually a full 8-week course, so it’ll take some dedication to implement it into your life.
The course comes with a meal planner, a habit tracker and portion guides too so you can keep track of your diet easily.
Price: RM400 for the course / Nutrition Track
Taking Care Of Your Physical Well-Being
Due to the current situation, some local gyms are offering online classes to all, even if you’re not a gym member. This meant that you don’t have to wonder how the classes are any more as you get to join them now.
1. Get Your Burn On Virtually
Since its first club in Malaysia back in 2001, Fitness First is now one of the larger fitness chains in Malaysia.
With the MCO, they even had to shift to offer virtual classes to their customers.
Through their extensive list of specialised trainers, they have classes ranging from freestyle to strength training and yoga. Equipment-wise, Fitness First stated that all you’ll need is a proper attire and a yoga mat and you’ll be good to go.
If you wish, you don’t even need to turn on your webcam to join.
For November, they’re having a special package alongside Celebrity Fitness and FIRE Fitness for unlimited access to all their virtual classes.
Price: RM25 for November or RM10 per class / Fitness First
2. Jumping Safely At Home
Jumping is a dynamic fitness training system that utilises trampolines as a form of exercise. According to Jumping Fitness Malaysia, jumping is three times more effective than jogging as it uses more than 400 muscles at the same time.
They’re now offering online classes with unlimited online VOD streaming for one-month, but you’ll obviously need to rent a trampoline for the exercise. For the first month, they’re offering a free one month class pass for those who rent a trampoline.
Price: RM150 (virtual class pass with VOD) + RM350 (1-month trampoline rental) / Jumping Fitness Malaysia
Giving Weight To The ‘Fitness’ Of Mental Health
According to the UM Specialist Centre (UMSC), mental illness could be the second biggest health problem affecting Malaysians, and every 3 in 10 adults over the age of 16 suffer some form of mental health issues.
In a study by the Malaysian Burden of Disease and Injuries in 2000, they reported that males are more prone to mental disorders such as drug abuse, suicidal tendencies, alcohol reliance and violence compared to females.
Mental illness often remains a taboo hidden topic. Getting the right help for mental illness can be a lifesaver. Along the way, maintaining good mindfulness can be key too.
1. Knowing How To Deal With Mental Illness
ThoughtFull is a platform that provides people with a solution that’s easily accessible, and approachable.
To ThoughtFull, mental health is something that needs to be exercised or maintained regularly.
When you approach the ThoughtFull team, they’ll provide a personalised approach to your issues and enable the user to measure and track their health outcomes over time.
They have recently launched a few classes talking about ways that people can navigate duality (in terms of work/life) and how one can manage personal and professional breakups.
Price: SGD$199 (approx RM606) per month, with a free 14-day trial with code (TRYTFC) / ThoughtFull
Know Your Health
To help Malaysians live a healthier life, AIA Malaysia created an online health assessment tool under AIA Vitality to help you keep track of your condition.
AIA Vitality aims to be like a virtual coach to guide and motivate you to stay healthy, even during this trying year.
To join AIA Vitality, you do need to pay a monthly fee of RM10, but you’ll gain access to discounts such as gym memberships, health checks and even online shopping. But most importantly, you have a quick glance at your health situation and see what needs fixing to live a healthier life.
Take Charge Of Your Life
AIA Malaysia also just launched a campaign called #BrosInterrupted, in conjunction with Movember. So that men can get a better understanding of their current health situation.
By joining this campaign, you stand a chance to win a Grand Prize of a Home Gym worth RM1,299 and a BP Health Screening voucher worth RM1,600.
To have a shot at winning that enticing Grand Prize, here’s what you need to do:
- Take the #BrosInterrupted quiz here.
- Screenshot the result and post it on Instagram or Facebook.
- Complete this sentence as a caption: “A true bro looks after his other bros because…” in 20 words or less
- Tag 3 of your bros, tag @aiamalaysia and use the hashtag #BrosInterrupted #AIAMalaysia.
Image Credit: Kunal Goswami / Brooke Lark on Unsplash
