Lim Chee Gay lives by one very important motto: health is wealth. And as a passionate Chief Human Resources Officer, he tries his best to share this belief with his colleagues so that they too can benefit from leading a healthy lifestyle, just like him.
Explaining the reason why he focuses on inculcating healthy habits among his colleagues, Lim says, “Being healthy can improve productivity and engaged employees help bring business to the next level. When you take care of your physical and mental health, you become happier at home and at the workplace. My mission is to help create a healthy workplace environment that promotes higher employee engagement.”
To encourage his colleagues in joining him in this healthy crusade, Lim himself walks the talk. He actively engages in AIA Vitality to keep track of his activities and to further motivate him to lead a healthy lifestyle.
Since joining the programme in March 2018, Lim who is now a Gold member says, he’s made tremendous changes in his daily habits. “Because it is a structured programme where I can earn points to reward my healthy activities, I am able to keep track of my workouts and understand my health better. I make sure I achieve my target number of steps daily and track my heart rate while exercising. The rewards act as a motivation to consciously be healthier and do things like walking instead of driving and to just be more active every time,” shares Lim.
It was a different story altogether before Lim became an AIA Vitality member. “I’d always say that I didn’t have time to exercise but to be honest, I was just too lazy. I used my busy schedule as an excuse. Being on the programme now keeps me on track and focused. I aim for at least seven hours of sleep as recommended by the programme. I cut down on my sugar intake to almost zero now. From not exercising to doing it three to four times a week, I now exercise every day. I swim first thing every morning and go for a run and cycle every weekend. I make sure to do at least 7,500 steps a day. I watch what I eat as well – cutting down on desserts and oily food,” adds Lim.
Doing all the above has brought tremendous changes to Lim’s health. “My fitness level is a lot better, allowing me to take part in endurance-based challenges like triathlons and marathons. I recently completed the Ironman Malaysia triathlon event which included a 90-km bike ride, 21.1-km run and a 1.9-km swim as well as completed a full marathon (42km).”
“Because I sleep better at night, I am less stressful and forgetful, and am more focused and mindful of my surrounding. I hardly fall sick; I didn’t take a single medical leave last year. More importantly, my perception towards health has changed where I can truly understand why it is important to stay healthy and active,” he says.
All the good reasons for Lim to sign-up AIA Vitality as a corporate health programme for his company to help his colleagues lead a healthier lifestyle. “The structured programme allows our employees to access their own data, find out their AIA Vitality age and BMI so that they know how to improve their health as well as be mindful about their diet and mental wellbeing. The rewards help motivate our employees to do better. Moreover it helps build a community among our employees via the app so that they can encourage one another and set targets to challenge themselves. Those who are actively engaged in the programme then share their progress during our weekly meetings. The ultimate goal is to have 100 percent engagement rate from all our employees,” says Lim.
Besides encouraging employees to sign up for AIA Vitality, Lim helped the company kick start its daily Zumba sessions, monthly activities such as playing badminton or hiking, health carnivals and workshops, bowling competitions and many more which all employees are welcome to participate in.
Since the introduction of these healthy activities, Lim says he has noticed a difference in the work culture as well. “Our employees are more mindful about their lifestyle. They now actively participate in all our programmes. Plus, the happiness index has increased in the office!” he says.
Interested to sign-up AIA Vitality as part of your corporate health programme? Find out how at www.aia.com.my/aiavitality
