I am writing this blog at hopefully what would be the tail end of the Covid-19 pandemic which has brought the whole world to a standstill. Of course, there are countries out there who may continue to be affected by the pandemic due to their painful stubbornness (ain’t it, US of A?) but here in Malaysia the curve is flatlining. This particular subject dawned on me while I was queuing for almost three hours at my local market to buy fresh meat for our upcoming Hari Raya Aidilfitri. What was evident during the queue was how torturous it was for the elderly to be queuing amongst us. Yes, the authorities do have a fast track lane for them but as buying fresh groceries from a wet market is not cool enough for the youngsters to do, it is left for the moms and pops to do so. For that reason, the fast track lane is fairly lengthy, and I cannot help but notice how grumpy and fatigued they get after just five minutes being in line.
You see, there are three types of adult population in this world. First is the kind who never has to work. This can either be trust fund babies or bums. Second is the kind who worked their arses off or came up with an ingenious product then cashed out early. Lastly, we have the majority of us who work most of our lives then retire between the age of 60 to 65 and hopefully not later than that. It is this sector who I am addressing.
The rationale is simple here. If you have been grinding all your lives, chances are you have accumulated some amount of wealth by the time you retire. This could be your pension fund or long-term investments. If you have been grinding all your lives, chances are you have not been spending that much time with the missus and kids other than the customary festive and year-end holidays. So, couple the well-deserved wealth with nothing else to do but enjoy life, we NEED to make sure we do just that. Not in and out of clinics and hospitals due to chronic diseases you picked up during your grinding years.
How do we ensure that then? First there needs to be a realisation on your part. As much as you want to make sure you are financially sound post-retirement to maintain your current lifestyle and then some, you also ought to make sure you are healthy enough to do the things you felt like doing back when you were grinding. I am not suggesting you go skydiving or abseiling at the age of 60, although hats off if you do. I am talking more of going for city tours with your missus or play golf every day. Casual affairs but if you do not have a shred of health and fitness then you are screwed. All your post-retirement wealth will go towards medical bills. Or worse still, set it aside for inheritance.
Once you have achieved realisation, take action. Prioritise your health and fitness as much as you prioritise saving for the future. Seek professional advice in the form of a personal trainer, fitness coach, nutrition coach or anyone with a shred of knowledge on health and fitness. It’s a start. Eventually you will be able to weed out the bullshit from the truth. And lastly, please do not say it is too late to start because it is never too late. You are never too fat to do something about it. You are never too old. If you do have that mentality, then chances are you will one day bitch at the fact that you have to stand in line for more than five minutes to get into a market.
Selamat hari raya Aidilfitri. Maaf zahir dan batin.
Till next time, persevere and stay determined.