Between meetings, reports, and traveling through crazy traffic, being a typical working Filipino is the perfect excuse to sit back and indulge every time you get a break. Taking time off is the best way to recharge your mind and body, but what happens during the rest of the days when you’re stuck in the daily grind?

Here are three important habits to take up so you not only get on your #fitspiration – you just may start a new lifestyle that helps you not only feel better but live better.

Know where to start
Before you hop on the latest diet and fitness craze, find your starting point. Know where you stand and work from there. Not everyone is running the same marathon, so join the one that’s meant for you.

Thanks to the power of the internet, there are now hundreds of free tools that can give you a general idea of what your health status is. BPI-Philam offers wellness tools like the Philam Vitality Active which can be accessed online for free. Users can get a quick assessment of their health status, and then get a corresponding activity recommendation to improve this.

If you’re willing to take it a step further, the Philam Vitality program can help you start your total wellness journey. Activate your membership to Philam Vitality and get access to different health checks online, and discounts on basic and selected advanced screens from medical partners such as Makati Medical Center, and Hi-Precision Diagnostics – all of which aim to give you an understanding of your current health status.

Make the right moves
Once you know how healthy your body is, it’s easier to know what needs to be done to live better.

Don’t expect to stay committed to a full hour of lifting and cardio on the get go. Ease in to ten-minute workouts, jogging around the village, or doing planks while you watch the latest episodes on Netflix. No matter how quick your workout is, gear up for your routine to train your mind to get your body moving.

Policy-holders of BPI Philam that will avail of Philam Vitality membership are given preferential rates to different active lifestyle brands, which makes fulfilling one's health goals easier. For one, members gets 70% off elite membership at Gold's Gym making staying in shape more accessible. Need the right gear? Members get 25% off regular priced items at Toby’s and selected fitness tracker from Garmin.

Reward yourself
It may sound simple, but deciding to make a lifestyle change to live healthier is never easy. Therefore, always find ways to reward yourself for a job well done!

As you lead a healthier lifestyle, you effortlessly earn points through Philam Vitality that gets you freebies, treats, and discounts on theme parks, cinema tickets, hotel accommodations, and airline bookings. What' s best is that you get an upfront 20% additional coverage on your Philam Vitality-powered premium on the first year, which can increase up to a maximum of 50% as you sustain your active lifestyle and move up your Philam Vitality Status.

Are you finally excited to start living better? Then visit any BPI branch near you, or log on to: www.bpi-philam.com

Philam Vitality is a health and wellness program that encourages you to get the best of life by leading a healthier lifestyle. The program will take you to a journey of knowing and improving your health and eventually enjoy the rewards for your healthimprovements. For more information visit www.bpi-philam.

Financial planning is a topic most millennials rarely consider. This is often seen in behaviors of impulse purchases—using their hard-earned money in things that are temporarily meaningful, that at times lead to a feeling of regret, or what is simply called a grudge purchase.

A Goldman Sachs study revealed that generation "ME ME ME" would rather save up for vacations and leisure activities to enjoy their life now than invest in their future--marriage, a home, their own business, retirement plans. This despite financial institutions constantly encouraging them to favor savings and investments.

  For Surendra Menon, CEO of BPI-Philam, millennials can choose to have the best of both worlds.

  “They can live their present life to the fullest and have a secured future at the same time,” said Menon. "It's a misunderstanding that has to be clarified—protecting your future is simply making sure you can enjoy the lifestyle you have now and for the years to come."

  Hierarchy of needs

For Menon, gone are the days when insurance is seen as a contingency plan for sickness and death. BPI-Philam now offers themselves as a partner for total wellness – securing both physical and financial health, providing better value for money.

He mentions BPI-Philam’s comprehensive health products that lend a hand in living a better life all throughout, and not just when illness strikes.

  "Millennials have been hailed as the most health-conscious generation," Menon attests.

"For them, wellness is a priority. They are willing to spend money to exercise regularly and eat healthy. Our priority is the same, that's why we've integrated ways for them to maintain that lifestyle with our products."

One of the ways BPI-Philam does this is by providing Philam Vitality with their policies—a wellness program designed to reward the policy owner for being and staying active.

“Through Philam Vitality, we’re encouraging them to take that first step to wellness and keep at it by giving them unparalleled rewards and exclusive access to partners like gyms and medical facilities,” said Menon.

The Adultier Adult

He understands that taking the first step to financial planning through insurance might be a big leap from what millennials are used to. Menon assures them that they are on the right track of independence, or simply put, getting better at adulting.

"This new generation of consumers is just wary of where they put their money. They aren't ignorant of insurance," he said. "They just want to be assured that they are getting the value in return of what they pay for. Convenience and customizability are also a factor. We have all of those, but what we truly offer is peace of mind and a way to the wellness of the body.”

To make it simpler for millennials to step out, BPI-Philam eases them into planning forward through platforms that will keep up with their mobile lifestyle.

"These products are available and offered in all BPI branches across the country," Menon enthused. "Whether offline or online, we are prepared to serve.”

Aside from a bancassurance team ready to assist them anywhere in the Philippines, getting a hold of the most fitting policies have been made easier online through their website as well.

Menon also urges them not to look at these plans with the future as an ultimatum to get adulting done but to look forward to an assured future and live a life of total wellness.

"These plans aren't short nor long-term," he adds. "one should always look at what’s an appropriate term for yourself to ensure you get the best value for your money. Our products are based on the appropriate term for your needs.”

Menon hopes informing this generation better of what financial wellness plans are available would align them to the direction they dream their lives would go.

  He believes that with the right financial mentor encouraging them, they will surely gain and win in each key moment in their lives.

  "I think they are done hearing what they could do," he said. "It's time we show them that we believe what they can do." To take the first step in living life to its fullest, visit: https://www.bpi-philam.com/en/our-products.html

The Philippines isn't new to natural disasters or calamities.

Compared to its other Southeast Asian neighbors, our country experiences a wider range of disasters. From floods to landslides, and typhoons to earthquakes – the most recent of which just happened in Leyte with a magnitude of 6.5 – the Philippines continues to endure and survive. Though the government does its best in preparing for and anticipating these times of emergency through awareness efforts and disaster response drills, self-mitigation is still an area that we can further improve on.

 Surendra Menon, CEO of the country's premier bancassurance company, BPI-Philam, learned from the resiliency of Filipinos and their experience in times of crisis, believing this has given them a good start in disaster preparedness.

"Most Asian countries don't have typhoons; most of them are prepared for floods, fires, and some earthquakes. But here you have the full range – you have typhoons, you have earthquakes, tsunamis, even volcanoes. Most things about disaster preparedness Filipinos have learned because you've gone through it all," he said

Despite this vast experience of the nation, Menon encourages practicing resourcefulness by taking notes from disaster responsiveness of other countries in the region. Having worked and lived in Indonesia, he recalls the massive 1989 earthquake that hit its West Papua region, where countless people died and survivors ran out of supplies in a few months’ time, remaining displaced years after the incident.

He believes Indonesians and Filipinos are somewhat similar given their experiences, but Filipinos can up their preparedness by starting with themselves.

"Disaster has a long-term impact, but only short-term assistance will come so it's up to you to bridge the gap between short-term assistance and long-term necessities," he stressed.

Micro-preparedness

Menon, who served as a Lieutenant Captain for Singapore’s Civil Defense Forces, shared some practical tips that could help anybody self-mitigate in times of disaster.

"On a physical basis, make sure you have two weeks’ worth of water in your house. The first and foremost necessity for survival is water," Menon said. "You will need food – dry food like biscuits that can last for two weeks as well for you and your family should be enough to go around when a disaster strikes and until help comes."

Apart from physical needs, he also reminded Filipinos to have available cash at hand for emergency purchases and backup funds in the bank. "Maintaining an insurance plan would help too," he said. "Prioritize protection from accidents first, then your health and life [insurance]."

Prioritize today, protect the future

Starting and maintaining financial contingency plans may not seem to be a priority for the average Filipino worker, but Menon believes foresight is a good thing to have, not just for ourselves but for those who matter to us most.

"The order of priority for your funds should be ‘today’ first and then 'immediate emergency,'" he said. "The next priority after that should be protecting your future income, preferably through a life insurance plan, so your family won't have to worry about resources should something happen to you."

  Confident of the Filipinos’ indomitable spirit – the driving force against some of the worst natural and man-made disasters that hit the region – Menon is convinced the Philippines can only get more resilient through learnings from past calamities and ensure enough preparation for life’s uncertainties.