Richard put his health second due to his high-stress corporate role. However, after a health scare, he completely changed his lifestyle – Richard has since stopped drinking alcohol, removed refined sugar from his diet, and with the guidance of AIA Vitality partner Mission Nutrition, started following a mostly plant-based diet. He also quit his corporate role, starting his own business in favour of more work-life balance.
Although Richard’s lifestyle changes may seem dramatic to some, it worked for him. “I’ve finally got a healthy lifestyle now – actually, I've probably got too much energy,” says Richard.
Running in the right direction
Richard’s old lifestyle consisted of working in a corporate setting, clocking 60-70 hour weeks, with lots of travel, little movement and a diet that included up to 20L of fizzy drinks a week. It wasn’t until he felt lightheaded at work that he got his blood pressure taken, showing that it was dangerously high. As a result, he visited his cardiologist, who gave him the hard word about changing his lifestyle. “I’ve got a heart murmur, but I probably never listened to my cardiologist too much. But after this visit, they said you need to dramatically change your lifestyle – in other words, sort yourself out otherwise this could get very serious, very quickly,” says Richard. And he did just that. “I was 125kgs with high blood pressure and high cholesterol when I signed up for the New York Marathon,” says Richard. With consistent training, Richard shed 30kgs and completed the marathon in 2019. From the moment he finished the race, he fell in love with the fitness high. Richard now uses the AIA Vitality programme to keep him accountable and ready for his next big race.
Running marathons for fitness and fundraising
Despite having already completed the New York Marathon and a series of local fun runs, Richard jokes that he’s, “not a real runner.” He just started to stay fit and wind down. “Running has always been a stress release,” says Richard. After taking a break over COVID-19 lockdowns, he has gotten back into the rhythm of things. “I've started to take my running seriously again,” he says. For his next goal, he has set his sights on completing the remaining World Marathon Majors. “I’ve only got Berlin, London, Tokyo and Boston to go – and I’ll tick Berlin off the list later this year,” says Richard. Although he doesn’t particularly like the process of running, he “enjoys the feeling at the end of it.” Richard also runs all his marathons for charities. “It helps me put all the pain I’m going through during the run into perspective,” he says.
Small steps lead to accomplishing big goals
“I’ve been a member of AIA Vitality since it launched in New Zealand, and I’ve been at a Platinum status every year since,” says Richard. His favourite part of the programme is getting immediate rewards. The AIA Vitality programme also motivates him to get up in the early hours of the morning to exercise. “I’ll only do a run if there’s a medal or a t-shirt involved at the end,” he jokes. “I get up and take the dog for a walk. I also run three days a week and do HIIT three times a week,” says Richard. He continues, “I get five Airpoints a week just for exercise – without fail, I’ll always hit my points,” says Richard. Richard also uses his AIA Vitality Active Rewards for discounted flights to the UK to see family and friends, and he also enjoys local trips to explore the islands.
The long-term gains of AIA Vitality
For Richard, the best experience of AIA Vitality was getting healthy. And as a Financial Adviser running his own business, he recommends the programme to his clients. ”Insurance, for the most times, you're paying for something that you don't want to happen, but to get a benefit out of something you might never claim feels like a no-brainer. Just add AIA Vitality to your policy – it’s not much compared to what you can get back from it,” he explains.
