5 ways AIA Vitality changed my life for the better

A few months ago, our Australian team met AIA Vitality member (and inspiring human being) Nick Souris, who’d just been through some of the most challenging years of his life.

In 2014, Nick was involved in a car accident that nearly killed him, and in the years that followed he gained over 100 kilos. He wasn’t eating properly, wasn’t exercising, and couldn’t sleep. At his lowest point, he weighed 190 kilos and had stopped enjoying life.

Four years later, Nick had a conversation with a colleague that would change everything. “I was at the pub with Steve, the safety director at the company I was working for,” Nick explains. “And he said to me, ‘Mate, you need to do something.’”

Steve brought up the AIA Vitality app on his phone, showing Nick through the features, the reward system, and how to join. “He just kept saying ‘You need to get this AIA Vitality!’” Nick recalls. This was the turning point Nick needed to start making positive changes in his life.

Two years later, Nick has dropped almost 70 kilos and – with the help of AIA Vitality – is loving life again. Here’s how AIA Vitality helped change Nick’s life for good.

After Nick’s accident, he struggled to walk, let alone exercise. But when he had his ‘enough’s enough!’ epiphany and joined AIA Vitality, his journey to health started with a single step. And a Fitbit.

“I started with walking, and trying to get 50 points [on the app],” Nick says. “It was challenging initially, but once I started getting the points, I started doing more and more.”

While Nick’s journey started with 100-metre walks, he’s now averaging 15,000 steps a day, with a goal to hit 100,000 steps a week. He’s a also a member of two gyms – a boxing gym, which he visits in the morning, and a conventional gym, which is subsidised through his AIA Vitality membership.

“The idea of getting those points each week really spurs you on.”

Before his accident, Nick’s diet consisted of carbs. A lot of them.

“It was OK for me to sit down and have Chinese, or three or four sandwiches for lunch,” Nick recalls. “I’d have toast, cereal and big breakfasts in the morning, four or five cappuccinos during the day, sweets. Everything was on the table.”

Now, Nick’s more conscious of what he eats, and it’s having a huge impact on his diet –it’s helping him lose weight too.

These days, you’ll find Nick having bircher muesli for breakfast, sashimi for lunch, and fish and vegetables for dinner. He snacks on nuts or a piece of fruit rather than sweets.

Nick’s not too strict with himself though, and still allows himself rewards. “If I get to 100,000 steps or 1000 active minutes, I’ll reward myself with a few drinks on a Saturday night, or a piece of cake. You’ve just got to put in the work to get there.”

“At 190 kilos, you don’t sleep well,” Nick remembers.

Studies have shown that poor sleep quality affects our concentration and productivity, may make us moody, and can make it more difficult to lose weight.

When Nick started exercising and eating better, he saw differences in his sleep almost immediately. “With the amount of exercise I’m doing now, I have no trouble sleeping,” he says. “When I wake up in the morning now, I’ve got a clear head, and I’m more productive at work because I’m not tired.”

Now that he’s eating well and moving more, Nick feels like he’s more present, and in a better spot to be a good dad. Since starting with AIA Vitality, he’s going on bike rides with his son, training with his daughters, and starting each morning with an 8km walk with his wife. The vouchers he receives through the app make a difference too.

“The Vitality app motivates me to be competitive, and win those rewards,” he says. “Then I’m getting these $5 vouchers and I give them to my daughters. It’s a good system.”

“It’s made a massive difference to my family,” he continues. “They’re really inspired by it all. It’s made our relationships a lot better.”