For a few years now, thanks to my mother’s DNA, my “good” cholesterol reading has been very high. However, my “bad” cholesterol has been stubbornly hovering between above optimal and borderline high. In February this year, about a month before I went for my annual health check, I decided to do an experiment. I wanted to see if I could lower my “bad” cholesterol level by altering my food choices.
Experimenting with Diet Changes
I began to eat more greens, legumes and fruit, and less animal-based products.
Starting with breakfast, I would eat sugar-free muesli with fruit and nuts 3 to 4 times a week.
When it came to lunch, I tried salad with shredded chicken, and subsequently settled for salad with boiled egg, 2 to 3 times a week.
Surprisingly, I felt fuller for longer.
Breakfast sustained me well into lunch, and lunch lasted me past dinner time. Noticeably absent were the post-lunch food comas. Plus, I could still indulge in food that I like on non-salad days. The minus? I prefer to start the day with savouries so the breakfast adjustment was tough.
The Results of My Dietary Experiment
When I went for my cholesterol test in March, the result was encouraging: the “bad” cholesterol dipped from 3.3 mmol/L (a year ago) to 3.1 mmol/L. I know this isn’t exactly scientific because I didn’t take a cholesterol reading a month prior to my experiment. But given that my exercise routine was largely unchanged, and my cholesterol profile has been consistent for the last few years, I could attribute change in cholesterol numbers to the new diet.
To me, sacrificing taste for the sake of health is worth it because maintaining good health is really important. Over time, my body adjusted. I noticed fewer cravings for curry noodles and Har Jeong Kai (prawn paste fried chicken). And I have come to love the “green” diet.
If we know what’s important to us and what we want, it might be easier to make trade-offs. What if we don’t really know what we want? If we have time, I believe that testing options, and seeing how we feel about them, may be the way to go.
Lessons from Living in Japan
When I worked in Japan fifteen years ago, I lived in a studio apartment that didn’t have much storage space. I couldn’t buy a lot of things. In the land of the ‘kawaii’ or cute, having to exercise retrain was incredibly frustrating.
Here is a photo of my apartment:
The initial grumpiness led to resolve. I examined what I had and started to improvise. Rice-pot and one-pan meals dominated my tiny kitchen. A trusty dining table and chair doubled up as my gym furniture, perfect for sit-ups. In a heater-free bedroom, 20 push-ups just before bedtime on wintry nights gave me temporary respite as I slipped under the chilly duvet.
Finding Happiness with Less
Six months on, I realised that I was able to function well with what I had. That’s when I stop desiring for different or more. In fact, I was genuinely happy with less. When my living space is less cluttered, I feel better psychologically. It’s as if I have more room to think and breathe.
Here is a lovely rice paddy field seen from the balcony of my apartment:
What if we can’t actively test out options? We could work out different scenarios based on our existing financial resources and see how we feel about them.
Deciding Between Mortgage and Investment
A good example would be deciding between paying off a mortgage with your savings, and keeping it while investing the savings. Crunching numbers in your head may point you in one direction yet your heart may be leaning towards another. I learned this in 2019. I was paying 1.9% interest on my mortgage. If I were to invest the savings earmarked to pay off the mortgage, I could yield a higher return. The math suggests that it would make sense to keep the mortgage.
But we are humans, not spreadsheets. Bearing a mortgage felt burdensome to me, and I couldn’t wait to get rid of it. I followed my heart and did just that.
Financial considerations are a crucial part of the equation. But establishing our personal definition of living well, expressed as loves, hates, and everything in between, is even more critical. Once our heart is clear about what it seeks, and why, our head, demanding accuracy and relentless in its pursuit of how, will follow.
This is an original article written by Annette Lee, Client Adviser at Providend, the first fee-only wealth advisory firm in Southeast Asia and a leading wealth advisory firm in Asia.
For more related resources, check out:
1. Video Story of Annette Lee: Balancing the Trade-Offs in Life
2. The Smallest Paycheck That Will Keep You on Track for Retirement
3. Providend’s Money Wisdom Podcast Season 3
Being a trusted adviser to our affluent clients for over two decades, we know that our clients need the reliability and sufficiency of investment returns to meet their needs. You can learn more about our purpose-driven approach towards Wealth Management and Investment Management.
We do not charge a fee at the first consultation meeting. If you would like an honest second opinion on your current investment portfolio, financial and/or retirement plan, make an appointment with us today.
Through deep conversations with our advisers, you will gain clarity on what matters most in life and what needs to be done to live a good life during your retirement years. Learn more about our RetireWell™ methodology by downloading our RetireWell™ eBook.
