A healthier life can begin with one step

Beyond self-care, the event also featured a panel discussion on family wellbeing. Model and mother of three, Elva Ni Chengxi, joined Professor Paul Yip Siu-fai, Chair Professor of Population Health at the University of Hong Kong, to discuss youth mental wellbeing and parenting.

Ni recalled losing her temper with her children and being startled by how angry and loud she had become. Afterwards, she began paying closer attention to her own emotional state, particularly when tiredness or pressure made her more impatient. “I was shocked by myself. After that, I became much more aware of my own emotions,” she said.

She also noted how differently children grow up today. Social media, friends and the internet expose children to far more information than previous generations ever were. Parenting therefore requires parents to keep learning and adjust how they communicate as their children grow.

Yip used the aircraft oxygen-mask analogy to explain why parents should manage their own emotions before responding to a child. “You have to take care of yourself and manage your own emotions first. Only then are you able to deal with the situation effectively,” he said.

He also encouraged parents to give young people a say in decisions affecting them. When they feel they have participated in making a decision, they are more likely to take responsibility for it.

Maintaining healthy habits over time also raises a larger question about what people want those extra years of life to contain.

During the Celebrity Talk led by Professor Liu Qing, Zijiang Distinguished Professor at East China Normal University, he asked the audience what they would do if medical advances gave them another 20 or 30 years. In his view, living longer does not automatically mean living better, nor can wellbeing be defined simply by a series of pleasurable experiences.

He used exercise to illustrate the distinction. Running can improve fitness, but the process has value in itself. Getting up, keeping going and taking responsibility for one’s own health can become part of how a person understands who they are.

That becomes particularly relevant with age. Liu argued that older people still need opportunities to decide, connect with others and contribute. He spoke about his mother, who had worked in music and continued helping a community choir in her 90s. The experience allowed her to remain engaged and feel that what she knew could still be useful to others.

In the Celebrity Talk on life planning, veteran journalist Leila Chan Hiu-lui, singer Raymond Tam Fai-chi and solicitor Ryanne Lai Hiu-yeung explored how people can prepare for illness, incapacity and the end of life.

They discussed a range of advance planning arrangements, including wills, Enduring Powers of Attorney and Advance Medical Directives, highlighting how documenting one’s wishes in advance can provide greater clarity and reduce uncertainty for loved ones when important decisions arise.

The conversation also touched on funeral planning and preserving one’s life story, prompting reflection on the memories, values and messages people may wish to leave behind, and how their experiences can be passed on to future generations.

Through its talks, experiences and inspiring personal stories, AIA Healthy Living Week served as a reminder that healthy living is not defined by a single moment, but by the choices we make every day. Some steps start with action, others with reflection. What matters most is taking that first step and continuing the journey towards a healthier, longer and more fulfilling life.