Health is wealth: how my grandfather’s mantra shaped a lifetime of wellbeing

From childhood days in her grandfather’s garden to becoming a mother herself, Harmail Bains-Cameron reflects on the simple phrase that has been her family’s guiding light

The health and wellness industry might be enormously successful these days – with interest in fitness, wellbeing and nutrition riding high – but when Harmail Bains-Cameron, now 45, was growing up in the 80s and 90s, it was a different story.

“No one was really talking about protein shakes, gym sessions or organic vegetables,” says Bains-Cameron, who lives in Edinburgh but grew up in Wolverhampton in the West Midlands. “To be honest, most people weren’t even talking about healthy eating at all.”

One exception was her grandfather, Arjan Singh, who took his own health, and that of his family, very seriously. Born in Punjab, a predominantly farming region in India, her grandfather grew up surrounded by agriculture and was raised on home-cooked vegetable dishes. When he moved to the UK with his young family, he stuck to healthy eating, and by the time he retired was eating a mostly organic, vegetarian diet, much of which he grew himself.

“He would make a salad for lunch using lettuce, tomatoes and bell peppers grown in his garden or allotment – picking everything fresh right there and then,” recalls Bains-Cameron. “The garden itself resembled an allotment, it had sections separated out for different fruits and vegetables.”

• As a child, Harmail Bains-Cameron (centre) absorbed her grandfather’s health messages and is now passing them on to her own family

Every Saturday, her grandfather would visit, bringing fruit for Bains-Cameron and her three sisters. On Sundays, when they visited him, he would show them simple stretches, mobility exercises and breathwork. As a teenager, she met him in a local park for exercise sessions and would also borrow his health books.

“He read the Guardian every day and had a shelf full of books about nutrition and wellness,” says Bains-Cameron. “He also had a mantra that he would repeat to us on every visit, he would say: ‘Health is wealth’ – always reminding us how important it was to stay active and eat well.”

Her grandfather’s words have echoed throughout Bains-Cameron’s life; from playing for her school hockey and tennis teams to taking part in Duke of Edinburgh scheme hiking trips. “My parents were fairly strict when I was growing up, but they always encouraged us kids to join sports teams because of the influence my grandfather had on them, too. My parents would repeat the ‘health is wealth’ mantra – the whole family lived by my grandfather’s words and actions. He formed the foundation of our family values.”

Having taken her grandfather’s advice to heart, Bains-Cameron has gone one step further when it comes to looking after her wellbeing. In 2014, at the age of 34, she took out private health insurance. She’d been in full-time employment for 12 years and had bought her first home four years earlier.

“Things were going well for me, I was starting to feel like a grownup, and I wanted to protect the life I’d made for myself, without having to worry about my health,” she says. “My grandfather and my parents would always tell us not to take any chances with our health, so I was confident I was making the right decision.”

She chose Aviva because of their reputation for making financial decisions feel less confusing and the support they offer customers through the different stages of life.

When she married her equally fitness-focused husband, Sandy, in 2018, she ensured he, too, had health cover. And when their son, Lucian, was born in 2022, Bains-Cameron upgraded the health insurance to include him as well.

While good health had always been a priority, becoming a parent brought a new level of awareness. “When you have a child, their health becomes your main concern,” she says. “And you realise how your health affects your child.”

Passing her values on to her son is a no-brainer as she wants him to know how to look after his health as he grows older. “I want Lucian to see the way I live, the things I eat, the exercise I do and I want him to understand that this is important,” she says. “We encourage him to eat healthy and take him to the local farm so he can see how fruit and veg is grown and start to understand the different nutrients they provide. We even planted a small vegetable patch in the garden, so he can grow his own carrots!”

Having done all she can to look after her and her family’s wellbeing, Bains-Cameron feels that Aviva’s health insurance gives her extra peace of mind for things beyond her control. She has taken her grandfather’s “health is wealth” mantra into a new era.

Aviva offers a range of financial services designed to help you plan with confidence, including health insurance, pensions, savings and investments. Whether you’re thinking about protecting your family’s health or preparing for life’s next milestone, Aviva is there for you.

Visit aviva.co.uk for support and guidance on life’s big financial milestones – you’ve got this