Would you like to do better when it comes to diet, exercise, and wellness? If so, that’s great, but you are not the only one interested in your health. Others who have a vested interest in you (and your lifestyle choices) are your employers and the government, because health care costs have skyrocketed over the last ten years. One of the best ways to minimize those costs is to motivate people to take better care of their health. Let’s look at you first, and see how your health affects your finances.
You
Health and wealth go hand in hand. If you are healthy, you are not spending money on doctor visits, medications, and out-of-pocket expenses. You are also not losing wages for time off from work. I realize not all medical expenses are due to poor health choices. People have accidents, pick up infectious diseases, or inherit genetic risk factors such as high cholesterol. But making good choices is a huge first step towards better health. As Dr. David Herber, Director at the Center for Human Nutrition, UCLA says, “Genetics load the gun, but environment pulls the trigger.”
Obviously, diet and exercise are two of the biggest influences on your health. One of the easiest lifestyle changes you can make is to incorporate some kind of movement into your daily schedule. If asked, most people admit they could find a half hour every day to go out and take a walk. It is a small (free) commitment that yields huge results. Edward Stanley said it best in his famous quote “those who think they have no time for exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.”
Right now the “elephant” in the room, and I don’t mean that as a pun, is the obesity issue. As our obesity rates have soared, so have our medical costs. Obese people spend 42 percent more than people of normal weight on medical costs, a difference of about $1500. Obesity is a risk factor for almost every major disease, from heart disease to cancer to diabetes.
Bottom Line
Cutting down on portion sizes, cooking from scratch, choosing more plant foods, and moving your body will not only help you look and feel better but will also save you money in the long run.
