Get Fit or Go Broke--Part I

When it comes to fitness and becoming more physically active, everybody has an excuse as to why they can't commit to being active.  (You know what they say about excuses, right?)  The leading excuse that I hear is, "I don't have time to exercise".  That topic will be tackled in an upcoming post, but believe me, you have time.  Another common excuse concerns the wallet.  Apparently, the cost of eating healthier and getting some exercise on a daily basis is a major obstacle for some.  However, when you think about the associated costs of not taking care of yourself, the question you need to ask yourself is, "How can I afford to not be improving my health?"

As costs of medicine and insurance continue to rise at an incredibly alarming rate, those who are sick spend more and more to get healthy.  For people who are classified as obese (34% of American adults, source), the estimated annual costs are alarming.  According to researchers from George Washington University, all things considered, the annual cost of being obese is $4,879 for women and $2,646 for men!  If you do the math, being obese for 10, 20, or 30+ years can cripple you financially.  Being obese also greatly increases your odds of suffering from many kinds of illnesses; from cancer, to diabetes, to heart disease, and everything in between.

In American medicine, we have a terrible habit of waiting for a problem to occur before spending lots of money to try and solve it.

There is, however, an alternative to this "reactive medicine" that is starting to gain traction in the United States.  "Preventative maintenance" is relatively new to the scene in terms of one's health, but it is hardly a new concept altogether.  Think about all the things in your life that you maintain to prolong the lifespan of a particular item.  You change the oil in your car to help the engine last for 200,000 miles or longer.  Your computer updates its software every so often to protect against viruses and other technological issues so you won't need to replace it as often.  Some people even put sheets over their fancy furniture so that the upholstery lasts a few years longer before it fades or gets dirty.

Why are we only now starting to realize that taking care of our health is one of the most important things that we can do?  Why do we all know the saying that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" and yet seem to make the conscious decision not to do something about our health? 

Folks, at it's core, becoming healthier is an investment in yourself that pays off exponentially.  When you invest a little bit of time, energy, and money into making yourself healthy, the long-term financial savings are well worth it.  And if you think the cost of this initial investment is more than you can handle right now, check here to find out how inexpensive getting healthy actually is.

And honestly, can you put a price on being healthy enough to chase your grandkids around the playground?  Or seeing your grandson get married?  Or rocking your great-granddaughter to sleep?  I didn't think so.