Cliche as it sounds, but health truly is wealth.
It’s true that to stay healthy, you need to pay extra on natural, organic, and nutrient-rich food and fitness gym memberships or yoga classes. You’d also need to buy workout clothes and fitness equipment like weights, treadmills, and powerlifting elbow sleeves. For this reason, many people favor fast food and junk food as they are cheaper, and forgo the gym for its hefty membership costs.
However, if you look at the picture, a person who keeps an unhealthy diet and sedentary lifestyle will end up incurring more medical bills and other expenses down the road. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. An unhealthy lifestyle is more expensive in many other ways, as it could lead to productivity and confidence issues at work, higher insurance premiums, and so on.
But if you put your health and wellness as a top priority, you’ll end up saving a lot more money in the long run. Here are just a few of the ways a healthy lifestyle saves you money:
1. Enjoy lower medical bills by staying fit
It goes without saying that eating right and exercising regularly saves you trips to the doctor. This is because most chronic and acute conditions can be linked to nutrition and physical activity. While a healthy lifestyle is no cure for any disease, it can be the easiest way to reduce your risk for all sorts of expensive and life-threatening diseases like diabetes, hypertension, heart conditions, colon cancer, and premature mortality, among others.
2. Cut hefty expenses by kicking bad habits
Tobacco, alcohol, and substance abuse can affect many aspects of your life, but most importantly, your health and finances. While kicking these habits or curing your addiction can be extremely hard, it will be good for you in the long run. Plus, it will save you plenty of money.
3. Save money by eating only what you need
Binge eating is quite common. And while it can be a stress reliever sometimes, it’s bad when it becomes a habit. Unsurprisingly, it will also cost you more money. Eating only what you need based on your caloric needs is not only a good weight management strategy, it will also cut your grocery and restaurant bills in half.
4. Prevent expensive chronic conditions with a good diet
There are many chronic illnesses tied to a poor diet, and managing their symptoms to improve your quality of life can be quite expensive. On top of the hefty doctor’s consultation fees and maintenance medications, you’d also need to spend on lab tests and scans. Plus, when things get worse, you might need complicated procedures like surgeries and transplants. Not only are these procedures risky, they can also carve a huge dent in your wallet.
5. Spend less on clothes by avoiding weight fluctuations
It’s important to be consistent about staying fit and healthy so you can reap maximum rewards. But it would also allow you to save plenty of money on new clothes whenever you lose or gain weight. You should find out what your ideal weight is and do your best to maintain that number.
6. Save money at work by packing your lunch
Bringing pack lunches to work gives you full control of what you eat, but it also saves you money. Eating out in workplaces and nearby restaurants can put a dent in your wallet. Plus, you never know what goes into your food, increasing your risk for diet-related health issues.
7. Cut commuting costs by cycling to work
One of the best ways to stay fit on a busy schedule is to cycle your way to work. Cycling is a great cardio workout that improves your cardiovascular health, strengthens your muscles and joints, and helps you burn excess fat quickly. And more importantly, it lets you save the money you would’ve otherwise spent on gas, car maintenance, and fare.
8. Pay a lower insurance premium by being healthy
Insurers tend to charge higher premiums for people who are overweight or obese or are cigarette smokers. But if you have a healthy weight and don’t have any vices, it tells insurers that you have a lower risk of developing chronic or terminal diseases. The result is the lowest possible premium. So by shaving off a few pounds, you’re not only staying healthy but you’re also saving up to 25% on insurance.
As you can see, maintaining a healthy lifestyle can benefit you in so many ways. It’s one of those things that will have ripple effects, down to your relationships, mental health, and career advancement.
