One Cent At A Time

A Personal finance blog for saving money and earning more and thus having a better life

How To Be Rich? Stay Healthy

30 Comments

“How to be rich” is the central theme on this blog. Check out previous articles about this theme how to be rich.

You can be rich in four different ways, each one independent of another.

  • Monetarily Rich – Determined by your monetary assets
  • Spiritually Rich – Very difficult to attend and once reached, monetary richness may seem insignificant.
  • Emotionally Rich – When your soul feels the rich by the way you conduct yourself. We do feel it all the time, but need to sustain the feeling with self-training. Here’s one of my previous take on emotional richness.
  • Socially Rich – When you have significant social influence in the society.

Staying healthy is one important aspect which encompasses all four aspects of being rich.

Why?

Because, a sickness costs you money, a sickness often causes social troubles and a sickness prevents you from enjoying your surroundings. Your sickness deprives your family. It prevents you from living a good life.

Remember, if you are unwell, your soul shall remain unwell. Many sicknesses can be cured in exchange of money and care. Most of the sicknesses can be prevented by taking precautions and following good practices of living. Many old age syndromes can be lessened by taking proper care of our body.

As per a report from Kaiser Health Foundation, in 2009 per capita expenditure on health in US was more than $8,000, a year. That’s a lot of money! About a million dollar in your life time.

As the saying goes, “Health is Wealth”. It is very important to stay healthy in your endeavor to become rich. This enables you to work hard and increase your work-life span.

On the other hand, you will be able to reduce the cost on health care. You will also have more time to enjoy your money,  see places and to do things that usually require certain level of physical fitness.

If I go over salary statement, I pay near $200 from my bi-weekly paycheck towards medical insurance, that’s $5,600 a year. Our Aetna plan has an annual deductible of $2,400, when deductible is met, plan requires a 10% co-pay.

As a result we pay more than $7,000 each year towards health care. This year its going to be much more.

There are certain illnesses which cost tons of money and all insurance providers keep a life-time maximum coverage on them. That means if you happen to develop any of those illnesses, your entire saving becomes a risk.

Even at 10% (once deductible is met), a prolonged hospitalization can erode significant portion of my saving.

How can we ensure healthy us?

1. Cleanse your soul, stay happy – if you want to have a healthy body, you have to have healthy thoughts and emotions. Just as it’s important to avoid toxic chemicals, it’s important to avoid toxic thoughts. This is easier said than done. You need to change your thoughts and learnings.

No one is good or bad, its perception and circumstances that make us good or bad. Once you start loving all alike, you sure feel a lot richer yourself.

Be positive and think positive, it makes a lot of things easier in our lives.

2. Exercise regularly – This is no brainer. Regular exercise controls weight, reduces the chance of high blood pressure.

Regular physical activity improves muscle strength and boost endurance. Exercise and physical activity deliver oxygen and nutrients to our tissues and help cardiovascular system work more efficiently.

Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed. As a general goal, aim for certain minimal physical activity every day.

3. Eat healthy, eat well – Don’t eat too much, stop when you are full. Don’t keep a lot of time gap between two meals. Eat fruits and green vegetables.

Cook your own food most of the time and avoid outside food, set your own diet and control calorie intake.

Eat balanced food containing protein, fiber, carbohydrates and vitamins. Don’t skip breakfast and eat at least 3 hours before going to bed.

4. Take rest and sleep well –  Its important to give your body and brain a break. at minimum 7 hours sleep is required for an adult body. I am guilty of violating that lately.

Too little sleep can make you have a difficulty with memory, depression, and a weakening of immune system.

Precautions

  • We all get sick or injured. The chances increase with age. If you get something that doesn’t get better on its own soon, don’t neglect, see a doctor. Good practices are not enough to cure all illnesses.
  • When working out, never over exercise. If you know your body needs rest, take rest.

 How are you keeping healthy, readers? 

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Comments

  1. It’s so important to be healthy! I’m not the best with this, sometimes. I go through phases of working out every day and eating like a champ, but right now I’m going through the ice-cream-for-breakfast phase. Being healthy helps you focus more, too – on goals, work, etc.

    Reply

  3. This is a great point to make. From lowered earnings due to having to spend time away from work as a result of serious illnesses, to the fact that you can’t enjoy money very much if your body doesn’t work any more, being healthy is a key aspect to having, earning, and enjoying wealth.

    Reply

  6. I am a nurse, so this topic is near and dear to me. I work at the bedside in the hospital, so I see firsthand the costs of healthcare, the preventability of many conditions, and the devastating effects a serious injury or illness can have on a family’s finances. I have a few more suggestions to add:

    1. FLOSS. And brush, and see the dentist regularly. A lot of adults act like children about oral health, but it is so important. Did you know there’s a strong relationship between heart disease and poor oral hygiene? It can also be related to pneumonia, and very much to overall immunity.

    2. BE SAFE. Patients tell me they didn’t wear their seatbelts because they were only going to be in the car for five minutes. What sense does that make? Don’t drink and drive, and don’t drink heavily in general; that’s when accidents happen. Wear the right shoes for every activity. Don’t take stupid chances.

    3. TAKE CARE OF IT EARLY. I have so many patients who would not have had to be hospitalized if they hadn’t put off seeing a doctor when they first noticed a problem. If you suspect something is wrong, don’t try to save money by not seeing the doctor. You’ll never know how much money you save by doing this; you’ll just have to trust me.

    Reply

  7. With healthcare costs continuing to rise much faster than inflation, it is even more important to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The best way to lower your healthcare costs in retirement is to take care of yourself now!

    Reply

  8. That is so interesting, I was just thinking of those four attributes this morning! I have been focusing on fitness and have noticed a LOT of unhealthy people around me. Thanks for the great read!

    Reply

    • Anna thanks for comment. Also if you see unhealthy people around, it should give you more motivation to stay on correct course.

      Reply

  9. It seems as though staying healthy can both cost you money (health insurance rates are crazy)and save you money (if you’re not sick, no doctor bills).

    Reply

  11. I totally agree. You can have millions in the bank, but it is not worth as much as your health. Your health is priceless – it’s the only thing we truly own. I go to the gym 3 times per week. In the summer I sometimes supliment this with going running a couple of times a week as well. I also try to eat as many natural foods as I can, and keep junk food to a minimum.

    Reply

  12. Health should be number one priority, especially in the US. It is pretty scary to get sick here as medical bills can put you right into the poor house. I am trying to excersise regulary but lately and I noticed I was slacking big time. Immediately I noticed a big difference: less energy, more fat. 🙂 Stay healthy, my friend!

    Reply

    • I can do with more exercise. What I do is fillers in between daily chores. I need to dedicate time for physical activities.

      Reply

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