The blog under discussion revolves around the central theme of “How to be rich?”. You can also check out our earlier pieces of content if you are looking for more informative topics on how to be rich.
To start with, there are four distinct, independent ways for you to become rich:
- Monetarily Rich – Determined by your monetary assets.
- Spiritually Rich – Very difficult to attain, and monetary richness may seem insignificant once reached.
- Emotionally Rich – When your soul feels rich by how you conduct yourself. We constantly feel it, but we must work on ourselves to keep experiencing it. Here’s one of my previous takes on emotional richness.
- Socially Rich – When you have significant social influence in society.
Maintaining good health is one crucial component of being wealthy that covers all four criteria.
Why is maintaining good health the source of all riches?
- Because getting sick costs money.
- Because most people are sick to death of something or other, healthy living is a virtue.
An illness frequently makes you socially awkward and keeps you from taking in your environment. Your sickness robs your family of you. It keeps you from leading a meaningful life.
If you’re not feeling well, neither will your soul. In exchange for money, many illnesses can be treated. Most diseases can be avoided by exercising caution and adopting healthy lifestyle habits. By taking good care of our bodies, we can reduce the severity of many old age syndromes.
According to a report from Kaiser Health Foundation, in 2009, per capita expenditure on health in the US was more than $8,000 per year. That’s a lot of money! About a million dollars in your lifetime.
As the saying goes, “Health is Wealth”. It is imperative to stay healthy in your endeavor to become rich. This motivates you to work hard and increase your work-life span.
On the other hand, if you start taking care of your physical body simply by starting easy exercises at home, you will not only be able to reduce the cost of health care but also have more time to enjoy your money, see places, and to do things that usually require a certain level of physical fitness.
According to my salary statement, I spend close to $200 of my biweekly paycheck on health insurance, for a total of $5,600 yearly. Our Aetna plan includes a $2,400 yearly deductible; a 10% co-pay is required after it is met.
As a result, we pay more than $7,000 yearly for health care. With each year, it’s going to be much more.
Some diseases are costly, and all insurance companies maintain a maximum lifetime coverage. That implies that your entire savings are at stake if you get one of those diseases.
Even at 10% (after the deductible is paid), an extended hospital stay may significantly deplete your or my savings.
De-stress yourself to live a rich, healthy lifestyle
Stress is a significant factor preventing people from living prosperous and healthy lifestyles. Stress can cause you to make poor decisions, and it’s been shown that stress can lead to various health issues, including heart disease and depression.
One of the easiest ways to de-stress yourself is by exercising regularly. This not only releases endorphins, but it will also help you get into the habit of eating healthier foods. If you’re looking for more ideas on de-stressing yourself, check out this article: Manage Stress In Your Life.
What did people learn from COVID-19 concerning living a healthy, rich lifestyle?
People learned that a healthy lifestyle is not only about looking good but being happy. It’s about eating in moderation, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep. COVID-19 forced people to focus on their health because it was no longer about vanity but about staying alive.
Covid taught us a lot about our healthcare systems as well:
- It taught us that we should always be suspicious of our food and its preparation. We can’t take anything for granted anymore and must be vigilant about what we eat.
- It also showed us how important it is to have an effective healthcare system. We must identify problems early on and treat them before they become too serious.
- We learned that we couldn’t rely on governments or other organizations to handle everything for us; we must also do our part as individuals. When something like Covid happens, we have no choice but to rely on ourselves for survival.
How has COVID-19 impacted people’s mental health?
COVID-19 has had a significant impact on people’s mental health.
We have seen a 20% increase in hospital visits for mental health issues since the pandemic’s beginning.
This is likely due to a combination of factors, including stress caused by the fear and uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 and its effects and anxiety about family members or friends being infected or becoming ill.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people take steps to maintain their mental health during this time. These include:
- Eating healthy foods and getting enough sleep
- Avoiding alcohol and drugs, which can worsen symptoms or make them worse
- Reaching out for support from friends and family members if needed
How can we ensure healthy living?
The best way to ensure a healthy us is by following the five steps below:
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, but it’s a must that you need to change your thoughts and learnings.
No one is good or bad. It’s 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 more accessible in our lives.
2. Exercise regularly
This is a no-brainer. Regular exercise controls weight and reduces the chance of high blood pressure.
Regular physical activity improves muscle strength and boosts endurance. Exercise and physical activity deliver oxygen and nutrients to our tissues and help the cardiovascular system work more efficiently.
Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may make you happier and more relaxed. As a general goal, aim for specific minimal physical activity every day.
3. Eat healthily, eat well
Don’t overeat. Stop when you are full. Don’t keep a lot of time gap between two meals. Eat fruits and green vegetables.
Cook your food most of the time, avoid outside food, set your diet, and control your calorie intake.
Eat balanced food containing protein, fiber, carbohydrates, and vitamins. Don’t skip breakfast; eat at least 3 hours before bed.
4. Take rest and sleep well
It’s essential to give your body and brain a break. Studies suggest that an adult body requires a minimum of 7 hours of sleep. I am guilty of violating that lately, to be fair with you!
Too little sleep can make you have memory difficulty and depression and weaken the immune system.
5. Take care of Dental needs
Often we ignore our dental care for the regular physical sickness and diseases. It’s, in fact, our teeth that are affected most by our negligence. Most of us often do not visit the dentist for routine teeth cleaning.
I admit one of my teeth is almost broken, and I still don’t go to the dentist for fear of getting hurt. Taking good care of your teeth and perfecting that smile with braces can have a far-reaching impact on our long-term journey of becoming rich. What is the use of money if you don’t even have a million-dollar smile?
Doing all these can boost your self-confidence and make you an easier person to talk to.
Precautions
- We all get sick or injured. The chances of getting a disease increase with age. If you get something that doesn’t get better on its own soon, don’t neglect it. See a doctor. Sound practices are not enough to cure all illnesses.
- When working out, never over-exercise. If you know your body needs rest, take rest.
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.
Im going through the banana bread for dinner phase… The beauty of being an adult is that you can do that sometimes 🙂
I play soccer 3 times a week to stay in shape just to balance it out 🙂
Wow a soccer player blogger, good job Marissa. Now that you have a second blog, is it cutting soccer time?
Thanks for the mention, have a great weekend. Its really help us i hope.
now which mention you are talking about?
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.
I stay active doing a lot of things (bicycling, walking, tradmill and weightlifting). It is a great way to turn back the clock.
You are an over achiever Larry. We should learn from you
I don’t think I spend $8,000 on health but I am running and training for a half marathon in addition to going to barre (strength training) classes.
And you write blog… I can’t think of half marathon, I doubt if I have that stamina
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.
Thanks you for your detail comment. It sure would help other reader
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!
Paul I can’t agree more.
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!
Anna thanks for comment. Also if you see unhealthy people around, it should give you more motivation to stay on correct course.
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).
Yes pretty much! Thanks for reading
I’m a firm believer that happy, healthy people are productive people, which in turn will usually make you richer! Plus, healthcare is expensive, and I hate going to the doctor.
Yes the gist of this article. Thanks for the summary
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.
Man I need to learn from you… I do exercise regularly but not that meticulously
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!
I can do with more exercise. What I do is fillers in between daily chores. I need to dedicate time for physical activities.
Spiritually rich is most important!!!
actually every one of the four is equally important, to me. but the priority differs as per our view of the life.
I love this! Over the past few years, I have become a pretty avid runner myself and have definitely felt a positive impact financially. When I feel healthy, I’m able to make better decisions and manage stress more effectively. As a result, I’m much less reactionary in how I invest and manage money. Being healthy and of a clear mind are such important parts of financial wellness!
We work hard to save money and make wise financial decisions throughout life. It makes sense to keep yourself healthy so that you can enjoy the fruits of your labor. Having a healthy mind, body, and spirit is essential. All of the old-timers I have ever met were calm and faced challenges as they arise, one problem at a time. This is a great reminder to take inventory and to either get healthy or stay healthy!
If you have more money, you probably have access to better health care and more nutritious foods. You also have less stress from worrying about money, and stress is a factor in mortality as well.
This is true. Last month I was down due to a nasty fever and trust me, all the money in my bank account seemed to be a waste. And when I thought about the reason of falling ill, it was as stupid as waking up all night for a month on a project which I sealed successfully and got a bonus of $1.3 million. So, yes, I was rich in one way and poor in the other. Take care of your health.