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| Maintaining good health is important for maintaining good finances. |
If you work for a company with an insurance plan you may not have to pay much for health insurance. When you work for yourself you probably don't have health insurance. Obamacare may help everyone who needs insurance but not everyone qualifies for Obamacare. And you still have to pay premiums even if the government pays most of the premiums for you. If you cannot afford even a modest monthly premium you have no health insurance.
Staying healthy requires that you think about the consequences of what you do. Being productive means you should take some risks with your health. We can't afford to become obsessive about good health and hygiene but we should all practice good habits. One of the worst habits people have is sneezing or coughing into their hands and wiping those contaminated hands on their clothes. Then they sit on or lean against furniture, touch other people, and otherwise spread germs and viruses.
You can't always find a tissue when a sneeze is coming on. You may not realize you're about to have a perfectly innocent coughing fit.
Even so one should think about what it means for the people around them when you begin coughing and sneezing. Your hands won't protect anyone from catching your cold or flu. If anything they'll only help spread it faster.
What can we do to improve both our own health and the health of others around us?
Eat a Well-rounded Diet
Junk food really does impact your health. From denying your body the balance of nutrients it needs to overwhelming your liver and pancreas with carbohydrates, junk food is the sweet poison that slowly kills us.As our bodies absorb more calories than they need we gain weight and as we grow heavier our muscular and immune systems are weakened. If you develop Type II diabetes you can suffer nerve and eye damage. Your organs may slowly decay.
Starting a new lifestyle today where you eat less junk food, fewer breads, and healthier meals over all will add years to your life expectancy. It also improves the quality of life in your later years.
Increase Your Physical Activity
Although most people say "exercise more" the truth is that we only need to be physically active for a few hours every day. We should walk around more, carry moderate loads more often, and stop associating physical activity with gym memberships.Our ancestors spent most of their lives walking across the countryside hunting for food. Our bodies are designed to thrive on that kind of lifestyle. We need to be physically active to maintain good health.
Other things you can do include taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking slightly farther away from store entrances then you normally do so you walk a little bit farther, and going for long walks around your neighborhood or in a nearby park.
The Healthier You Remain the Less Money You Lose
Poor health costs you money in two ways.First, you'll spend more on health care. That includes co-pays for visits to the doctor's office and on prescription medications.
Second, you'll have less time and energy to work. If you work two jobs being sick is twice as hard on you. Some people lose their second job when they are too ill to work. If you earn extra income as a freelancer or contractor, or if that is your fulltime income, being sick means you cannot earn money.
As a parent you know you need to get out of bed and do something. But when you're very sick you need to rest and let your immune system do its job. If you can work from home you're lucky, but when you have a cold or the flu you're too tired to think clearly for very long.
Work on Ending Your Bad Habits
If you smoke, vape, drink alcohol, or do other kinds of drugs that you know you shouldn't you're not just risking or suffering from addiction, you're damaging your body. There is no such thing as a safe drug. No matter which side you choose in the long-standing arguments about the benefits and risks of marijuana, inhaling any kind of smoke damages your lungs and potentially deprives your brain of blood flow.No drug compensates for that kind of long-term harm. The sooner you stop harming yourself the sooner your body can begin healing.
Unhealthy habits contribute to chronic respiratory and joint illness. You should do everything you can to find safer ways to relax and enjoy life.
Being Healthy Gives You Power Over Your Life
It's easier - and better - to make important decisions when you feel good and are ready to take on mental challenges. Being well-rested, well-fed, and in good health gives you the best foundation for recognizing and acting upon financial opportunities.We all dream of financial independence. It doesn't do much good to get a little bit ahead on your finances only to have to spend that extra money on health care.
Work hard as you should, but live well and treat your body with love and respect.
