An Ounce of PREVENTION is Worth a Pound of CURE

Do you believe eating a healthy diet, staying physically active, and investing in self-care are too expensive? If you think investing in your health takes too much time and money, you need to know the facts. Far from being a money waste, investing in your health will save hard-earned dollars later.

Self-care and prevention not only lower your risk of physical health issues, but it can also reduce stress, improve concentration, and promote positive health outcomes. Plus, investing in a healthy lifestyle is linked to improved well-being and lower morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs.

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infrmity.”- World Health Organization

Investing in Your Health Will Help You Achieve Your Goals

Your health is a valuable resource that can help you achieve your goals and live the life you yearn for. Staying healthy gives you the physical stamina to achieve your most challenging goals and provides the mental power and clarity to make the right decisions along the way. It also helps you maintain a sharp and agile mind, so you can think through problems and reach your goals.

Self-Care Will Increase Your Health Span

Healthspan refers to the period during which humans remain healthy and functional. It is distinct from life span, which is the number of years a person lives. Healthspan is about quality of life. By improving lifestyle behaviors and having preventive medical care, you can extend your health span and maintain a higher quality of living for longer. Healthspan encompasses physical, mental, and social well-being and includes factors such as diet and exercise, mental health, and stress management.

If you don’t invest in your health, it may be difcult or impossible to do certain things later in life. For example, if you have diabetes and don’t treat it properly, complications eventually could arise. If you aren’t physically active to preserve muscle strength and mass, you will become frail later in life and have trouble getting around.

Self-Care Will Save Money in Healthcare Costs and Lost Productivity

Self-care doesn’t just mean treating yourself to a massage or eating your favorite food. It also means taking care of your body and mind by eating healthy, exercising, and getting enough sleep.

When you exercise regularly and eat right, you’re less likely to get sick or injured--and the less time you spend in the doctor’s ofce, the less money it costs. You might have heard prevention is better than cure, and it is.

If you have diabetes, for example, managing your blood sugar levels will help prevent diabetic retinopathy and other complications that could lead to blindness or kidney failure. If you have asthma or allergies, managing your symptoms with an inhaler could mean the diference between working and missing days because of illness.

Prevention, self-care, and a healthy lifestyle can help you avoid serious health problems -- and that means fewer doctor visits, less medication, and lower medical bills in the long run. Have you looked at the price of medications these days?

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”

-Benjamin Franklin

Start Investing in Your Health

So know how self-care can save you money. Are you ready to get started? Get back to basics:

• Eat a healthy diet. Tis means eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and dairy products. Avoid processed foods with lots of added salt and sugar.

• Exercise regularly -- at least 30 minutes every day is ideal--and include strength training to build muscle tone and aerobic exercises to improve cardiovascular ftness.

• Get enough sleep: Most adults need seven to eight hours per night for optimum health. Skimping on shut-eye has been linked to everything from obesity to depression, so make sure you get enough rest each night before you tackle anything else on this list (you’ll have more energy!).

• If you’re still smoking, seriously consider quitting. Not only will it improve your overall health and cut down on doctor visits, but it could also save you a lot of money in the long run.

• Limit alcohol consumption if possible; alcohol abuse leads to many problems, including liver damage, which requires expensive medical treatment. Cutting back now will prevent future fnancial burdens later.

• Manage stress, whether through exercise, meditation, deep breathing exercises, or socializing with others.

The Downsides of Not Investing in Your Health

What happens if you don’t invest in your health:

• You could end up spending a lot of money on medical bills.

• You could miss important opportunities in your life.

• You could end up getting sicker and sicker.

• You could die early, missing out on the things you would’ve done if you were healthier because that last checkup was too expensive and inconvenient at the time.

Everyone can save money by investing in their health.

Tere is no reason why you can’t start investing in your health today by making small changes to the way you live your life right now. Healthy doesn’t just mean living longer -- it means living better, too. So don’t wait until tomorrow to make the ultimate investment in yourself.

References:

Riegel B, Dunbar SB, Fitzsimons D, et al. Self-care research: Where are we now? Where are we going? International Journal of Nursing Studies. 2021;116:103402. doi:10.1016/j. ijnurstu.2019.103402.

Consequences of Insufcient Sleep | Healthy Sleep. Harvard.edu. Published 2023. Accessed January 13, 2023. https://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/consequences

Riegel B, Dunbar SB, Fitzsimons D, et al. Self-care research: Where are we now? Where are we going? International Journal of Nursing Studies. 2021;116:103402. doi:10.1016/j. ijnurstu.2019.103402