A healthy lifestyle consists of exercising and a nutritious diet. It also means letting go of dangerous habits and vices like smoking and alcohol. By living healthy, you can live long and enjoy a high quality of life. Yet why is it so hard to do?
It’s hard to change unhealthy behavior for a variety of reasons. For starters, it takes time and effort to alter healthy habits. Not many understand that this change is a process rather than an event. You have to put in increments of decisions every single day to change as a whole.
It can be pretty challenging to give up smoking, alcohol, and junk food. Often, people suffer from withdrawals and depression. In addition, it can be more expensive, too. For example, you can get an entire meal for the price of one salad.
Fortunately, even though it’s hard to convert to a healthier lifestyle, its advantages outweigh its disadvantages. For example, you won’t have to suffer from getting sick all the time. Also, you can enjoy life more because you can be more active. And finally, you can save a lot just by having a healthy lifestyle.
Here are some of the major expenses you can save from.
Hospital Bills
An average insured individual can spend up to $11,700 overnight in a hospital, with the average hospital costs standing at least $2,600 a day. The most common cause of hospital admission is a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and the number one culprit is smoking. It’s not only expensive to be treated, but it’s also excruciating to experience.
Fortunately, if you have a healthy lifestyle and stay away from smoking, your chances of contracting COPD are meager. Another disease that often sends people to the hospital is Congestive Heart Failure, usually caused by high blood pressure. Guess what causes that?
High blood pressure originates from a poor lifestyle rich in salt, fat, and lack of physical activity. This is probably one of the major problems that people suffer from because of an unhealthy lifestyle. The saddest thing about it is that it is entirely preventable.
The point here is a healthy lifestyle will give you a good quality of life free of sickness and diseases. It’s also going to save you from spending so much on doctor visits and hospital bills. Now, imagine if you didn’t have insurance. How much are you willing to pay?
Insurance
Speaking of insurance, did you know that your lifestyle affects the insurance rate you’re likely to spend? The bottom point is that if you live an unhealthy lifestyle, you will likely pay more for insurance premiums. Let’s try to understand why.
Take smoking, for example. It has been linked to various diseases, particularly lung cancer. The myriad of conditions you can get by smoking makes you more of a risk in the insurance company’s eyes. That’s why your insurance policy can indicate high premiums.
The same is true for those who regularly drink and those who have an inactive lifestyle. You could pay higher insurance premiums because the company will have to offset you’re high-risk. You might be considered high-risk because you are more like to get sick or get into an accident.
It’s important to note that you can pay up to at least $1,600 on average for insurance premiums. Those who are considered high-risk are like to pay more. That is why you will save from insurance premiums just by leading a healthy lifestyle. You can ask for more professional advice about insurance premiums by contacting an experienced agent.
How to Make the Switch
Let’s say you’re hooked on the benefits and savings you can have by living healthy; how do you make the switch? You don’t have to do anything major right away. As mentioned earlier, a healthy lifestyle is not an event but a process. So start simple.
You may switch coke and other soft drinks for water and natural juice. You can start by taking sugar out of your diet a bit and swapping them for natural and safer alternatives. You can even start by lessening the amount of alcohol you consume.
You can start exercising by just taking your dog for a walk or practicing meditation instead of staying in bed all day. You can even do yoga to balance your hormones and gain clarity. There are many ways to start living a healthy lifestyle, and you can start small.
Remember that a healthy lifestyle will not only help you get ahead in life, but you will also save thousands of dollars from hospital bills and higher insurance premiums. So make that switch and experience the benefits it can bring.
