By Paul Owens CPT-NCSF
Personal Training in Cleveland. Thanks for visiting. Today I want to write about a topic that is on many people's minds...the rising cost of health care. If you are like most Americans you have probably noticed the increasing strain of health care costs on your wallet. Health care costs continue to go up every year disproportionately to the increase in the average Americans wages. Outside of political activism there is little that the average person can do to combat these increasing costs. If you are self employed, you no doubt realize how difficult it is to obtain affordable health insurance. If you work for a major corporation, you have probably noticed over the years that while your benefits stay the same or even go down, you seem to pay the same or likely even more each year in premiums. It is easy to feel helpless and frustrated in this predicament, but we do have some means of improving our situation; namely diet and exercise.
There are numerous reasons to work out and eat well, but one of the most significant reasons for any person should be increased quality and quantity of life. Sound diet and exercise have been shown to deter or prevent numerous health problems. Working out releases chemicals in your brain which literally make you feel better. Combine this with improved self image and self esteem and it's easy to see how this could eventually help a person make the move to get off of antidepressant medication with of course their doctor's approval. Working out and wise eating habits can also prevent life threatening events such as heart attacks and help people who have diabetes get the disease more under their control. If those are not good enough reasons, consider for a moment that I have seen many of my clients get off of medications that they have in some cases been on for years. Some of the medications I have seen people get off of (with their doctor's approval) are pain medications, cholesterol lowering medications, antidepressants, and sleeping medications. Again, if the idea alone of getting off of a medication does not entice you, consider for a moment how much these medications will cost you over your life in terms of dollars alone.
Consider for a moment that when it comes to working out, an ounce of prevention may be worth a ton of cure. You alone have the ability to put in that ounce of prevention. Working out just a half hour a day may be the very thing that helps you prevent a future heart attack, help fight depression, boost your immune system, give you more energy to have fun with your family and friends, and extend the length and quality of your life. All this, while ultimately improving your health and therefore lowering your overall lifelong medical expenses.
Some people are concerned with the costs of gym memberships and/or personal training. It is understandable that some people are simply trying to get by day to day. I am a firm believer however that each dollar spent on health and fitness will have many times a return over the course of a persons life. Some company's and health insurance providers now even reimburse their employees and clients for fitness club memberships and personal training sessions. These organizations have figured out that if a person works out and engages in a healthy lifestyle now, that will save on health care costs and result in happier employees all around. If these organizations are willing to put their money on this, you can bet there is strong evidence to support that this is true.
In closing, I want to make the point that in today's world, we unfortunately are limited in what we can do to lower the rising cost of health care. But remember, you can control many aspects of your health through diet and exercise and thereby lower your health care costs throughout your life. Always consult your physician prior to going off of any medications and prior to engaging in any physical fitness program. If you would ever like to get in touch with me for training, you can always reach me at http://www.paulowens.org. You can also get in touch with me at paulspersonaltraining@gmail.com. Thanks and happy training.
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