Physical Health Goals That Will Improve Your Financial Well-being
Aug 31, 2020
There is a strong correlation between financial situation and health situation for most US citizens. When one comes to getting worse, the other one immediately follows. There are many situations: you get ill, and you have to visit a doctor, immediately your budget lowers, just as your health did. The vice-versa case is not rare: you get a heavy credit, and, the next moment, the stress of repaying it affects your nervous system, causing health problems.
Even if you have never thought about personal finance and health in that way, we are here to tell you that you can turn the liaison between the two into a win-win situation for both markers. All you have to do is take a paper and start drawing your goals in both domains. Here is how to do it!
Eat Healthier!
Yes, restaurants cook a huge variety of delicious meals. However, it is mostly the unhealthy ingredients that bring out the perfect taste: food preservatives, huge amounts of salt, grease, sugar, etc. By bringing your favorite going-out meal into your kitchen, you will considerably decrease cholesterol, sodium, and calories in your body and increase your pocket assets. Moreover, a nice walk to the local market can brighten up the mood for the entire day, and you will be supporting small businesses as well: a goal with exclusively positive outcomes.
Take More Steps!
The average person has to walk 8,000 steps daily, which equals around one hour of relaxed walking. One hour may seem quite challenging to do all at once, so let’s break it into 30-minute walks. If you leave your car at home, you can easily manage 4,000 steps to your workplace and 4,000 steps back. Still too difficult? Take the car, but park it further away from the bureau. Now you will have 15 minutes to the office, 15 minutes back, and another set of two quarters for the lunch break. It is feasible, but over several months you will get so used to the physical activity, you will altogether drop the idea of going by transport.
Firstly, you will increase the amount of movement, beneficial for the muscles, lungs, and blood system. Secondly, you will stop spending incredible amounts of money on gas or public transport, and your wallet will be thanking you as well. Pro tip: if you do not like walking or there is a health issue stopping you from doing it, you can always hop on a bike and do the same!
Quit the Vice!
It is no news that smoking and excessive drinking are deteriorating your body at a high rate. Besides being the obvious poison for your body, nicotine and large quantities of alcohol are also a vice for your financial health. A basic math exercise can show how much it impacts your assets.
A Marlboro Red 20 pack costs around 8 US dollars. An average smoker, not even a heavy one, will finish the package in 2 days. Therefore, in a year, he will spend roughly 1,460 US dollars on cigarettes, which equals a two-month rent of a decent home for most American regions. Because you are already used to this kind of daily spending, it does not seem much; therefore, if you quit smoking and still put aside the usual amount of 8 US dollars aside, by the next New Year’s Eve, you will find yourself a little present for being healthy: 1.5k!
Physical health is not something to be achieved; it is something to be kept; moreover, when you have the financial stability goal set at the same time!
About the Author
Elaine Rockney, PharmD, MBA, is Senior Vice President, Consulting with ARMSRx. ARMSRx is a pharmacy benefit consulting firm with the mission to align the PBM's business objectives with the payor's benefit goals. ARMSRx delivers intellectual capital. Elaine has 15 years of experience within PBMs, performing in both clinical and operational executive roles.
