4 Ways To Get Fit For Spring… AND Lower
Your Insurance Costs At The Same Time
Keeping healthy is the surest way to cut back on your healthcare
spending.
And with Americans paying more than ever out of their own
pocket for healthcare (43.1% of families spent over $2,000
in 2003, and 14.3% spent over $5,000), now’s a great
time to start protecting your health and your wallet.
Get on track to looking better, feeling better, AND saving
money with these four healthy steps:
1. Stop smoking
Smoking is still the country’s leading cause of
preventable death. When you quit you lower your risk for
lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, and respiratory diseases.
Even if you’ve been a pack-a-day smoker for 20 years,
it only takes one year of quitting for any smoker’s
risk of heart disease to go down significantly. The sooner
you quit, the greater the health advantages will be.
Once you can prove you’ve been tobacco-free for a
certain amount time, your insurance company may be able to
lower your premium. But don’t expect them to do it
without asking.
Talk to your insurance agent or benefits advisor about getting
a better rate for staying smoke-free.
2. Exercise
Over half of U.S. adults don’t
get the minimum amount of daily exercise they need to fend
off obesity and costly chronic diseases.
According to government recommendations, all you need is
30 minutes of moderate physical activity at least 5 days
a week to stay healthy.
Moderate exercise is the key to maintaining a healthy
weight and helping you shed extra pounds. If you’re on the
heavy side, just losing 5 – 10% of your current weight
is all it takes to decrease your risk of chronic disease.
If you can’t fit 30 minutes of exercise into your
day, try breaking it up into 10 minute sessions. You’ll
still get the same benefits of a longer workout.
And you don’t have to run a marathon to get in shape.
You can burn serious calories with everyday activities
like walking briskly, gardening, raking leaves, or washing
your car.
3. Eat healthier
Eating fruits and vegetables can help you manage a healthy
weight. They fill you up without the extra calories, saturated
fats or cholesterol, and give you the disease-fighting vitamins
lacking from too many American diets.
A healthy diet helps fight diabetes, heart disease, certain
cancers, stroke and more. Nutritionists recommend limiting
the calories consumed a day, and sticking to healthy foods
like whole grains, lean meats, beans, fruits and vegetables.
4. Practice wellness care
Too many people wait until they’re sick to go to the
doctor. The problem is that it’s way more expensive
to treat a full-blown illness than prevent it.
Protect your health by getting preventative screenings.
Have your cholesterol and blood pressure checked yearly so
you can address a problem when it first appears.
Check your health insurance policy. Many plans cover preventative
doctor check ups even if you haven’t met your yearly
deductible.
"It's great to develop healthy habits, and it's never
too late to start," says Health and Human Services Secretary
Mike Leavitt. "We know even small steps can make
a big difference and lead to a more rewarding life."
Changing your lifestyle now can make you more fit and
keep you out of the hospital – leading to big medical
savings down the road.
Healthy Resources:
Help quitting smoking:
https://www.smokefree.gov
https://www.quitnet.com
https://www.cancer.org
Eating healthier:
https://www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines/
https://www.mypyramid.gov
Exercise information:
https://www.healthierus.gov/exercise.html
*This article is provided for educational and informational
purposes only. We are not licensed medical professionals
and this information should not be substituted for professional
medical advice. Please seek the advice of a healthcare professional
regarding your own personal situation. |
