If you’ve been lamenting the cost of beef, milk, or cereal, you are not alone. The cost of everything continues to climb. And while most of us recognize that the cost of our health care is increasing in the form of higher deductibles or monthly paycheck deductions, we might not think about just how expensive illness is until the moment someone is actively ill. There are the costs of office visits to specialists, increased diagnostic testing, additional medications, and various therapies. People can and do go bankrupt from paying for their health care.
So if the idea of spending money on wellness to prevent or minimize the severity of illness sounds wasteful, it might not be when compared to all the costs associated with disease.
But where do you start if you are thinking about devoting more of your budget to your overall wellness? How much should you spend, and where should you spend it?
Build up your basics
Believe it or not, it is possible to enhance one’s wellness without spending a dime. Terri Paige, CEO and co-founder of Medical Transformation Center, says that improving your sleep and doing resistance exercises (such as squats or planks) are the low-hanging fruits of wellness that can make a big difference in your overall health and quality of life.
But if you have several hundred dollars to spend, Terri says, “I would tell them to clean up their diet. Spend that money on better quality food.” Buying more fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables and whole grains and spending less on ultra-processed food would be a great way to use one’s windfall on wellness.
By Carrie Vittitoe
P.S. Here are some ideas for preparing healthy meals.
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