Want To Save $2500 Per Year? Try Exercising!

Some people cite the cost of a gym membership as a deterrent to engaging in regular exercise. Others avoid the gym as it may seem overwhelming or intimidating for those unfamiliar with the equipment or environment. But joining a gym is not the only way to engage in exercise, and regardless of the setting, everyone should be focusing on incorporating regular exercise into their weekly routines. The American Heart Association currently advises engaging in at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity five days a week, or at least 25 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity three days a week, or a combination of the two. Of primary importance to adding exercise are the health benefits: better cardiovascular health, weight management, blood sugar control, and on and on. But it could also be a tool to help save you money year after year.

A new study finds that the average adult with heart disease who exercises regularly can save $2,500 annually in health care costs. Even healthy people without heart troubles can expect to save about $500 per year by working out regularly, the report found. The study tracked 2012 data from more than 26,000 Americans aged 18 and older. Nearly one-third of those with heart disease and half of those without heart disease said they met standard guidelines for weekly moderate-to-vigorous exercise. As expected, those with heart disease did have higher overall healthcare costs, but those who followed the aforementioned AHA exercise recommendations averaged $2500 less than those who did not. Among people with no heart disease and a maximum of just one heart disease risk factor, the average yearly medical costs were about $500 less than for those who didn't exercise.

Aside from the advantages of improving one’s health with the addition of exercise, the big picture takeaway from the study was the health savings costs that could be lessened over the course of a lifetime. Even the high risk group from the study reported a much lower risk of being hospitalized, having an emergency room visit and or having to use more prescription medications. The researchers estimated that if just 20 percent of inactive heart disease patients met exercise goals, it could save the United States several billion dollars a year in health care costs. For the purpose of the study, moderate exercise included activity such as fast walking, lawn mowing, or heavy cleaning. Vigorous workouts included running or race walking, lap swimming or aerobics.

Health and fitness goals may vary from person to person, but the bottom line is clear: regular exercise can benefit not only your overall health, moods and ability to function on a daily basis, but it can offer a big benefit to your wallet and bank account as well.

Lean For Life!

Maintaining a healthy body weight throughout your life could help you live longer while the other end of the spectrum, carrying excess body fat, might do the opposite. Now, this hardly seems monumentally news-breaking given the amount of research we have that links obesity to numerous health-related conditions that decrease mortality. But maybe it is a good thing that researchers continue to probe these relationships as it seems that quite a large portion of our population still hasn’t made it a priority to keep their weight under control. Not only does it affect the individual from a personal health perspective, but it also affects everyone from the standpoints of increased medical costs and dollars being spent on diseases that are largely preventable with proper lifestyle modification.

In one study from Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, U.S. scientists found that slim people had the lowest risk of dying over a 15-year period -- 12 percent for women and 20 percent for men. Meanwhile, obese men and women had the highest risk -- 20 percent for women and 24 percent for men. The underlying effect here is that preventing obesity may also prevent its consequences, which include diabetes and heart disease. The data collected from 116,000 participants in 2 prior health studies showed that people who maintain the leanest body shape have the lowest risk of dying prematurely. Participants were asked to recall their body shape at ages 5, 10, 20, 30 and 40. They also provided their weight at 50. They were followed from age 60 over an average of 15 to 16 years. In addition, participants completed questionnaires on lifestyle and health every two years and on diet every four years.

Another group of researchers analyzed 230 previously published studies that included more than 30 million people and nearly 4 million deaths. What they found was that among people who never smoked, the leanest lived the longest, and that gaining weight over time was linked with higher risks of premature death. While this also underscored the mortality risk that one incurs from smoking, it did reinforce the importance of weight management throughout life.

Ideally, the process should start early since adult obesity could be prevented by managing weight in childhood and adolescence. Once good habits are set at an early age, it is more likely that they will continue on in adulthood, when losing weight becomes less easy than it was during the younger years. Therefore, parents need to help instill good eating practices in their children while also setting a good example by the diets they eat themselves. And if those practices are repeated generation by generation, we just may see a decline in obesity related deaths and health issues. Lean and healthy is the way to go!

Lean For Life!

Maintaining a healthy body weight throughout your life could help you live longer while the other end of the spectrum, carrying excess body fat, might do the opposite. Now, this hardly seems monumentally news-breaking given the amount of research we have that links obesity to numerous health-related conditions that decrease mortality. But maybe it is a good thing that researchers continue to probe these relationships as it seems that quite a large portion of our population still hasn’t made it a priority to keep their weight under control. Not only does it affect the individual from a personal health perspective, but it also affects everyone from the standpoints of increased medical costs and dollars being spent on diseases that are largely preventable with proper lifestyle modification.

In one study from Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, U.S. scientists found that slim people had the lowest risk of dying over a 15-year period -- 12 percent for women and 20 percent for men. Meanwhile, obese men and women had the highest risk -- 20 percent for women and 24 percent for men. The underlying effect here is that preventing obesity may also prevent its consequences, which include diabetes and heart disease. The data collected from 116,000 participants in 2 prior health studies showed that people who maintain the leanest body shape have the lowest risk of dying prematurely. Participants were asked to recall their body shape at ages 5, 10, 20, 30 and 40. They also provided their weight at 50. They were followed from age 60 over an average of 15 to 16 years. In addition, participants completed questionnaires on lifestyle and health every two years and on diet every four years.

Another group of researchers analyzed 230 previously published studies that included more than 30 million people and nearly 4 million deaths. What they found was that among people who never smoked, the leanest lived the longest, and that gaining weight over time was linked with higher risks of premature death. While this also underscored the mortality risk that one incurs from smoking, it did reinforce the importance of weight management throughout life.

Ideally, the process should start early since adult obesity could be prevented by managing weight in childhood and adolescence. Once good habits are set at an early age, it is more likely that they will continue on in adulthood, when losing weight becomes less easy than it was during the younger years. Therefore, parents need to help instill good eating practices in their children while also setting a good example by the diets they eat themselves. And if those practices are repeated generation by generation, we just may see a decline in obesity related deaths and health issues. Lean and healthy is the way to go!

In Health, 

Dr. Brad Niewierowksi