Page 22 - Workbook3E

2 Health
We discussed earlier the importance of good health; now we’ll discuss the cost. Health care costs for the average American family are a major expense, and consume a large part of your spending plan. Any steps you take to maintain better health will also definitely influence your financial freedom and quality of life.
Health Maintenance—You need to be concerned with maintaining and repairing the health of you and your loved ones. The human body is a marvelous machine. And like all machines, it’s easier and less expensive to maintain than to repair it when it breaks down.
Unfortunately in our fast-paced society, it’s easy to forget
or think we’re too busy to maintain our health. But if we don’t—eventually we have to stop everything to recover from preventable illness, and get well. Then you not only deal with the high cost of medical care, but pain and suffering, loss of work, and a definite decline in your quality of life. An ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure.
It’s no mystery. It comes down to the principles we discussed earlier, feeling good or bad. Good health is
the result of correct, healthy living. The problem is your marvelous body is so good at adjusting and covering up for the mistakes of an unhealthy lifestyle—sometimes
you don’t know you’ve got a problem until it’s critical. Poor health typically comes from poor health practices. Symptoms can take years to surface, and then it’s much more difficult and costly to treat. You life is precious, and your health is the very essence of your quality of life. Take care of it or lose it!
Good health maintenance is based on a few simple principles:
1. Good, consistent nutrition.
2. Proper and frequent exercise.
3. Prompt response to your body’s warning signs, natural cycles, and needs.
4. Avoid practices that hurt you or cause your amazing machine to break down.
5. Get regular checkups by qualified health professionals.
Efforts you make to improve your health habits will bring the lasting benefit of a longer, more enjoyable life.
“The poorest man would not part with health for money, but the richest would gladly part with all their money for health.”
~ C.C. Colton
18 Workbook 3: Prepare for the Future