According to a recent study less than 3% of Americans live a consistently healthy lifestyle. While there are many reasons for this, finances continue to be a significant barrier. For example, “healthier foods are nearly three times more expensive calorie for calorie than less healthy foods.” This, coupled with the cost of gym memberships and more can easily dissuade someone from taking the plunge into following a healthier lifestyle.
However, it’s also important to note that being unhealthy can also incur its own costs, especially in the form of medical bills. For example, the CDC estimates “a 10% weight loss could reduce an overweight person’s lifetime medical costs by $2,2000 to $5,300.” Unhealthy habits, such as smoking, can also run up monthly expenses.
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With that in mind, here are some simple ways in which you can begin to follow a healthy lifestyle on a budget.
Workout from home.
If the cost of a gym membership or exercise classes are preventing you from working out, it’s important to note that similar results can be achieved from the comfort of your own home. For example, there are plenty of free workouts on YouTube and similar sites that you can incorporate into your daily routine.
Understand what your body needs.
Cravings are one of the biggest reasons we tend to ‘give in’ when switching to a healthy diet. However, learning to understand what we’re really craving can be instrumental in improving our diet. For example, if you’re craving chocolate, it’s likely that your body is craving fast carbohydrates and sugars, which can also be found in rice cakes and dried fruits. The more you broaden your understanding of this, the easier it will be to create more nutritional (and budget-friendly) meals for your family. You’ll also reduce the amount of money you spend on snacks.
Drink more water.
Drinking more water is good for your health in many different ways. For example, it can help improve your body’s immunity, helping you to fight off sickness. It can also ensure you get more sleep, and boost brain function. As a result, one of the easiest ways in which you can better your health is by drinking more water. You could take this to the next step by working with Water Treatment Companies in your local area to ensure your home has access to clean, filtered water. This will not only improve the taste of your water, but ensure that it is free from any contaminants!
Grow your own fruit and vegetables.
There are many benefits associated with growing your own fruits and vegetables – after all, in doing so you’re learning a valuable skill and becoming a little more sustainable in your daily life. However, it can also be a great way to stick within your monthly budget as you’re cutting down on the amount of money you spend at the grocery stores. As fruit and veg are often considered to be some of the more expensive forms of produce, this is a great way to ensure that you aren’t missing out.