Stay Healthy is not as Expensive as You Think

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Stay fit and healthy in crisis economy era is not easy. Doctor cost a bunch of money, while fitness center class is definitely not cheap. Then, is there any other way that is less cost to stay fit and healthy? Because every time you got sick, you will need a lot of money to get health. But the good news is, you don’t need spend that a lot just to stay healthy.

According to Steven Blair, PhD, a professor of University of South Carolina as quoted from WebMD, you don’t need spend a large amount of money to be a member of fitness center club only to get regular exercise and stay healthy.

What you have to do is having activities about 150 minutes each week. Small activities such as walking, gardening, or doing homework helps your body stay fit and healthy and it also reduces the risk of being sick.

Another healthy alternative is to consume healthy and low-cost foods such as beans, nuts, cereal, or frozen vegetables.

“Frozen vegetables contain better nutrition as it is frozen after being harvested. This makes the antioxidant substance higher than fresh vegetables that are wilted or damaged easily,” explained the harvest expert, Allyson Mitchell, a PhD from the University of California.

Cooking at home is also a healthy alternative that should be cheaper than eating out. A survey proved that people who often eat at home less affected by obesity than those who frequently eat out.

But if you've been prescribed medication by doctors and thought you could be cured simply by eating healthy foods or exercise, you are wrong. A survey shows that 7 percent of doctors prescriptions have never been redeemed by the patient because they don’t have money or too lazy to redeem it.

"Patients usually choose not to take medication if the conditions are not bad as high blood pressure, cholesterol or diabetes type 2. But despite the condition is not dangerous, for long time it can be deadly," said Mitchell.

If the economic problems stress you out, keep your body out of stress. "If you're stressed because of sitting for hours, then try to move your body and find ways to relieve stress such as using breathing techniques, relaxation or watching a funny movie," said Lee Berk, PhD, a psychologist from the Loma Linda University, California.