Invest in your health NOW

As I have mentioned in my blogs and here before, if knowledge is power then what is more powerful than knowledge? It is habits. This is even more true when it comes to our health!

Most of us already know that if we just made the choices to stay active and fit, eat right and stop smoking or the like, we will have lesser medical expenses and headaches/problems later on .That is why our habits will almost always beat/overwrite our knowledge in this case.

There’s more to “investing in health” than the healthcare products/services; there’s fitness and eating right, but before that, let’s talk health products and programs first.

* HMO (Health Maintenance Organizations) – can be provided by your company (or voluntary); it is for my immediate needs and emergencies. In case of an illness of someone in my family, I can just bring the HMO card anywhere used it immediately as need arises. This benefit ceases when I reach my senior years, 60 or 65.

* Health Insurance – for my Critical Illness Benefits and partly the Hospitalization benefits that are attached to my investments and traditional plans. These benefits me up to my age 100.

* Phil-Health – for a minimum premium of 200 pesos per month, you get benefits for critical illness, in case me or a family member gets sick. If I don’t get sick, your contribution helps the government in its money pooling for all those who gets sick.

* Health Funds – there other private health funds out there that combines in one way or another the benefits above; these can be accessed to private companies or cooperatives.

Each of these has its advantages and disadvantages. But, these provide help in case of emergencies and uncertainties.

But what about health products? Although this MAY HELP, but I think this creates a psychological barrier for us to get fit and eat right since we just RELY on taking a pill. Just like my elders when eating Roasted Pig (Lechon), they make this excuse of.. “I’ll eat this even though it’s bad for me, then drink my meds immediately after.”

The real reason we don't exercise or eat right is our desire to avoid any experience of discomfort. People often say they don’t exercise because they have no time, but in the same breath talk about how much they want to get healthy. Our comforts will always be there, but if we step outside them once in a while, you'll find it's not so bad after all.

With that, here’s some inexpensive ways to get you started investing in YOUR health:

* Get good exercise shoes and use it – running is one of the more inexpensive ways to sweat out and burn calories.

* Eat more vegetables but also have a balanced diet– some lifestyle changes we can make on our own, but many require the expertise and guidance of a medical specialist.

* Get more sleep - This one costs nothing and can help promote better health, improved focus and productivity, happiness and more. Aim for 7-9 hours nightly. If it’s difficult to reach that goal, aim to get more sleep in small increments instead.

There’s one thing in the world you should be investing as much money as possible in to improve: YOURSELF! Mentally and Physically, after all YOU are your biggest asset.

The writer is an RFP® –Registered financial planner and helps people through CERTA, Inc.’s financial education programs, estate planning & investment advisory (www.certa.ph). He’s also a Real Estate Broker, author of the award-winning personal blog– www.vernongo.com; Vice Chair – www.cebu-content-creators.com