It’s a stock saying, but it bears repeating: take care of your health. It’s really all you have. When it comes to money, a healthy person can save money and make and manage money.
Yes, health care can be expensive. I live in a place where many of my health care expenses are covered, and with several chronic health conditions I still pay hundreds of dollars a month for health care. If I didn’t have these health conditions, I’d be much more flexible in terms of job choice and the amount of money I need to make. If you’re healthy, staying that way is one of the best financial choices you can make.
Your health impacts your ability to work. If you’re not feeling good, you’re not as productive at work. You’re tired, you can’t concentrate, and you may be irritable. Your health may impact your ability to do physical work, even if that physical work is working at a computer.
How can you safeguard your ability to make money? By working to maintain good health! And how can you do that?
Sleep. Yes, I can hear the laughter. After a number of years of being sleep-deprived, I’m rediscovering the joys of sleeping the amount that I need to. In my case, that’s about 8 hours a night. It might seem like a lot, but I find that I wake up vigorous and happy and I am efficient during the day when I get enough sleep. Not enough sleep, and I am a sluggish worker and a grouchy mom. Over time, sleep debt makes it hard for you to focus and your efficiency drops. That’s bad for your bottom line as well. Who can make good money decisions when your brain doesn’t work?
Rest. Take a little bit of down time. This helps you pause and think about your money priorities. What is really important to you and your family? Get off the treadmill and think about it before you jump right back on.
Eat and drink well. Put in good fuel for your body. This time of the year I can feel my brain get slower when I eat fatty and carbohydrate-dense foods. Balance them out with large quantities of fruits and vegetables.
Take care of yourself. Keep a budget for doctors’ visits and regularly scheduled maintenance. For me, my regularly scheduled visit to the chiropractor keeps me from a world of pain every month. It’s something that I can’t afford not to do, because when I avoid it I have to rely on painkillers to get me through the weeks, and I am grouchy and get nothing done.
How do you safeguard your best asset – your health?