Helping Your Health Without Hurting Your Wallet
Your closet does not have to be full of expensive clothes for you to afford a whole and healthy lifestyle. There are plenty of ways you can enjoy the same benefits that money buys (and more) and still have enough leftover at the end of each month to pay your bills. From learning how to cook at home to grabbing the Groupons while they are available, the following tips will help you live your best life from the inside out.
Find Discounts
A reduced price doesn’t mean that something has less value than before. Sometimes, it points to an overabundance of a specific product. Seasonal fruits and vegetables is a prime example. You will pay less for things like apples, squash, and tomatoes in the early fall than when they are not readily available locally. The Budget Mom blog notes further that winter brings an abundance of pears, broccoli, lemons, and mushrooms. Learn how to cook with seasonally available ingredients, and you can shave hundreds of dollars off of your nutrition budget each year.
There are plenty of other ways to save, too. Groupon is an extremely popular website that offers heavily discounted services on everything from gym memberships to meal delivery. You can even find great deals on fitness equipment, massage therapy, acupuncture, and other ways to reach your healthy lifestyle goals, and you can use Groupon codes and coupons to save even more. Further, if you have an Aldi in your area, you can dine on premium foods without the premium price.
Exercise Does Not Have to Happen at the Gym
You know that diet and exercise are the two most crucial components to living well. But what you may not realize is that the exercise piece of this equation doesn’t look the same to everyone. If you can’t afford a $2,400 gym membership or $1,800 for Pilates classes, don’t despair. There are plenty of other ways to work your body without lightening your wallet. Hiking is the perfect example of a free workout that is both effective and enjoyable. You can find plenty of public trails available no matter where you live. In the San Francisco area, there are many mild-to-moderate trails that will boost your health while serving the dual purpose of introducing you to the sites and sounds of your hometown you may not have seen.
Did you know that if you’re a senior, you may be eligible for a free membership to fitness facilities near you? Many seniors enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan have access to the SilverSneakers fitness program which gives seniors membership to thousands of participating gyms around the country.
Skip the Pharmaceuticals
Have a headache? Hormone imbalance? Don’t rush straight to the doctor to deal with these issues. While modern medicine is certainly valuable, there are many holistic and natural remedies for these and other ailments. Lavender oil, acupressure, peppermint oil, ginger, and yoga are all proven to ease migraine pain, according to Healthline’s Annette McDermott. You won’t have to pay a copay to find relief, and the vast majority of holistic treatments are considerably less expensive than their chemically concocted counterparts.
Sleep Is Life
You have seen T-shirts with the saying, “Sleep Is Life.” That’s not just hyperbole, as sleep – and the lack of – has a huge impact on our health. Dr. Ann E. Rogers of Harvard notes that poor sleep, coupled with a terrible diet and deficit of exercise, contributes directly to cardiovascular disease, obesity, and other health conditions you would rather not have. Remember, sleep is not a luxury, but the most valuable gift you can give yourself – and considering that it is free, you can’t afford not to claim your eight hours each night.
The size of your wallet does not dictate the level of health that you should enjoy. You can afford to treat yourself well whether it means eating seasonal foods, proudly logging into your favorite discount sites, or simply going to bed an hour early. By focusing on the things that really matter to your body, you can keep yourself healthy natural and affordable.
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