A majority of medical expenditures in this country pay for
treatment of chronic conditions that are mostly
preventable. Unfortunately, most people don't take their
health seriously until after they get sick. Simply by
eating well and exercising, you can avoid the medical
conditions and expenses that affect the majority of
Americans, allowing the money in your Health Savings
Account (HSA) to continue growing tax-free.
Only You Can Prevent Heart Disease, Cancer, Diabetes…
Most of us go through our lives stuck in our lifestyle
patterns, with no idea of the power we have to positively
influence our own health. And so by the time we're in our
40's most of us are on at least one regular medication. By
the time we're in our 60's over 85% of all Americans have
at least one degenerative disease. And by the time we are
in our 70's we're dead.
But in fact, a majority of the diseases people suffer from
as they age are almost totally preventable.
- Cancer: Researchers from the National Cancer Institute
believe that 80-95% of all cancer cases are due to
environmental and lifestyle causes, and are thus
preventable. Diet may be involved in at least half of all
cancers, and one third of all cancers are linked to obesity.
- Dementia: Mark Houston, M.D., Medical Director at
Hypertension and Vascular Biology Institute at Saint Thomas
Hospital and Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee,
estimates that 95% of all dementia is preventable with a
lifestyle approach.
- Heart disease: Numerous studies indicate that 90% - 99%
of all heart disease may be preventable.
- Diabetes: One of the nation's most renowned health
researchers, Harvard University's Walter Willet, has
estimated that 92% of type-2 diabetes is preventable.
How to Eat
Probably the very most important factor that can positively
affect the health of most people is changing the way they
eat. There are many, mostly conflicting theories about what
kind of diet is the healthiest. In my opinion, the only one
that really makes sense is to eat according to the way we
evolved to eat.
The idea of "Paleolithic Nutrition" was first published in
the New England Journal of Medicine in 1985 in an article
by Dr. S. Boyd Eaton. Since then it has been popularized by
Loren Cordain, Ph.D., in his book, The Paleo Diet, and
studied by nutritional scientists all over the world. The
premise is simple: Our genes determine our nutritional
needs.
For over 2.5 million years, humans evolved as
hunter-gatherers, and the selective pressures of their
lifestyle and diet determined the genes that we have today.
Our genetic make-up is exquisitely tuned to function best
on the foods that we evolved to eat.
A mere 500 generations ago the Agricultural Revolution
brought sudden and dramatic change to our diets, and the
changes are continuing to this day. But our genes haven't
managed to keep pace with the change.
Today approximately 2/3 of the foods we eat were those
never encountered by our hunter-gatherer ancestors. The
result is high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease,
cancer, and a host of other ills that we should not have to
suffer.
While most of us do not have access to large wild game and
wild-harvested organic produce, the more closely we can
mimic the foods that our ancestors ate the better health we
will have. So simply base your meals around a lot of fruits
and vegetables, along with some lean protein.
You could start by eating eggs and cantaloupe for
breakfast. Lunch could consist of a large salad with
grilled chicken. For dinner have some wild salmon,
asparagus, and salad. Finish off the meal with a big bowl
of fresh blueberries.
Exercise
Everyone knows that exercise is good for them, but who
wants to spend an hour jogging everyday. (Some people do,
but most don't have the time or desire to go out jogging
for an hour every day). What does work to give you the
maximum benefit for the least amount of time is exercise
with intensity.
So if it's okay with your doctor, go out and exercise like
you mean it. Run wind sprints, lift weights, and exert
yourself. And get it done in 30 minutes or less. Combined
with the right diet, this kind of exercise will get the
most results for the least effort. You will gain more
muscle and lose more fat than if you were going out for
long slow jogs, and you'll feel great!
There are of course other factors that affect your health,
including stress, sleep, clean air and water, and even
genetics. But there's nothing you can do that will have
more impact than eating a good diet and being active.
So be proactive, with both your money and your health.
Take advantage of the incredible tax and wealth-building
benefits of an HSA by funding it fully every year. And
take the right lifestyle measures to avoid the preventable
diseases that affect most people as they age. Then in your
retirement, you can enjoy the good health and accumulated
wealth that you so rightly deserve.
----------------------------------------------------
By Wiley Long - President, HSA for America
(http://www.health--savings--accounts.com ) - The nation's
leading independent health insurance firm specializing in
individual and family coverage that work with Health
Savings Accounts.
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