I wrote the following post in 2012, and again in 2016.
All of this is still so true, and I thought of this post after a conversation I was having with a client last week about the cost of medications, co-pays, etc. and he said that his membership at Spurling eliminates the need for all of that…so it actually saves him hundreds of dollars a month.
I reference my dad in the following post, unfortunately, my dad passed away in October of 2018 from heart failure.
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I'm getting ready to head down to Massachusetts to take my dad out to lunch for his 70th birthday.
Each year my brother and I take him to his favorite seafood spot on the waters of Gloucester, MA.
My dad was a big fisherman in his youth so he loves having lunch on the water.
For me, it's totally worth the two hour drive just for lunch to see the smile it puts on his face.
For most of us going out to lunch is a normal thing.
For my dad, and people whom are in similar situations (I'm sure you know someone), it's no small task.
We have to coordinate the trip around his dialysis days, make sure he brings his pills he has to take with meals, and my brother has to walk next to him the entire time to assure he doesn't fall.
Quite often when I'm around my dad, I ask myself, can you put a dollar sign on your health?
I bet you my dad would empty his accounts out yesterday if it could reverse his health issues of kidney failure, diabetes, congestive heart failure, and more.
But the truth is...he can't.
I realize I'm coming from a bias place when I say this, but I truly believe that investing in your health has the greatest return on investment.
By being active a couple hours a week and eating healthy NOW, you're buying yourself time, our most valuable asset. You're saving yourself YEARS of health costs, physical stress, and more importantly, emotional stress.
I've always found it interesting that people will spend $200 on a dinner out once a week, have a $500 car payment, or splurge on a new outfit, BEFORE investing in their health.
You can't change genetics, but next to that, health is the number one thing that determines how long you have on this earth. Investing in your health literally adds years to your life.
A healthy lifestyle makes the difference between miserable at 70 watching the fishermen, and someone being 70 driving their boat and going fishing.
In 2012 I wrote the original to this post…
I went over the costs my dad currently has for healthcare including insurance, prescriptions, CoPays, medical supplies, gas to doctors and dialysis, etc.
It totaled over $1300/month!
The sad thing is, growing up with him, I know most of that could have been avoided with a healthy lifestyle of not smoking, eating decent, and breaking a sweat a couple times a week.
So think about...
Can you really put a dollar sign on your health?
Eating healthy is hard, and for some, working out can be a challenge. You may think a gym membership is not in your budget.
But think about this...
My mom never saw my brother graduate high school, and she won’t see my brother or I get married. That’s something money can’t buy.
My dad spends the majority of his week in a doctor’s office. He drops thousands of dollars a month to keep himself alive.
In both instances, this wasn’t bad luck. It was directly linked to unhealthy life choices.
I didn’t write this to have you feel bad for me, trust me, I'm super fortunate to still have my dad around, and I know their are SO many people reading this who have gone through much worse.
I wrote this in hopes that you will read it, take my advice for what it’s worth, and realize that investing in your health has THE GREATEST return on investment.
You are given one life. Take care of your body, because you only get one of them, and your health, yeah your health, it’s priceless.
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I’ve been writing a blog, almost daily, since 2012 and that piece above is still, after all these years, one of the most popular pieces on our sites.
I’m not sure why?
Maybe it’s because numbers don’t lie.
Maybe it’s a wake up call for all of us about priorities.
Maybe' it’s because we can’t put a dollar sign on our health.
1% Better.
Dedicated to Your Success,
Doug Spurling