“The greatest wealth is health.” – Virgil

So, what’s your long-term game plan? Where are you going to be in 10 years? 20? 40? Are you investing now for a future of high returns, or are you over-drawn? And, yes, we’re talking about your health.

I’d argue that many people think more about their money than they do their general wellness, but at the end of the road, which would you really prefer?  What is good is all the money in the world if you’re too sick or in too much pain to really enjoy it?  In the end, your health is really your true wealth. Without it, disease becomes an unfortunate distraction that makes it much harder to provide for yourself and your family, harder to become prosperous, harder to achieve your dreams, and harder to enjoy retirement.

Investing in your health is like putting money in a bank. You’re saving for the future, and every choice you make is either a deposit or a withdrawal. That exercise you did – it’s a deposit. The donut you ate – a withdrawal. Unfortunately, too many people think of their health as out of their control, a byproduct of bad luck or bad genes. “It runs in my family,” some would say. But you have more power than you know.

Healthy aging isn’t just a matter of family history. The vast majority of the chronic health issues people suffer from really stem from the choices, deposits or withdrawals, they make in their life. And, essentially, disease occurs when you become overdrawn. The good news is, even with a health bankruptcy, your body has an amazing ability to heal, and climbing back out of that hole is often possible with the right decisions. It just requires a little savings, investing again in the promise of better health.
Of course, the best time to think about contributing to your health is when things are good. Start the funding for your future health with small deposits of good choices every day while you can. Sadly, when the good times are good is usually when people think about their health the least, and they crash when their balance is depleted.

It only takes a little time each day, though. Some vitamins. A thirty minute walk. Salad instead of a burger. Water instead of soda. Fasting if you’re not really in the mood to eat. An adjustment once every few weeks. Set aside those little amounts of attention and you’ll reap the rewards of better health as you age.

Be Well.