Let’s be academic about this and see if we can assign some sort of monetary value to our personal health.
We already know that good health is one of the most valuable aspects of our life. By comparing our health with one or two other highly valuable areas of life maybe we can determine where good health ranks on the list.
Time and money are also highly valued and they are tangible so we can use them for our comparison. None of us knows how long we will live but we do know that, rich or poor we all get 24 hours a day. The average workday is eight hours, which is one third of our daily allotment. If we sleep eight hours a day then the average workday actually consumes half of our waking hours.
Most people are willing to sell that half to their employer because the money they earn has a direct bearing on the their entire life. Money makes it possible to provide the necessities of life such as food, shelter and clothing and perhaps a little extra. So in this oversimplified scenario we exchange about one half of our available time for money because it adds significantly to the quality of our life.
If we lose our health however, it affects not just a portion of our life but our entire daily allotment, all 24 hours of it.
Poor health creates a financial burden that can quickly erase what ever we may have acquired through years of hard work. On top of the loss, a catastrophic health challenge can also put us in dept for the rest of our life. Poor health can also render us physically unable to work thus eliminating our ability to rebuild our former lifestyle. Taken to extremes, poor health can even rob us of our sleep making it almost impossible to rebuild our health to its former level.
Now that we have established the all encompassing value of good health we should consider the cost. Does a healthy lifestyle cost more then than an unhealthy one on a day-to-day basis?
Actually, it is more a case of re-appropriation of funds rather than added expense.
Yes, organic produce is more expensive than commercially grown produce. At the same time, eliminating or reducing the amount of junk food we buy will easily make up for the increased expense incurred by healthy food choices.
What about exercise? Well a brisk walk every day will cost you 20-30 minutes. Statistics suggest that the average person in developed countries spends between three and seven hours a day watching TV. Could you afford to buy out 20-30 minutes from that or some other fruitless endeavor?
We could keep going with this line of reasoning but I am sure you get the point by now. A few minor adjustments in our lifestyle choices can have a huge impact on the quality and quantity of our daily lives 24/7, now and for years to come.
So what is your answer to our opening question, how much is your health worth?
Jonathan Wells is on a quest to eliminate the confusion and frustration surrounding the field of personal health and well being. Want to learn how you can take control of your own health? Sign up for a trial subscription to his informative newsletter without cost or obligation at
http://www.CreatingPowerfulHealth.com
Tags: good health, health, Healthy, personal health, poor health, real health, value
