What Is The Real Cost of Fitness?

Mar
10
2009

real cost of fitness cardiovascular disease chartThe U.S spends trillions of dollars on health care yet we’re not even among the top 20 countries at keeping our people healthful. Don’t know about you, but if I’m laying down my hard earned moolah, I better get what I pay for. In this case, that means I want a system that affords me great health and the energy to enjoy it.

The problem stems from what we’ve come to expect from health care.This system we refer to as “health care” is really based on disease care. Healthcare involves prevention. This system’s idea of prevention revolves around popping a pill or having something taken out of the body, or putting in something foreign. While medical drugs and emergency surgery save lives, their primary value comes after something has already broken down in the body.

The key(s) to health maintenance and prevention of disease involve respect for the natural laws of the body. These include movement, proper nourishment, rest/relaxation, and internal/external cleanliness.

In other words, if you want REAL health insurance, you need to exercise, eat correctly, sleep well, make time for relaxation, and cleanse regularly both internally (bowel movements) and externally. If your “insurance” strategy doesn’t include these components, prepare to pay the consequences. Maintaining emotional and spiritual balance helps keep the physical body fit. Likewise, keeping physically fit helps maintain emotional and mental health. The mind/body complex functions as one unit.

The current western model for healthcare sees the body as a segmented system.

You have medical specialists for each of the body’s organ systems including one for mental disorders. Yet the mind cannot be separated form the body and vice versa.

I often hear people complaining about the rising cost of healthcare.

Most of these people have placed their health completely in the hands our current system and refuse to be proactive and take responsibility for their own health. They figure it’s easier to pop the pill or vacuum the fat off their arteries and bodies.

From where I’m sitting, they don’t even have the right to complain.

To those that feel they have better ways to spend their dollars than to invest in their own health and fitness, take a look at the following.

Here’s a portion of an itemized hospital bill from one of our members who joined our bootcamp fitness, got himself in shape, and then in attempt to “cut expenses” stop coming to bootcamp. The economic stress coupled with lack of exercise and weight gain led to cardiovascular symptoms. He was admitted to the hospital for testing.

Here’s a small portion of the financial cost of his two day stay:

(I chose these items because they are commonly performed in a Cardiologist’s office as for a similar price.)

Thallium Stress Test: $2300.00

EKG Doppler: $1200.00

Carotid Doppler Study: $400.00

Lipid Profile: $30.00

Here alone the total is $3930.00

One item that stands out is: Aspirin -$15.00

Say what? What’s the cost of the whole bottle?

It gets broken down into the cost of the prescription, the aspirin, the plastic cup containing the aspirin, the nurse administering the aspirin. I wonder whether they calculated how many steps it took the nurse to get to his room. Ouch!!!

This represents a fraction of the financial cost which is actually greater when you factor time away from work. There is also a mental and emotional cost which often exceeds the financial. This story has a happy continuation as this member is back on track in a one on one program at our facility. We joked about how the total cost of his bill would afford him about 7 years of Bootcamp Fitness and the confidence to wear a lime green Speedo! (In retrospect, it’s not that funny). I’ve thanked him for allowing me to share his story which is more common than people care to admit.

About Robaina Boot Camp Fitness

Robaina Boot Camp Fitness gets you in the best shape of your life in just 30 minutes 3 times a week, guaranteed. Lose fat get lean and sexy fast at Miamis longest running most popular fitness bootcamp

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