The $15,000 Reason You Can’t Skip Your Workout

People cancel their gym memberships because they think it’s saving them $50 a month. They buy processed junk food because it is cheaper than fresh produce. They skip annual physicals because they are too busy.

I see this all the time, and it drives me crazy. Because if you think staying fit is expensive, wait until you see the sick bill.

In fact, letting your life be a financial disaster waiting to happen. The costs of a chronic illness will drain your bank accounts faster than any paid fitness class.

The real price of doing nothing

We often delude ourselves into believing that neglecting our health is a cost-saving measure. That’s not the case.

Researchers at the University of Georgia looked at the data and found that physical inactivity leads to $192 billion in annual health care costs in the United States alone. Immobile people collect the highest medical bills.

If you don’t exercise, you are inviting chronic conditions into your life.

For example, take cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association reports that the average health care cost per person for heart disease is $13,000. If you have a condition like this, you don’t just pay for a few visits to the doctor. You pay for specialists, constant monitoring, and expensive prescription drugs.

Where thousands of dollars go

You may be wondering how a lack of eligibility translates into $10,000 or more being left out of your pocket. It happens faster than you think.

• A catastrophic hospital stay: A single emergency room visit or hospital admission can eliminate savings. According to federal data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the average cost of an inpatient hospital stay related to heart disease is nearly $15,000.
• Lifetime instructions: If you are diagnosed with a chronic, lifestyle-related disease such as type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure, you are usually on lifelong medication. Even with good insurance, the out-of-pocket costs of these drugs add up to thousands of dollars over a decade.
• Lost income and productivity: It’s hard to make ends meet when you’re too sick to work. Poor health leads to missed days, low energy, and forced early retirement. You don’t just spend money on health care; you lose the ability to make money. And speaking of retirement, health care could cost you more than $172,000 if you stop working.

How to live without spending a lot of money

You don’t need a $2,000 exercise bike or a private chef to stay out of the hospital. You just need to move your body and pay attention to what you eat.

If you’re worried about the upfront costs of getting healthy, there are many ways to budget. You can easily find smart ways to save on a gym membership or learn how to get fit on your own.

If you have a health plan with a high deductible, you can use a health savings account to pay for eligible medical expenses with pre-tax dollars. (Related: See “How to Get the Most Out of Your Life Savings Account.”)

The bottom line is simple. You can invest a little time and money in your life today, or you can pay off a huge medical bill tomorrow. I know which one to choose.