There are lots of stresses and pressures to living life on a low income, and living a long and healthy life is a challenge. Statistics show that life expectancy is lower in deprived areas, for example, according to research, “men are 4.4 times more likely to die at the age of 44 in the most deprived 10 percent of neighbourhoods”. But even though this is the average, if you are living on a low income this doesn’t have to be you, here are some ways to buck the trend and be healthy.
Eat Fresh & Healthy
Diet is a major factor in poor health and it’s often cited that low income makes eating healthy difficult as it’s often cheaper to eat junk food. But this is only partially true, it’s definitely the case that junk food is cheaper than pre-prepared or convenience healthy food. However, if you are cooking from scratch it’s really not that expensive to make simple and healthy meals, even with a relatively low level of culinary ability. On issue can be finding the time to cook every night, so maybe consider batch cooking at the weekend, freezing the meals and using them during the week or the month.
Exercise Often
Exercise is one of the best ways to reduce your chance of heart conditions and stroke as you get older. But isn’t it expensive to join a gym or do exercise classes? Unfortunately, the simple answer to this is yes it’s expensive, but there are other ways to stay fit. Jogging, hiking, and cycling are all free and if you are lucky enough to live in an area that has nice weather then you’re sorted. There are also phone apps that can give you pre-planned workouts, such as planking routines.
Be Aware Of Available Benefits
As you age, and especially as you reach retirement age you need to be aware of what government assistance is available as you are most likely losing your health insurance as you leave your employment. You will need to know if you are getting Medicare, also if you are still working and are going to get other assistance, such as Obamacare, then know when the 2020 Open Enrollment Period for health insurance is.
Avoid Bad Lifestyle Choices
It’s important to make good lifestyle choices. In addition to the good diet and exercise we’ve already spoken about, it’s key to not undo all of that good work by drinking a lot, smoking or taking recreational drugs. It’s easy when running around, working a lot and living a high-stress lifestyle to fall into these bad habits.
Budget Well
The key to making all of this work is budgeting, as if you don’t budget then you are going to face boredom and frustration and this is often the key to making bad lifestyle choices.
It’s not easy but with a bit of planning you can see that leading a healthy lifestyle is possible even on a low income.
