Top Reasons You Should Start to Optimize Your Health Today

We all know that we should optimize our health and wellness however possible. However, few people pay attention to why healthy living is important—it’s just something we should do, and so we do.

Still, there’s more to a healthy lifestyle than a general expectation. Health optimization, and the healthy life that comes with it, can bring about a whole host of benefits, promoting good health and wellness over a lifetime and even helping you save money on your medical needs over time.

Decrease your risk factors.

Trying to optimize health and wellness typically comes down to one of two goals: decreasing the risk of health issues or increasing the benefits that come with a greater quality of life.

Often, this optimization’s most obvious benefit is in decreasing the risk of serious disease or injury. For instance, consider immunizations, a common form of preventive medicine. You get a vaccination and any applicable boosters to minimize your chances of getting a particular disease or medical condition. The same is true of the other elements of your health optimization treatment plan—each element of healthy living means a bit lower risk of health issues throughout your life.

Live a more active lifestyle.

However, health optimization isn’t just about minimizing your chance of illness or injury. Healthy living will directly influence your quality of life in many ways, including your ability to partake in physical activity (and reap the benefits that come with it). A healthy lifestyle can promote better mental health, physical health, and overall well-being.

By aiming for optimal health with an integrative specialist, you’ll be better able to take on all that life brings your way, both positive and negative. Eating primarily healthy meals, for instance, means you can enjoy desserts today and well into the future. Using caffeine and similar products in moderation gives you greater opportunity to enjoy your favorite latte over a lifetime. Avoiding tobacco use and other forms of unhealthy living means you’ll have greater longevity. Regular exercise will ensure you face the years ahead with greater endurance, ready to take on water aerobics, cardio workouts, or other physical activity with enthusiasm.

Save on medical expenses.

Because your long-term health will improve with health optimizations like these, you’ll find that you ultimately spend less on your medical care over time. Most notably, you’ll save money by reducing your risk of severe illness or injury. It’s no surprise that these medical issues come with a massive price tag, so naturally, you’d spend less by avoiding that need in the future!

This same benefit, though, extends to a societal level, not just individually. Health care providers promote preventive medicine and health optimization in part because they’re cost-effective, rather than reducing expenses alone. Healthy living, on a wider scale, is cost-effective in that it offers benefits beyond financial savings. Each effort that supports preventive measures or health optimization means you’re improving your quality of life and health prospects (as in the other benefits above) and, as a result, the health benefits are substantial. In saving and improving lives, the costs of these efforts—even when not considered in light of an alternative with severe illness or injury—are well worth their benefits.

Author

Arash Bereliani, M.D., M.S., F.A.C.C. Beverly Hills Institute For Cardiology & Preventive Medicine