Comments on: The Best Investment You Can Make Is In Your Health.

By: david

david — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:08:26 +0000

Thanks Doctor S!

By: Doctor S

Doctor S — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:39:37 +0000

I really think sleep is the most important because it just has some sort of natural healing powers. You can call me crazy but sleep fixes lots of problems. But I agree, you need to take the neccessary steps to take care of your own health and this is something that many people ignore in the early parts of their lives until something happens that makes them realize. Flossing is extremely underrated as well. Great blog you have going! I just got into this a month ago!

By: Another Personal Finance Blog

Another Personal Finance Blog — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 02:14:18 +0000

I am all about oral health. flossing is a very important preventative health measure. As you said, it is not only good for your teeth, but has shown to prevent heart disease. And we all know how costly a trip to the dentist can be. Not to mention the pain of a tooth ache and the procedures to fix them.

By: Richard @ Student Scrooge

Richard @ Student Scrooge — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:03:28 +0000

You’re absolutely right about the importance of taking care of yourself — both from the standpoint of your quality of life down the road as well as from the standpoint of the financial cost of poor health. The hard part is how “preventative healthcare” does not offer any sort of immediate gratification — its hard to tell if what you are doing is too much or if its working, and you won’t really be able to tell until later on. Definitely takes some self-discipline.

By: david

david — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:20:23 +0000

Good book choice, Kate – if people ate real food instead of packaged junk, half of our health care costs would go away. Thanks for your thoughts!

By: Kate

Kate — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:15:14 +0000

I can personally attest to the value of #3. I neglected my dental hygiene in my 20’s. I wish I’d taken better care of my teeth back then. If I could advise my 22-year-old self on only a few things, taking up a regular routine of flossing would be one of them. Even if it weren’t for the increased risk of heart disease, taking care of your mouth and teeth just makes sense. Who wants an expensive and/or painful dental procedure? (Are there any painless dental procedures?) There’s no real argument for economizing on preventative dental care. Dental floss may cost a bit, but how much do you value your teeth, and your health?

As for additions to the list, I would add: eat well by eating real food. Read Michael Pollan’s book, In Defense of Food, to understand what this means. Basically, ignore the pop-science surrounding nutrition, supplements, and the latest published diet du jour. Deep down, you know what real food is. It doesn’t come overpackaged, it wasn’t developed in a laboratory in response to a study or a focus group, it’s not highly processed, and there are rarely any health claims on the label. Eat the way your grandmother ate when she was a girl, and you’ll do just fine.