By: Siddiqu “The Personal Trainer”
ACE (American Council of Exercise), NFPT (National Federation of Personal Training) Certified Personal Trainer, IHSA Certified Coach, and Boxing Fitness Trainer
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I was training a client recently, and he was complaining about the price of reduced sugar yogurt and how eating healthy was really expensive, and I get that a lot from people. “Being in shape and healthy is expensive!” But the truth of the matter is, being out of shape and overweight costs a lot more than being fit!
There are three words that we will focus on today: Price, Cost and Worth. One’s health is the best investment that a person can and will ever make in life, because even if you make money after you die, you can’t spend it. But before an overweight person dies, know that their bank accountant is being drained!
Price
Knee Injury: One of the most common injuries an overweight person will experience is knee. The injury is so common that I have never trained an overweight person without a knee injury. If one has insurance and hurts their knee, MRI, surgery and physical therapy will cost them out of pocket $2,000 on the low end in just a year.
Sleep Apnea: Overweight and out of shape people have a hard time sleeping. With insurance – visiting sleep lab, sleep prescription pills, and a c-pap machine – one will end up paying $1,000 a year.
Food: It shouldn’t be a secret that overweight people eat more than thin people. There are big people who would not like to admit it, but they eat more. And with eating more they have to spend more. Being just 30 pounds overweight means an extra $10k more a year spent on food.
Life Insurance: Normal weight- $3,254 Obese- $3,924 Severely obese $5,695 – Business Week’s average numbers for life insurance per year.
Cost
Per the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), when one is overweight, they will/are:
- Less likely to be married, and more likely to be divorced
- Less likely to hold managerial jobs
- Spend more out of pocket on medical cost ($10,000 on average)
- Spend more on diet items (with lower likelihood of success)
- Spend more money on clothes
- Suffer from self-esteem and body image issues
Worth
High Blood Pressure: The more you weigh, the higher your blood pressure. Besides risk of stroke or heart attack, high blood pressure can lead to blindness and kidney failure. How much are one of your eyes or one of your kidneys worth to you?
Cancer: Every type of cancer is 50% increased when a person is overweight. There is a 5x greater chance of getting gallbladder cancer in men and women who carry extra weight. What is the worth of cancer-free body, or a body that can survive cancer?
Type 2 Diabetes: 85% of type 2 diabetes cases are from overweight people. Here is a short list of the effects of type 2 diabetes: blindness, amputation, kidney and nerve disease… I wouldn’t give up one of my legs for $30 million. What is the worth of being able to see?
Next time you’re writing a check to your personal trainer or paying extra for organic fruit, remember how much price, cost and worth of not having it is. You can’t put a price on health and you can’t put a price on fitness, but you can put a price on not having it!
For more information on Siddiqu “The Personal Trainer” go to CF4Life.com
Siddiqu is a regular guest on Chicago’s Power 92.3’s morning show, the WVON Morning show, and Fox’s Raw TV. Siddiqu specializes in weight loss and body toning. His educational background includes a B.A. in Marketing from DePaul University, and he is currently pursuing an MBA/MS from Loyola University Chicago.
