It’s infinitely less expensive to be healthy than to be sick. It’s also less expensive to have healthy habits than unhealthy habits. If you think about it for a second, very quickly you will realize that smoking cigarette and drinking booze are not cheap and it does a lot of harm to your body. Conversely, eating a vegetable-rich diet and doing some exercises, is within the reach of everyone and it’s great for your health.

In addition, when we are healthy, we can earn more money, we have better long-lasting relationships and we are happier. Conversely, not been healthy, can make you feel tired, anxious, short-tempered, depressed, and less efficient at work.

So, how do we do it? How do we stay healthy for little or no money?

Here are a few tips which can help you improve your health.

Drink Water

If someone would ask you: Which one is better for you, a bottle of Coke/Pepsi or a glass of water? What would you answer?

Of course, the glass of water is the best thing for you. By drinking water regularly, your body stays hydrated and it performs all its fluid functions without difficulty. In addition, it keeps your skin rejuvenated.

In North America, water is easily accessible to all of us. I recommend setting a goal for yourself. Say, one litter per day. Ideally 2 or 3 liters. And the best of all, this suggestion cost you nothing. Most of us have drinkable water coming from our faucets. Go for it. It’s free.

Sleep

I don’t have to wake up at any particular hour, so I wake up when my body wants to wake up. And if in the middle of the day I need a nap, I just take a nap. But for many people, with regular work or family life schedule, this may not be an option. In this case, you should try to go to bed earlier. Go to bed early enough so that you won’t need an alarm clock to wake you up. If your sleep is being interrupted by the alarm clock, then you are not sleeping enough.

When you have enough sleep, you will have a hard time concentrating at work. In addition, you will seek external stimulants, such as coffee and doughnuts. You will fall prey of junk food. Other symptoms are irritability, moodiness, depression, and forgetfulness.

Having a good night sleep also cost nothing. You might have to give up watching a Netflix show, or that beer at the bar with friends. But having a clear head during the day, and having the energy to get your daily tasks done, it’s worth it.

Eating

My aunt got sick and the doctor told her to start eatly more healthy. She complained that a healthy diet was too expensive. Unfortunately, this is a common misconception.

The first step to eat better is to eliminate sugars and processed food. If it is already precooked, ready to throw in the microwave, it’s probably not good for you. I will also argue, that it’s less expensive to eat healthy than no healthy.

If you are a meat eater, try to reduce your meat consumption and increase you plant-based consumption. Your body, the environment, and the non-consumed animals will thank you.

Ps. My monthly food bill comes to about $170 Canadian per month. I don’t buy meat or dairy products. I buy vegetable, fruits, grain, and tofu.

Exercise

It is widely believed that in order to exercise, you have become a member of a gym and buy the latest exercise gear. Nothing is farther from the truth.

You don’t have to join a gym. I am not a member of a gym. There are so many exercise activities you could incorporate into your life at little or no cost.

If you have a pair of walking shoes and walk three hours per week, that’s a good start. You can also go running in your neighborhood (I do that).

My favorite exercise routine is to run 10 minutes around the block. Come back home and do some stretching exercises on my yoga mat, then do about 10 minutes of weightlifting with my set of dumbbells. That’s it. It takes me about 30 minutes. I do it in my ugly sweatpants. I don’t have to buy the latest exercise fashion. I do it at the time it’s convenient for me. And I do it about 6 days per week.

The initial cost of my equipment was about $100 and I have been doing the same routine for about 3 years now.

When you exercise, your body thanks you for it. You get lots of vitality. You are in a better mood and over the long run, the time you invest in keeping in shape will be compensated with years of longevity in a healthy body.

Conclusion

As you can see, staying in good health doesn’t take a lot of effort and it’s not expensive. All it requires is the discipline to stay healthy. We have many interests conspiring against our health. All those soft drink companies, don’t want you to drink water because they can not make as much money from water. The food industry wants you to eat processed food because they make money on the processing. The entertainment industry, wants you to stay out at night having a beer or stay up late watching a film. You have to fight all those conspirators and make it a priority to stay healthy.

What do you do to stay healthy? What do you eat? What does your exercise routine look like? Do you get enough sleep?

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