If you ever have been overweight, chances are you already have tried throwing money at the problem — gym memberships, diet potions and lotions, half-read books, and treadmills used as clothes hangers. When all those failed, you bought the next size up. And I would be naive to think that discrimination because of weight has not cost many people a job, or promotion in the workplace. There is a monetary price paid for being overweight.

You are not the only one throwing money at your weight issue. With the majority of our country’s population being overweight, the money exchanging hands in the medical community is compounding daily.

Out of the top 10 leading diseases related to death, controlling your weight can prevent the majority of them, and battling these diseases are incredibly costly. “The medical costs of obesity reached an estimated $147 billion in 2008, and the medical costs of diabetes were $116 billion. People with diagnosed diabetes have medical costs that are 2.3 times higher than those without the disease," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

If you have not spent enough money already, you better get ready to spend more. If our government takes over healthcare, how are they going to pay the medical bills of the skyrocketing overweight population? With taxes on your soda and other unhealthy choices. If the insurance companies are in the game, you will be considered a high risk and get hammered with higher rates. This is your future.

My biggest fear as the owner of a personal training center is what is happening now, a crash of the economy. Personal training is a luxury for most, and the trainer often can be the first thing cut for some. This is largely why I have maintained my physical therapy license — something to fall back on when times get tough. But I am finding that people are seeing the value of health, and business remains strong.

Maybe it takes tough financial times to realize what is really important and what is truly the best investment. An investment in your health always will return valuable dividends, both in a monetary sense and an emotional and psychological sense. I have clients giving up the manicures or coloring their own hair before giving up the trainer. This is a classic example of health being a high priority.

Is your health recession proof? Sure it is. It costs little or nothing to stick with an exercise program. Eating less will easily save you money. But what accompanies healthy living is what drives most people to lose weight in the first place — a hot body. Yes, a hot body is recession proof too, and you can maintain one!

The monetary price of fitness is only part of the cost. How can you put a price tag on high self-esteem, social acceptance, looking good in a swimsuit, or breaking the chains of depression? A video included below will give you a whole new refreshing perspective on the "price of fitness.: It first aired on our TV program more than a year ago.

Click the play button below to learn more about the "price of fitness vs. fatness."

Doug Gibson
		About the author:
		Doug Gibson is a columnist for Cincy Chic and president of Sensible Fitness Personal Training Center in Blue Ash, Ohio, which specializes in women’s fitness programs. E-mail him at doug@sensiblefitness.com.
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Last update: 20-01-2010 23:00

Published in : Magazine Items, Health