There is a fundamental truth in life: everything has a cost. It may not be monetary, but there is a price to pay. Whether that price is time or attention or stress or pain, it is a cost.
Still, people tend to relate to economic cost, because it’s tangible. So consider the costs of the most common medical procedures:
- Heart Valve replacement $170,000
- Heart bypass $123,000
- Spinal fusion $110,000
- Hip replacement $40,364
- Knee replacement 35,000
- Angioplasty $28,200
- Hip resurfacing $28,000
- Gastric bypass $25,000
- Cornea (per eye) $17,500
- Gastric sleeve $16,500
- Hysterectomy $15,400
- Lap band $14,000
- IVF treatments $12,400
- Face lift $11,000
- Tummy tuck $8,000
- Rhinoplasty $6,500
- Breast implants $6,400
- Liposuction $5,500
- Lasik (both eyes) $4,000
- Cataract surgery (per eye) $3,500
- Dental implant $2,500
(Data source: Statista)
Notice that the majority of the conditions above are weight and diet related. Most of these conditions, however, could be alleviated or controlled by regular exercise. Compare the costs of these procedures that of a gym membership (average cost of $50/month or $600/year) or trainer ($60-100 per workout). If you want to take a prevention mentality, then keep this in mind: Put in the time now, so you don’t pay the price later.
But economics isn’t everything. Regular exercise will give you extra time to be with friends and family. It will give you an improved quality of life, in addition to improved mental acuity and a happier outlook on life. Activity begets more activity, meaning you’ll have an active lifestyle, which leads to an active mind, which then means you’ll get more done, and that ends up giving you more time. You’ve come full circle: having more time. And that is priceless.
(Photo by Uroš Jovičić on Unsplash)