Exercising Can Save You Lots of Money
Everybody knows that hitting the gym will make your biceps bulge, but according to a new study, a regular workout routine can help inflate your bank account, too. A recent paper in the Journal of the American Heart Association revealed that the more you exercise, the more you save in medical costs in the long run.
Researchers analyzed data from over 26,000 people over 18 and determined which of them exercised regularly. By their definition, regular exercise means either 150 minutes of casual exercise or 75 minutes of intense exercise per week. The subjects who met those requirements and also had a history of heart disease wound up saving an average of $2500 a year thanks to their exercise regimens.
Those who didn’t have any history of heart disease saved an average of $500 dollars a year, as opposed to their counterparts who didn’t exercise. New York Magazine’s Susan Rinkunas points out that the majority of savings came from “a lower risk of taking prescription drugs, visiting the ER, or being hospitalized.” Rinkunas goes on to say that savings of $500 a year work out to $41.67 per month, which raises an interesting question: “Can gym memberships count toward health-insurance deductibles?” This groundbreaking study might be the first step in that direction.
Keep track of your workout sessions with Nike’s Nike+ Fuelband SE Fitness Tracker, and let us know if you think gym memberships should count toward health-insurance deductibles.