Over recent years having a healthy, active lifestyle has been drilled into us from so many angles, it has become impossible to ignore. Every time you turn on the T.V, check your social media accounts or search for something online, you are bombarded with messages on the latest exercise craze, the best and fastest way to lose weight, the most recent supplement to make it to market that miraculously burns your body fat, gives you more energy and improves your physical appearance.
It has become a minefield out there, which has lead to confusion, yo-yo dieting, and a spend big enough to make the driest of eyes water! Most people are basically interested in improving their general health and well-being. If they are able to financially benefit from this by being rewarded for increasing physical activity and maintaining a healthier lifestyle then this is going to appeal to a large percentage of them.
- A description of physical health is; anything we do that involves moving our bodies.
- A description of exercise is; when we talk about doing exercise we usually mean activities that we do deliberately for fitness or training rather than something that’s a part of our daily routine.
- A description of sport is; physical activities we may do on our own or as part of a team either competitively or for fun. This includes activities such as tennis, athletics, swimming or keeping fit. Indoor sports such as snooker or darts tend to be more skill orientated than physically exerting so as such aren’t classed as physical sports.
There are specific life insurance policies available these days that are tailored towards benefiting people with more active lifestyles, with rewards in place such as heavily discounted purchase prices on sports watches or fitness and activity trackers. Free cinema tickets and free coffee every week just for maintaining your healthy lifestyle.
There are also Insurance providers out there who will allow you to specify any added extras to your core insurance product.
For example;
- You decide to take out an insurance policy with a great range of benefits included as standard on the core policy.
- You realise that you are at an increased risk of receiving a sports related injury as you play competitively and non-professionally for a local team.
- You look for a policy that will look after you if you receive an injury as a result of your healthy, active lifestyle.
- You realise that you are able to add this cover on to your existing insurance policy for a small addition to your monthly premium or that you can take out a new policy relating to your specific requirements.
Living a healthy lifestyle not only improves your general well being and quality of life, but also has a dramatic effect on your mental health. You are twice as likely to die between 10 to 17 years earlier than the general population if you suffer with Schizophrenia or Bipolar disorder, and if you suffer from a mental health problem you are at a higher risk of developing serious physical health problems such as heart disease or respiratory disease. Many mental health issues are directly attributed to a number of factors including poor diet and a lack of exercise. (source: mind.org.uk)
Mental wellbeing means feeling good – both about yourself and the world around you. In means being able to get on with life in the way you want. Evidence shows there’s a link between being physically active and good mental wellbeing. (source: nhs.uk)
Get out there, enjoy the fresh air, get wet in the rain and live your life in as active a fashion as is possible for you. You’ll soon start to see the benefits physically and mentally.