Can social media affect one’s health?
There’s no doubt that social media has had an irreversible effect on not just America, but on the entire world. Those without any sort of social media connectivity are few and far between. For many, the feeling of connecting with a world of people through shared content and shared experiences is one that drives them toward ever-increasing social media engagement (some to elevated narcissistic and voyeuristic levels).
With this increase in interest in all things social media comes a heightened sense of self-involvement. Though it’s not a desirable outcome, if it’s handled properly, it likely won’t contribute to profound complications in the long run. But can these practices actually take a toll on our health in some way?
First, many studies have been done in relation to the effects of desk work on the human condition. And many have concluded that our bodies are, overall, reacting negatively to sitting for extended periods of time working at a desk. So if you’e spending great amounts of time in a chair by your computer, navigating through various social networking sites, it may take its toll on your health over the years. In addition, those who check their social media sites while driving put themselves – and others – at risk of serious, even fatal, car accidents. Even small fender-benders can result in long-lasting injuries. Plus, let us not forget how such sites, and the items posted on them, can affect one’s mental and emotional health. Cyber bullying is a trend that is sadly spreading, and has even resulted in suicides.
So the key, as with most recreational things, is to enjoy social networking in moderation, and in perspective with the rest of your life. If you do that, you should avoid complications easily, while still enjoying this ever-growing facet of our Internet society.
Compare top life insurance companies to find the best life insurance rates now.
Health Awareness Celebrations in August
August, it seems, is a month dedicated to health, as its used to promote widespread education and awareness about many different health issues.
In this, the eighth month of the year, celebrations and information campaigns will be waged for National Immunization Awareness Month, National Psoriasis Awareness Month, Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month, Children’s Vision and Learning Month, Neurosurgery Outreach Month and Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness Month.
Each cause is important in its own right, and will have legions of supportive and passionate people promoting them throughout. But even if none of these afflictions haunt you, or anyone you know, this influx of them could – and should – serve as a reminder and as inspiration to look at your own life, for ways to improve upon either your present health, or upon your present habits.
Awareness about one’s body, after all, is paramount to a long and healthy life. Plus, we hear tell it will result in better life insurance premium rates for you further down the line, when you’re looking into purchasing a life insurance policy for yourself. Take good are of yourselves, and enjoy a happy and healthy August!
Obesity and Seniors – The Costs (Financial and Otherwise)
As we get older, the need to take more careful, and more regular care of our bodies increases. Simply put, our bodies become less resistant to the effects of ageing and wear-and-tear the longer they’re used.
So when seniors neglect their bodies and forego positive routines for the sake of indulgence in older age, the results can be incredibly harmful, to both their health and their finances (especially when programs like Medicare could potentially lose significant funding in the name of making drastic federal budget/spending cuts).
Part of it could be over-emphasis on other ailments, as well as seniors taking too much advantage in general of the opportunity to rest after years of work. No matter what the issue, seniors now are more obese than ever before, a fact that could seriously harm the demographic if they are not careful and dedicated to changing their ways.
Moreover, without the same help from Medicare seniors received in the past, this influx of health issues could go unchecked, without remedy, either due to a lack of doctor-prescribed motivation to change, or due to a lack of ability to pay for medical attention.
The best way to nip this growing issue in the bud is to become more aware of the care you take of your body. The older you get, the more careful you need to be with your health. Proper diet and exercise need to continue to be factors in your life, even if you are beyond retirement age.
Even with retirement planning on your side to potentially help with doctor visits and other medical costs, your health is something that can rarely – if ever – be bought back with money.
Compare top life insurance companies to find the best life insurance rates now.
Illness Awareness for Seniors
With age often comes illness. In many cases, there is not much you can do about these ailments – they are simply a sign of the body’s natural deterioration. But in other instances, these maladies are preventable (or at the very least, easier to treat when detected earlier on). More and more people are catching on to the importance of testing and awareness, and investigating screening options for widely-feared afflictions such as cancer and Alzheimer’s.
For the sake of your health, it is wise to make sure you know as much about your body as possible – how things are working, what needs maintenance, etc. Awareness is part of healthy living after all. Plus, as we all know, the healthier you are, the easier it will be to get affordable life insurance.
Hopefully, you are considering purchasing life insurance earlier on in life – preferably before you’ve reached the age of senior citizen, anyhow. But all the same, the healthier you are, the lower your life insurance premium rates will be (in relation to your age). And knowing the answers to important underwriting questions will make the underwriting and life insurance shopping process an easier one.
There are many reasons why screening and testing for illness is a good idea. But beyond the potential financial benefits you’ll see in your life insurance premiums, knowing where you stand on your health will ensure a longer and higher quality life for you.
Compare top life insurance companies to find the best life insurance rates now.
New Issues with Birth Control
There are many topics under the umbrella of women’s reproductive health that stir up hotly contested debates. Birth control is one of them, and it’s a hot-button issue for several reasons.
First, there are arguments as to where the financial burden should lie (be it federally funded, covered by health insurance or handled by the individual). And second, birth control can be mistaken, due to a dearth in educational opportunities about birth control methods, as a means of preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (resulting in spikes of infections among birth control users). These issues themselves, as well as figuring out solutions to them, are cause for great debate.
And at the center of such debates are deeply-rooted beliefs, ones that can often blind a person to any alternative viewpoint (a problem that extends in both directions, into both sides). And unfortunately, the arguments take up more time than the finding of actual solutions, leaving women somewhat stranded on these issues as various sides battle it out over their fate.
Though it’s an issue rife with controversy, it’s also an issue that involves the health of many women. Where do you stand?
Note: Please be respectful of the views of others in your comments.
Compare top life insurance companies to find the best life insurance rates now.
Friday Poll: Is your family prepared for illness?
A long-lasting or severe illness or injury is rarely – if ever – anticipated. And unfortunately, the costs involved in treatment are rarely low, especially if you don’t have adequate health insurance to cover visits, prescriptions or other treatment needs (such as physical therapy). Many families have experienced some level of financial ruin in the wake of an onslaught of bills.
So we ask you this – are you ready financially for illness (either through adequate health coverage, or through prudent and successful saving techniques)? If so, how have you prepared?
Compare top life insurance companies to find the best life insurance rates now.
Epidemics, Pandemics and Life Insurance
Some illnesses have a dangerous ability to spread quickly and easily – take, for example, the cholera outbreak in Ethiopia. Occasionally, an illness will reach the status of an epidemic (a disease whose spread rate in a specific location exceeds expectations) or pandemic (a disease whose global spread rate exceeds expectations). Some of these diseases can lead to extreme sickness, or even death. And as the infection spreads, resources grow increasingly sparse, ratcheting up the risk even higher.
In America, we are inherently more fortunate than other, struggling nations, though of course there are still vast portions of our population that are ill equipped financially to grapple with extreme sickness. In those instances, when people cannot afford health insurance or life insurance despite an increasing need for such coverage, how do they cope? And how do health and life insurance companies grapple with such large and sudden influx of claims?
First, the more coverage you can get for yourself, the better. If you have any available resources for either type of coverage (health or life insurance), it would be wise to take advantage. Should you be unemployed (or simply not offered medical benefits though your job), you could pursue social health care options such as Medicaid. But one other way to make sure you have the money you need if a serious illness affects you or your family is to take the time to put money aside for medical costs. It is always advisable to have a well-stocked emergency fund for any purpose, including unanticipated medical expenses.
Health and life insurance companies, in their earlier days, were not necessarily prepared for large-scale mass claim filings. Events such as the terrorist attacks of 9/11 have showed the industry just how necessary it is for them to prepare to any eventuality (just as insurance companies want their clients to be).
If you’re curious about the cost of life insurance premiums, we at BeamaLife can help you find the best life insurance quotes available to you. Double indemnity or accident riders could also be beneficial in a day and age where disease has the potential still to wipe out significant portions of a population.
Healthy Eating – Thinking Beyond Diets
When most people think about healthy eating, they think about cutting back on calories and forsaking fast food for homemade salads. But beyond those concerns lies another – where is the food your getting coming from, and is it safe to eat?
Recently, the FDA announced growing concern over the safety of imported foods. There has been a spike in recent years in importing fruits, vegetables and seafood. One of the steps proposed to maintain a certain quality of food is to have international regulations set, so that all participating trading companies can assure satisfactory products for themselves and others.
A little advice from BeamaLife, to help you feel healthier AND save on grocery costs – If such concerns plague you, one option is to buy locally-grown produce. These products are more natural, and often times inexpensive to purchase. As such, you’ll not only save money, you’ll get a safer product as a result. Beyond that, creating a diet that consists of natural foods, as opposed to processed foods, no matter where you get them from, will help you maintain greater control over what you’re eating.
Compare top life insurance companies to find the best life insurance quotes now.
The Tao of the Planner: Health
As we discussed earlier, planning is critical in regards to maintaining your finances. But what about maintaining your health?
Thinking ahead is also key in regards to leading a healthier lifestyle. Consideration in general is also a part of it – simply put, you can’t simply consume and do whatever you please, and expect your body to maintain its health. Your body needs certain things, including proper nutrition and activity, in order to continue to function properly. So as such, planning comes into play when figuring out meals and managing your time in a way that allows you to exercise in some way.
Sure, the opportunity to eat a healthy meal, or to get to the gym for an hour, may arise without you having to work it into your day. However, unless you make the effort to think ahead about what you’ll be eating, and when you’ll be working out, you can’t guarantee that either of those things will enter into your routine. Because of this, planning becomes necessary for your health, both short- and long-term.
Some may wonder about our investment in the health of our clients (and the attention such issues receive from Money Minds). It’s simple, really – the healthier you are, the easier it will be to find an affordable life insurance policy. And that is ultimately what we want for every single one of our clients.
How can a lack of sleep affect my health?
As we discussed earlier today, sleep is incredibly important for all of us. But are there really negative affects to be suffered if you don’t sleep enough? The short answer is yes. The long answer is somewhat more complicated, as a lack of rest not only affects a person’s health, but their attention span and decision-making skills as well.
As far as physical side effects are concerned, a lack of sleep can lead to serious complications due to weight gain and heart disease. You see, when the body loses out on rest, the body also loses some of its ability to properly maintain itself. Also, depending on how deprived of rest your body is, you may find difficulty in tasks such as driving a car (which can not only affect you, but the lives of others around you as well). Injury becomes increasingly likely the more impaired your judgment becomes. A lack of sleep could even affect your job, not only in relation to poor performance, but also, poor attitude and irritability.
When thinking long-term, these negative effects could spill over to your finances. Think about it – lack of income or job growth could hinder your ability to properly save money, especially with costs rising all around, from gas to groceries. Plus, if the health complications from sleep deprivation reach a certain point of severity, your ability to get affordable life insurance could be affected, due to your increased perceived risk.
In short, the lesson to be learned here is this: the better you take care of yourself, the better you’ll be able to care for those around you – especially financially.
Compare top life insurance companies to find the best life insurance quotes now.
