We all know that being overweight or living an otherwise unhealthy lifestyle is bad for your body. But putting your physical health aside, did you know that living an unhealthy life can also be harmful to your financial health? While this is not a hard and fast rule, it has been found that many people who struggle with physical fitness also struggle with financial fitness. To show you how, here are three ways that being unhealthy is harmful to your finances.
Career Killers
Although we live in a world where it’s illegal to discriminate in the workplace, a lot of subconscious discrimination takes place in offices nationwide due to weight or other sides of physical health. According to an article on FoxBusiness.com from Glassdoor, people who are overweight or have a higher BMI are often passed over for jobs, not given promotions, and take more sick days than their more fit co-workers. This may be due in part to the fact that people who are overweight often require more medical attention and can be more susceptible to physical illness and injury. Additionally, supervisors have reported feeling that if someone can’t manage their own weight, they fear that they may not be able to manage a professional team either.
More Debt
If you thought that being overweight only affected your physical health, you’ve got another thing coming. According to Dinah Wisenberg Brin, a contributor to CreditCards.com, there has also been a connection found between weight, the amount of debt someone has, and the amount of clutter filling up that person’s home or life. People who have let their weight become out of control often have impulse control issues. And sadly, another part of life that requires impulse control is your finances. Knowing this, if you’re able to practice impulse control with your health and eating habits, you have a better chance of controlling your spending, avoiding debts, and only getting loans when necessary.
Cost of Food
In an article for AOL.com, Five Cent Nickel shares that one of the first pieces of advice given to someone looking to cut their spending is to stop eating meals outside of the home. Additionally, people who want to lose weight are also told to quit eating out and begin making their own food. When you make food for yourself rather than eating either fast food or food from many restaurants, you know exactly what’s in it. This means you have better control over your own health. Also, purchasing food from the grocery store is less expensive than getting it from a restaurant, saving both your financial and physical health.
Letting go of your health doesn’t just mean becoming overweight; it can also mean losing control of your finances. Use the information presented above to get a better handle on both of these areas of your life.
