Wealth and Health

Getting There

I was immortal until I filled out a life insurance policy application and received the results of my laboratory test.  I was “rated”.  It meant I was “substandard”.  I was not sure I liked the sound of that.

SUBSTANDARD – below average insurability.  Acceptable but on modified basis or at increased premium rates. Certain hazardous occupations, physical impairments, unfavorable conditions or personal and family history may cause higher rates of death or higher mortality than normal and will necessitate acceptance of any applicant only on modified basis or at an increased rate.  These cases are normally referred to as substandard risks.

I was floored by this realization.  I need to pay a higher premium and I could die.

I tried to find out what my laboratory tests meant.  But several additional tests and doctors and google could not satisfactorily explain what an elevated reading of an enzyme meant or what causes it or what will happen to me.  Head hung low, I paid up.  At least I was insurable.  There was no other way to go but face the truth and try to be healthy.  And hopefully reverse my “rating”.

Because what will I do with all my wealth when I could not live long enough to enjoy it.

I panicked, my doctors panicked, but never one to lose control (I try), I took charge of my health and did these two things: I went to the gym and loaded up on vitamins, specifically vitamin C.

You can say blah but it worked.

If you have a gym membership, please use it.  If not, here are some finance tips you can use while searching for that gym membership:

• Find one that offers a lifetime membership.  While it is expensive (maybe around 30T), at least you will not be bothered by monthly fees that do not ever go away.  I know that Slimmer’s World offers this.  You just have to be satisfied with their facilities and equipment and standing in a line before you can use the equipment.

• Buy membership from an old member who wants to sell his membership.  Better yet, look for a founding member (you can see this in the membership card) because his fees are locked – meaning it does not ever increase.  Yes, you will still have to pay for the transfer fees (well, for a new membership you have to pay this anyway) but in the long run, you would have saved.

• Other gyms allow you to bring a family friend or a member during weekends.  Maximize this.  Divide your monthly fee by the number of times you go and you will be surprised that it is actually affordable (okay, still not cheap).  This is what D, my hunky husband (he’s my inspiration and my conscience, sigh), and I do ever since Fitness First offered it to their members.  You should have been a member for 10 months, though, before you can avail of this.

Oh, and yes, I drank my vitamins.

I was never a vitamin junkie.  I never believed in them actually, until I listened to (and believed!) Dr. William Wong who said  large pharmaceutical companies do not want us to know the benefits of vitamin C because they will be out of business.  He was able to cure people who had a stroke or cancer through this supplement.  So now we take 1,500 to 3,000 mg of it per day.

The gym and the vitamins cost money.  But health is a primordial concern.

Some people do not see the forest for the trees.  They work long and hard and torture themselves.  The quest for money should go hand in hand with the quest for wellness.  It is true – we have but one body.  If we continue at the rate that we are going, will we still be there to see the fruits of our labor?

Be healthy.  See the fruits of your labor.  Please.

Be rich,

Issa

Article by Issa. Art by D. Copyright 2009.
Website: www.YouWantToBeRich.com
Email: issa@youwanttoberich.com

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