A healthy lifestyle: Insurance against high medical costs
After a well-deserved break, many of us are eager to rush into the new year in the fast lane and take it by storm. For this very reason, February, as healthy lifestyle awareness month, is meant to stop us in our tracks and remind us of the importance of following a healthy, balanced lifestyle if we are to realise our goals of living a longer, more fulfilled life.
Fact is: the healthier people are – physically and mentally – the better they are equipped to deal with the strains and stresses of everyday life, remain economically active and productive, and contribute to a stable society and country. More importantly, staying healthy is an excellent form of insurance against the high costs of medical treatment, says Andrew Edwards, Executive Principal Officer for Liberty Medical Scheme (LMS).
“At the very core of a happy, fulfilled and prosperous life is following a healthy regime. This, in turn, allows you to enjoy more aspects of your life and potentially remain in good shape, even at an old age. Moreover, in a country like South Africa where high levels of stress are rampant, increasingly causing related disorders and absenteeism in the workplace, a healthy lifestyle is not only desirable, it’s imperative to keep the population active and the economy going,” Edwards stresses.
“The health and well-being of each and every member is the very essence of the LMS promise: “We care. For you”, and the scheme, through various measures, goes to great lengths to contribute to its members’ healthy lifestyles,” says Edwards.
Recently, for example, LMS signed up as co-sponsor together with REHIDRAT@SPORT of the Totalsports Challenge which took place on Saturday, 12 January this year. The event saw a large number of adrenaline junkies take part in both the seven-discipline Totalsports Challenge or the less daunting four-discipline Totalsports Terra Firma Challenge.
Says Edwards: “Health and fitness are central to LMS, and we’re proud to be associated with the challenge, which inspires positive change and encourages people to lead healthier lives. As care is at the heart of what LMS does, we take time to listen, to pay attention to the details and we really endeavour to put our members’ health and well-being at the centre of our business.”
Likewise, since 2010, LMS has been a proud supporter of, and partner in, the Cloud9Golf and M-Net Cares ‘Drive for the Cause’ campaign, which contributes to two very important causes – PinkDrive Breast Cancer Awareness and the M-Net Naledi Children’s Literacy Project.
“Cancer kills more than 7m people a year throughout the world – more than HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined. African countries, including South Africa, carry a large part of this burden. LMS is a committed partner of the PinkDrive effort to improve breast cancer awareness and education across South Africa and especially in remote communities that do not have access to information on breast health,” says Edwards.
Well aware of the fact that prevention has consistently proven to be better – and more cost-effective – than cure, LMS options offers a number of preventative benefits including breast cancer screenings and cholesterol tests. These benefits are paid from risk (rather than from members’ savings accounts). “While it encourages members to have a more preventative than curative approach to their health, it also prompts an inclination towards a healthier lifestyle,” says Edwards.
He adds that at a time when the world’s population is ageing rapidly, it comes as no surprise that the World Health Organisation (WHO) is calling for urgent action to ensure that people reach old age in the best possible health.
According to the WHO, in the next few years, for the first time, there will be more people in the world aged over 60 than children aged under five. By 2050, 80% of the world’s older population will be living in low- and middle-income countries, including South Africa. “Imagine the burden on this country – and on families – if the majority of our senior citizens are sickly and disabled,” says Edwards.
“The best investment a parent can make is to ensure that a healthy lifestyle is embedded in the family culture from the very beginning as this is the key to a healthy and active old age. Conversely, quick fixes like crash-course diets or blindly accepting advice on what to eat and how to live from every possible glossy magazine, will not help to entrench a healthy lifestyle as it tends to be fleeting and short-lived,” says Edwards.
“Simply put, a healthy lifestyle is a way of living that lowers the risk of being seriously ill or dying early. Not all diseases are preventable, but a large proportion of deaths, particularly those from coronary heart disease and lung cancer, can be avoided,” says Edwards.
He adds that several scientific studies have identified certain types of behaviour, such as excessive smoking and drinking that contribute to the development of non-communicable diseases and early death. The earlier people steer clear of these behaviours, the better their chances are of enjoying a healthy old age, he advises.
“However, health is not just about avoiding disease. It is also about physical, mental and social well-being. While good health may be a matter of ‘luck of the draw’ in terms of genes, people can certainly enhance the health odds stacked against them by adopting and following a healthy lifestyle. Indeed, when a healthy lifestyle is adopted, a more positive role model is provided for other people in the family, particularly children,” argues Edwards.
He singles out nutrition, physical activity, sleep and stress handling/management as the four main contributors to a healthier lifestyle. “Individuals’ personal decisions and choices on how to use them in their life are part of their lifestyle,” says Edwards.
At the end of the day, common sense should dictate our standards of healthy living, Edwards suggests. “This means we need not be trapped into predictability and monotony; instead, healthy living should be about encouraging and stimulating. We must match what our own personal taste buds like and prefer, to the foods we select. Likewise, we must enjoy our own favourite physical sport or activity, not necessarily the current fad. This way, a healthy lifestyle will follow naturally and sooner than later become an enjoyable way of life,” he concludes.
