As we enter March, we reflect on some of the important discussions that surrounded Wise Healthcare Consumer Month in February. The American Institute for Preventive Medicine established this national health observance to help organizations reduce healthcare costs and absenteeism, and to help individuals improve their health and well-being.
Wise Healthcare Consumer Month is about bending the healthcare cost curve, and empowering consumers to understand their options and make informed decisions about their health and well-being. Consumers can be wise healthcare consumers by doing their research when they select healthcare providers and healthcare plans. They can also be wise healthcare consumers by practicing preventive care and living a healthy lifestyle, including eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and maintaining a healthy weight.
There are high health and economic costs associated with physical inactivity. Consumers can reduce their personal healthcare costs by being physically active. In fact, adults who are physically active spend $1,437 less per year on healthcare than inactive adults.
Consumers can seek out the expertise of registered exercise professionals to help begin or continue an exercise program. An individual who enjoys cardio dance in a group setting can take a class led by a group exercise instructor. An individual cleared by their physician to begin an exercise program can receive individualized strength training instruction from a personal fitness trainer. An individual with cardiovascular disease can learn how to exercise safely as part of an exercise rehabilitation program directed by a clinical exercise physiologist.
Check out our registry to find a registered exercise professional near you.
