LUFKIN, TX (KTRE) -
Many start the New Year with the intention of
improving their health, vowing to lose weight, quit smoking or even cutting
back on alcohol.
Studies show that one in three
resolutions won't make it past the first month but those resolutions can have a
major impact on your bank account.
"It definitely effects the bottom
line the healthier that you are," said Amy McLeod, Registered Dietician,
Brookshire Bros.
According to a study from ehealthinsurance.com
smokers pay 14 percent higher health insurance premiums than non smokers and
that's only the beginning of extra costs.
"It costs about 1,780 dollars to
smoke one pack of cigarettes everyday and we all know people that do that,"
said McLeod.
Health officials say that excessive
alcohol intake is associated with several types of cancer.
ADAC Executive Director Phyllis Grandgeorge
says that cutting back on alcohol can reduce hospital visits and possible
treatment.
"Alcohol affects all the major
organs in the body, from brain to kidneys, to the heart," said Grandgeorge.
The annual costs of being obese are
$4,879 for an obese woman and $2,646 for an obese man.
Studies show that those who are obese
are absent from work more often and lose money due to lost wages and have
higher life insurance costs.
"The main one though is that they
have higher medical costs because they have different things that are going on
because of the obesity," said McLeod.
Though we are only nine days into the
year health officials say the possible savings should be extra motivation to
reach health goals in 2013.
"If we can improve our health by cutting
back on smoking and reducing our weight we are going to be healthier individuals
and its going to cost us less," said McLeod.
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