Taking care of one’s health becomes a minor issue when financial crisis arrives. Without even noticing it, many of us keep on getting sicker and sicker those days. No matter how sad it may sound, material well-being is often a key factor which determines our lifestyle. Thus, while the saying advises us not to be cheap when dealing with health, economic crisis has noticeably reduced this part of our expenses. In return, this reflected on our quality of life. So, how exactly is crisis affecting our health?
Nutrition Became Poorer
As the result of universal layoffs and salary cuts thousands of people switched from the regular and more or less healthy nutrition to one based on all kinds of snacks: sandwiches, cakes, chips, chocolates, and other products which you can buy directly at work and eat right away. People started to consume sweets in larger quantities, since it’s one of the cheapest ways to boost one’s spirits. Besides, those who used to eat out during lunch, switched from cafes to cheaper fast food restaurants. No wonder, those restaurants keep on flourishing regardless of the crisis.
More People Smoke
During the period of continuous stress and high prices of pleasures, tobacco companies see increased profits. According to the Wall Street Journal, the only companies whose shares continued to grow during the Great Depression were the producers of the so-called “cheap pleasures”, such as cigarettes and cigars.
We Exercise Less
Fitness clubs and all kind of sports in general became another expense, which people decided to sacrifice for the sake of the family/personal budget.
We Eat in Front of the Monitor More Often
Computer and TV make another cheap replacement of expensive recreation. Electricity and Internet cost noticeably less than the tickets to the movies, theater, or club. We can easily watch a movie on Internet, or listen to music. TV, in turn, is great at helping us kill time during those boring evenings, which used to be filled with such activities as visits to our favorite restaurants or other cultural programs.
We Get Stressed More Often
The wave of layoffs, which crossed the entire world, is the major stressor those days. Unemployment increases in many countries and thus people fear the possibility of being fired. Moreover, media boldly makes the situation worse by featuring numerous heartbreaking financial stories. Accumulated stress can cause serious illnesses, including malfunction of internal organs.
How to Stay Fit with Less Money
Worldwide economic downturn really affected the lives of lots of people. Don’t let the crisis affect your health! Maybe a 20 minute daily training instead of giving up fitness or cooking at home instead of eating at fast food restaurants would be a great idea to stay healthy during these hard times. If you have any ideas on how to stay healthy with less money feel free to share them in the comments.
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