--- title: 4 Health Moves That Can Make You Richer description: Better physical health can be a boon to your finances. Follow these steps to stay in shape. authors: - name: Donna Rosato url: https://money.com/author/donna-rosato-3/ at_money_since: 2013 articles: 125 covers: - Personal Finance - Career Advice - Housing - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Mortgages - Retirement - Taxes social: - https://x.com/RosatoDonna former_staff: true published: '2015-02-26T11:00:13.000Z' modified: '2024-05-07T09:08:03.000Z' section: Personal Finance tags: - financial fitness - fitness - getting fit - health - health apps - Health Care - medical care - medical costs - Obamacare - total financial fitness - Weight loss word_count: 486 canonical: https://money.com/4-health-moves-that-can-help-build-wealth/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![piggy bank stepping on scale](https://img.money.com/2015/02/150226_ff_fitness_health.jpg?crop=0px%2C499px%2C4236px%2C2382px&quality=85) *Welcome to Day 9 of Money’s 10-day [Financial Fitness](https://money.com/topic/financial-fitness-2/) program. By now you’ve learned how to bulk up your savings, [cut the fat from your budget](https://money.com/cut-budget-savings/ "3 Ways to Cut the Fat From Your Budget—and Save More"), and [boost your earnings](https://money.com/boost-earnings-change-jobs/). Today, taking care of your health.* Your physical health and your financial health go hand in hand, especially as [rising deductibles and increased cost sharing](https://money.com/health-care-out-of-pocket-costs/) leave you on the hook for more expenses when you get sick. Plus, your pocketbook takes a hit when you're overweight: The annual cost of carrying extra pounds—including medical expenses, sick leave, and even gas for the car—is $524 for women and $432 for men, according to a 2010 study by the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. And Fidelity estimates that a couple who [retire in good health](https://money.com/plan-to-pay-for-future-health-costs/) will spend 20% less on medical care than a couple in poor health will. You know what helps: exercise, sleep, a healthy weight, and regular checkups. Here's how to make it easier to do the right thing. **1\. Don't Pass Up Freebies** Under Obamacare, annual physicals and a long list of [valuable preventive care](https://money.com/medical-tests-save-money/), from cholesterol tests to colonoscopies, are fully covered by insurance, with no out-of-pocket costs. **2\. Be Your Own Doctor** Not quite, but [tech has made staying on top of your health](https://money.com/best-health-care-ideas-2014/) easier—especially important with a chronic condition such as high blood pressure. The Health app that's part of the new Apple operating system unveiled last fall and the Health Tracker app for Android devices allow you to upload, input, and share health and fitness data. **3\. Let Your Scale Motivate You** University of Minnesota researchers found that dieters who weighed themselves daily lost an average of 12 pounds in two years; weekly scale watchers lost only six. The once-a-day group was also less likely to regain the weight. Need help? Our sister publication, [CookingLightDiet.com](https://www.cookinglightdiet.com), offers healthy eating customized meal plans. **4\. Make Tracking a No-Brainer** People who count their steps are more motivated to work out. But the novelty of fitness trackers like the Fitbit can quickly wear off. More than half of owners stop using them, a recent University of Pennsylvania survey found; a third bail within a month. If that's you, add a tracking app such as RunKeeper or Moves to your phone instead. "Many people carry smart-phones everywhere," says Mitesh S. Patel, an internist and researcher at the Wharton School. "If we really wanted to improve the health of the population, smartphone trackers are an easier place to start." **Previous:** - [***10 Days to Total Financial Fitness***](https://money.com/financial-fitness/ "10 Days to Total Financial Fitness") - ***[4 Ways to Hit Your Money Goals](https://money.com/reach-financial-goals/)*** - ***The Easiest Way to Check Your Credit—Fast*** - ***[5 Ways to Invest Smarter at Any Age](https://money.com/how-to-invest-smarter/)*** - [***How to Start Tracking Your Spending in 7 Minutes Flat***](https://money.com/track-spending-budget/) - [***3 Ways to Cut the Fat From Your Budget***](https://money.com/cut-budget-savings/) - ***4 Surefire Strategies for Powering Up Your Savings*** - ***[The 3 Best Ways to Boost Your Earnings](https://money.com/boost-earnings-change-jobs/)*** **Next:** - ***Day 10: [Shore Up Your Safety Net](https://money.com/insurance-checkup-financial-fitness/)*** ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/4-health-moves-that-can-help-build-wealth/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Personal Finance", "item": "https://money.com/personal-finance/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Wealth Management", "item": "https://money.com/wealth-management/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "4 Health Moves That Can Make You Richer" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/4-health-moves-that-can-help-build-wealth/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/4-health-moves-that-can-help-build-wealth/", "name": "4 Health Moves That Can Make You Richer", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2015-02-26T11:00:13.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/4-health-moves-that-can-help-build-wealth/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/4-health-moves-that-can-help-build-wealth/#breadcrumb" }, "dateModified": "2024-05-07T09:08:03.000Z" }, { "@type": "Article", "headline": "4 Health Moves That Can Make You Richer", "articleSection": "Personal Finance", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2015/02/150226_ff_fitness_health.jpg?crop=0px%2C499px%2C4236px%2C2382px&quality=85", "width": 1012, "height": 569, "caption": "150226_FF_Fitness_Health" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Donna Rosato", "url": "https://money.com/author/donna-rosato-3/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/donna-rosato-3/#author", "image": "https://img.money.com/2014/05/140530_bio_author_rosato.jpg?quality=85&w=190&h=190&crop=1", "email": "donna_rosato@moneymail.com", "sameAs": [ "https://x.com/RosatoDonna" ] } ], "publisher": "https://money.com/#organization", "datePublished": "2015-02-26T11:00:13.000Z", "description": "Better physical health can be a boon to your finances. 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