Tag: health
There are 9 entries that are tagged health. Now displaying reults 1 - 9.
Page: 1
The Cost of NOT Running the Half-Marathon
Posted on August 11, 2008 by Him
If you've been reading this blog for a while (and who hasn't) you'd know that last year I ran my 1st half-marathon; I spent almost $500 on training and other associated costs in preparation for it. This year I signed up for another one and heeded the advice I received from the prior blog post, namely not buying so many sports drinks and using regular band-aids to protect my oh-so-sensitive nipples. The cost of the race was $55, and that included a tech shirt. Woo.
I've been training mostly by myself for the past 3 months; I used much of the experience I obtained from last year and added fartleks and other speedwork so that I could improve my time from last year, along with helping me get faster for soccer.
Then, last Sunday morning, I woke up with a stiff back, and a lot of generalized pain in my lower back. I stupidly went ahead and played soccer, thinking that the pain would go away after I warmed up. Not so - it ended up getting worse after the game. On Monday I could barely walk - we ended up driving to work and had to pay $16 for parking.
After a steady regimen of ibuprofen and rest, my back seemed like it was getting better as the week went on. Until Friday, that is. It felt as worse as it did on the previous Monday. I decided I had enough and ended up calling my primary care physician to see if he could diagnose me and give me something for the pain. He diagnosed me with a sacroiliac joint strain, and prescribed me some pain meds, told me to take some OTC meds for pain and inflammation, heat treatment, and rest. I'm pretty sure that visit will cost me around $300, which of course will be paid with funds from my HSA. I ended up buying some OTC naproxen and some pain relieving patches, for a grand total of about $20.
Yesterday morning was a picturesque Chicago summer day; cooler than usual, around 60F with a cool breeze. A perfect day to run a half-marathon, specicically the Chicago Distance Classic. Well, it would have been a good day to run 13.1 miles, but instead I was at home nursing a back injury.
I can't help but feel a little defeated that I couldn't run; in my head I know that the 3 months of training helped me maintain my fitness and helped me reach new goals.
It just sucks that I ended up paying almost $400 for a shirt.
Depression is Expensive, Denial Much More So
Posted on May 14, 2008 by Him
I'm depressed.
There, I said it. Not just depressed like in a bad mood or someone just kicked my puppy, but actually clinically depressed. This has actually been a recurrent theme in my life, and I suspect that it's also tied in with Seasonal Affective Disorder as well, because this NEVERENDING CHICAGO WINTER has sucked the life out of me and the other few million Chicagoans around here. The thing that was different about this time is that it has never been as bad as it has been the past few months.
Since this is a financial blog, I'll go about how dealing with depression can affect one's finances. Let me correct that: I'll go about how trying to thwart depression by doing everything except getting treatment can affect one's finances.
One of the crappiest symptoms of depression is losing pleasure or interest at things that used to offer them normally. When I first started feeling pretty crummy, I thought to myself, "Maybe if I go out with friends/eat at a nice restaurant/buy myself something I've put off for a while now that I'll feel better." I actually chose all 3 of those routes: I went out with friends more, went out for more meals, and bought myself a used Nikon D200
A few months ago, Her and I agreed that my depression started to affect our relationship; there's no money in the world that would be able to magically fix that. So I decided to go and see a therapist that I saw a few years back.
Seeing the therapist isn't cheap; when I saw her in prior years my out of pocket costs were about $75 a session, with the rest taken care of by my insurance company. Now that I have an HDHP/HSA I have to to take care of most of the fee out of my HSA account. Since there really wasn't anything going on in my life that could have been causing my depressive state, I was referred to a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist proceeded to prescribe an anti-depressant for me. Due to the way that payment is handled with the HDHP/HSA account, the costs of both seeing the psychiatrist and the meds will be revealed to me at a later time. I've just started on the meds, so only time will tell if this particular one is worth the money.
Depression sucks. Other than the obvious joy-deflating and relationship straining properties, depression can have major financial ramifications as well. Therefore, if you're feeling depressed or just not right, there's no shame in going to a psychiatrist/therapist/someone who loves you to talk about it. My method of "self-medicating" by blowing all sorts of money got me nowhere (well, I do have a sweet camera). The depression also messed with my concentration and sleep, making it difficult to focus on my job, this blog, our finances, and my life in general. If went unchecked, a lot of stuff could possibly have been messed up.
Right now I'm grateful for a few things: insurance for making all of this vastly possible without completely breaking the bank; the availability and acesss to great healthcare providers; and most importantly, Her, for sticking with me, offering her support, and remembering that we're a team.
The Cost of Playing Soccer
Posted on October 22, 2007 by Him
photo: Albirecks
I first played soccer when I was just 6 years old; I continued to play regularly until high school, when the lure of girls and money from my part-time job seemed more important. I didn't start playing regularly again until a few years ago when Her and I moved to Chicago. Except for recovering from some surgery, I've been playing regularly for the last 3 years. Here's what I've had to spend to get back into soccer as an adult:
Shin Guards -$10
I see people who play without shin guards and it makes me cringe. I've seen these things costing as little as $5, and they generally last forever. I personally don't feel as if there's much difference between brands or models.
Knee Brace - $30
Since I got knee surgery, I thought I'd get a little insurance in the form of a knee brace. After reading the scientific literature though, the effectiveness of a knee brace in preventing injury is questionable. Even if there is no benefit to wearing one, psychologically I like having it on. I do suffer from a minor loss in flexibility, but it is a small price to pay for (supposed) injury prevention.
Goalie gloves - $30
I don't play goalie every week, but there are times when I'm needed at this position. Gloves often come with a multitude of features, from padded knuckles for punching the ball to gecko-like gripping for catching. Regardless of features, just having gloves is an improvement versus playing bare-handed.
Shoes - $40
Just like with running, a good pair of shoes can go a long way in preventing injury and even enhancing performance. As with gloves, shoes can also come with a variety of features, from special cleats to additions that can help you "bend it like Beckham" (who will not be in the playoffs because of the L.A. Galaxy's loss to the CHICAGO FIRE hahaha).
Clothing - $60
This includes socks and a goalie jersey. Both of those have very useful functions of providing comfort and preventing cuts and scrapes from falls or slides. I didn't include shorts because I wear the ones I bought for running.
League fees - $280/year
This is by far the most expensive - actually being able to play. I play four seasons with my team - spring, early summer, late summer, and fall. The cost to enter a team per season is usually around $1200, so I end up paying around $70/season.
Getting back into soccer is one of the best things that I have done in my current post-college days. I've met new friends, have a lot of competitive fun, and have another reason to stay in shape. All of the equipment costs of the are one time costs, so playing more helps me get the most out of it.
Paying For Weight Loss is Paying Off
Posted on August 08, 2007 by Her
This year I spent about $150 to join Weight Watchers, and that has helped me to lose about 10 pounds in 6 weeks. I know, I know, losing weight is just about eating less and exercising more. But previously, I was never successful at losing more than 5 pounds on my own. Without a comprehensive plan it was like playing whack-a-mole at mealtime. I consider this to be some of the best money I have ever spent on anything! I have learned a lot of new good habits that I can use forever. I am also using the gym regularly now, so I'm getting good value out of my gym membership. Losing weight has proved to be expensive, but it is finally paying off. I feel great!
The Cost of The Half-Marathon
Posted on August 01, 2007 by Him
This summer our posting has been pretty low-key due to all of our extracurricular activities. I've personally been occupied with training for an upcoming half-marathon. Little did I know of the associated costs with training for a 13-mile jaunt. While running is one of the most cost-effective ways of staying in shape, long-distance running (at least for me) requires a little more than just a good pair of shoes. Here are the associated costs for 12 weeks of training for the half-marathon.
Shoes - $75
I'm an overpronator - meaning my feet roll outward too much when I push off. In order to get my feet in alignment, prevent injury, and maximize efficiency, I need a good pair of running shoes. If you're looking for the perfect shoe for you, go to a specialty running store where the people there can watch you run and get you properly.
Moisture Wicking T-shirts, Underwear, and Socks - $150 total
These pieces of clothing wick away moisture to keep me cool and dry. Cotton sticks to my skin and doesn't breathe well when soaked in sweat. Target and Wal-Mart and great places to get these for cheap.
Sports Drinks - $8/week X 12 weeks = $96
Essential for putting back carbs, electrolytes, and fluids into my body before and after a run. I don't drink this stuff any other time.
Sport Beans - $15
I eat Sport Beans during runs over 6 miles. I find that I just run out of energy near the finish if I don't have any during-run nutrition. I've also tried other products, but these seem to work best for me. They're $1 a a bag at Target.
Body Glide - $10
Body glide is like mana from heaven. Prevents chafing. Saves lives, cures cancer. Or not.
Nipguards - $10
Never in my life would I ever think that I would need any form of nipple protection. Then I experienced nipple chafing associated with long runs. For the love of god did they hurt. Then I found out about Nipguards. Slightly weird, but at least my nips don't hurt.
Race registration - $45
I need one of these to run the race.
Race training - $90
Since I'm a beginner, I thought it would be a good idea to sign up for a training program that would connect me with other runners. Turns out this was a pretty good decision, as I've found a group that is going though all of the rookie stuff that I'm going though. They're also a huge asset for my motivation. Who wants to run 12-miles all my themselves?
TOTAL COST - $491
Much of this cost isn't just going to be for this one activity only - the running shoes should last another 6 months and possible another 5K race. The moisture wicking stuff I'll keep for at least a few years. Plus I've gained some running buddies from the race training.
<rationalization>
Besides, the health benefits that I'm getting from all this running should pay off in future reduced healthcare costs, right?
</rationalization>
Keeping Up With The Jones's Surgery
Posted on May 05, 2006 by Her
Everyone has heard the cliché of keeping up with the Jones’s, but this week we experienced a pretty odd example: Inspired by Him, our neighbor just got the same surgery today! It all started when we went out to brunch with the neighbors a few weeks ago. Him told them about his knee injury and the surgery he was scheduled to have. Turns out, our neighbor suffered a similar injury many years ago. At that time, the surgery was much more invasive and the doctor advised our neighbor to just make do with the injury. When we told our neighbor about the new surgery options available, he decided to have the same procedure as Him! Even though it's an outpatient surgery, it's not a walk in the park. I think tomorrow we'll stop by with a care basket for him.
I wonder…What would happen if we bought a big shiny new SUV and parked it in the driveway? ;)
Recovering From Surgery
Posted on April 17, 2006 by Him
During the past week I've endured the one-two punch of medical malaise, hence the lack of posts from me. The first was a pretty bad case of food poisoning that I got while traveling on business in Seattle last weekend. The second was a knee ACL reconstruction surgery that I had done last Wednesday.
Fortunately, my recovery is going extremely well, and I should be back to work later this week. The first few days after surgery were a little shaky, with me having a fever and the effects of the anesthesia and food poisoning leaving me quite nauseated for a few days, making it was difficult to get calories into my body. The weekend was great in that the fever subsided and I had real food for the first time in a week -- even a full Easter dinner.
Her did a great job posting as much as she did and generally keeping the site running. Expect some posts from me now that I'm, uh, back on my feet. Pun intended.
Cheap Sex
Posted on January 18, 2006 by Her
Sex is fun, and even more so when it's cheap. We use the birth control pill to stay safe and get giftcards. Yep, giftcards! A lot of pharmacies (CVS, Walgreens, Dominick's, Target, and Kmart are some in our area) are in competition with each other and are offering coupons for a free gift card (ranging from $10 to $25) with each new or transferred prescription you fill at their pharmacy. The coupons come in weekly mailings, the Sunday paper, and coupons that print with your receipt. If you can't find them you can always buy them on ebay for a couple bucks each. So every month we refill my prescription at a different store and earn a giftcard for that store. In the last year we've accumulated over $200 in giftcards from my prescription purchases! Cheap sex rocks.
The cost of good health
Posted on January 02, 2006 by Him
Our recent engagement spurred both of us to look inward not only financially, but physically, too. During the course of our relationship, we settled into the "comfort zone" and stopped taking care of ourselves, and put on a few pounds. Ugh. So we started working out -- not just a New Year's resolution, but also a wedding resolution.
My fiancée already has a health club membership, but wasn't using it. She got a discounted membership through her work -- they prepaid the full yearly amount, and that balance is paid back as a deduction from her paycheck. I became a full member at the same discounted rate a few days before the new year. For me to gate that rate of $699 a year, I had to pay the full amount upfront. As per our first post, we didn't have much in our checking account, but we had that amount in our ING Direct savings account. The health club urged us to lock in that rate before the new year because they were getting new rates after the new year. So we ended up putting the membership on one of our credit cards with no balance on it. We'll pay it off when we get the bill. Now we both go, with the goal of at least three times a week.
$699 a year, or $58.25 a month for a health club membership. In our current financial situation, this may have seemed like a really bad financial decision. But if we actually do go at least three times a week like we want to, that will lead to greater health. The costs of obesity and related conditions is almost $100 billion dollars yearly; not a good sign when my my body fat composition is 27% -- a far cry from the ideal 15-20% body fat that a healthy man my age should be.
I also have hypertension, which I treat with a medication that, luckily for me, only costs $7/month. Others don't get better when they take the medication that I am on; their medications can be $50+/month. Hopefully, losing weight will allow me to be able to get off the medication.
How much is your health worth?
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