The Skinny Discount: How being healthy pays off

A commonly heard excuse, amongst those considering living a healthy life, is that the food is too expensive, and while yes the food is expensive, in time it pays off.

This weekend I went wedding dress shopping with my sister. I thought it would be a very stressful experience but it was actually not that bad! My sister tried on dress after dress and eventually she found the right one, which looks absolutely stunning on her.

Gabrielle (my sister) has been trying to lose weight for some time now and she has successfully lost 20 pounds! Her changes are visible and she is the happiest I have ever seen her. I believe she probably felt as if her hard work culminated when she, not only found the dress, but when she went to pay for the dress. The consultant had told her because she was not over a particular size, she was able to get a discount on her dress, a discount that my sister and I referred to as the "skinny discount", which saved hundreds of dollars.

So is it worth the extra dollar you have to spend on organic produce? Yes. In time this pays off. A discount of sorts may be the pay off, for example the dress discount or the discount I receive on Lululemon for being a cycling instructor. Or this may pay off in terms of health care. When you live a healthy life you lower your chances of getting diseases that could become costly and you spend a lot less time in the hospital and at doctors offices.

To add to my point, by cooking your own food, and not eating at restaurants, you are saving money. I couldn't believe how much money I saved when I stopped constantly going to Panera and my favorite Mexican restaurant.

So while initially being healthy may take a hard hit at your bank account, do not make this your excuse. After all, if you want to be healthy, you will do anything. It will pay off.