Most people don’t tie their health to their finances, but there is a much bigger connection than you may realize. Keeping a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and living with healthy habits doesn’t just make us feel better and live longer, it lowers our cost for medical bills, health insurance, and even life insurance.
How Life Insurance Costs are Determined
Life insurance costs are based on your age, health, and lifestyle. In general, people with more risk of death have a higher cost for insurance because there is a bigger chance the insurance company will have to pay.
Here are some major factors that impact your life insurance cost:
Age
Weight / Body Mass Index (BMI)
Cholesterol Levels and blood pressure
Smoking habits
Job (Is your job dangerous?)
Lifestyle (Do you skydive, bungee jump, or have a pilot license?)
Your home location (High violent crime area? High obesity region?)
Insurance companies have very sophisticated algorithms that calculate how likely you are to die young, and understanding how those calculations work can help you lower your monthly cost of insurance.
You Can Lower Your Monthly Life Insurance Cost
Now that you know what goes into your insurance premium, you can take steps to lower it before you get a quote for a policy. You can make all sorts of small lifestyle changes that will make you feel better and save you a ton of money in the long run.
The biggest, simplest way to lower your premium is to quit smoking. The premium difference for a smoker is often well over $100 per month. On average, for a 35 year old male who is otherwise healthy, the difference in your insurance from quitting smoking is $181 per month for a 20 year term life insurance policy. That is $2,172 more per year, or $43,440 over the 20 year term of the policy.
We can’t make ourselves any younger and likely won’t change our lifestyle, career, and hobbies for an insurance policy, but we can eat better, exercise, and take better care of ourselves every day. Just taking those steps can seriously lower your monthly premium.
Not only will living a better, healthy lifestyle save you money on insurance, it will actually make you live longer. That is a huge win!
Getting Started With a Healthy Diet
The first place to start to lower your insurance premium for your upcoming quote is to get going with a healthy diet. It is a lot easier than you might think to eat healthy. Some people might struggle at first, but if you make it a habit you’ll get used to eating healthy in no time.
First, stop buying junk food at the grocery store. Instead, buy lots of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and unprocessed foods.
Instead of cooking prepared meals from boxes, packages, and the freezer, cook whole, natural ingredients. You can look at sites like the Unwrapped Veggie for inspiration and ideas.
Next, start to cut down on the less healthy items. Cheese, butter, heavy creams, and fatty meats like bacon and ground beef are full of saturated fat and cholesterol, which is horrible for your health.
Getting Started with Exercise
Now that you are eating a little better, it is time to get off the couch and do some exercise. The key to keeping yourself healthy through activity and exercise is to find exercise you really enjoy. Just because some people love running or going to the guy doesn’t mean you have to run or lift weights to be in good shape.
Some fun ways to get started with exercise are biking and dance classes like Zumba. I find riding my bike with friends, even on slower rides, is a ton of fun, a great way to explore my city, and as a bonus, it is really good for me. For some people, classes like Zumba get you moving while listening to great music with like-minded people. It is like a night club during the day!
Doctors recommend 30 minutes of exercise that will elevate your heart level at least 3-4 times per week. This type of cardio exercise lowers your risk for heart disease, improves your cholesterol and triglyceride levels, improves heart function, lowers your risk of osteoporosis, and improves muscle mass. If that seems like medical jargon to you, just know that regular exercise will make your healthier and live longer. That is great for your and your life insurance premiums.
Exercise doesn’t have to be an inconvenience or something that makes you miserable. Just find an activity that you enjoy and find a place in your schedule to get active three times a week or more for at least 30 minutes.
Shop Around for the Best Rates
Sites like TermLifeInsurance.com will connect you with several options from high quality, trusted insurance companies. Each institution offers different rates and premiums for their policies, so it is important to shop around and understand everything that goes into your insurance premium and quote.
Remember, as long as you are honest and forthcoming on your application, once your policy is issued it is yours for the entire term. Get yourself into shape and start living a healthy lifestyle today so you can save money for decades to come.