We all know exercise is good for us for a variety of reasons, including weight loss. But one of my favorite reasons to exercise is all of the money it will save me in the future. Exercise can save you money in preventable medical care and as a society it can save us all billions of dollars in preventable medical care.

Preventable diseases like diabetes and other obesity related illnesses cost billions of dollars each year. Yet with a bit of exercise and healthy living much of this cost could be avoided.

The following info graphic shows how exercise can save us all billions in preventable medical care.

How Exercise Can Save BILLIONS In Preventable Medical Care

Everyone knows exercise does the body good. But staying fit can also prevent deadly and expensive diseases in the long run.

Preventable diseases are expensive!

• $245 Billion – Estimated cost of Diagnosed Diabetes
• $444 Billion – Estimated cost of Cardiovascular Disease
• $147 Billion – Estimated cost of Obesity

The good news is, these costly diseases are preventable.

Get off the couch and exercise 22 minutes every day!

The surgeon General recommends adults engage in moderate-intensity exercise for at least 2 hours and 30 minutes every week to fight obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

But few Americans meet exercise guidelines. 79% of Adults don’t meet physical activity guidelines.

One common excuse is the cost of exercise. The average monthly cost of a gym membership is $55.

No more excuses!

Here are 8 ways to exercise without the cost of a gym membership.

1. Get moving throughout the day. Studies show that 43% of those who participate in “short bouts” of exercise met the Department of Health’s recommended physical activity guidelines.
2. Look for daily deals. Sites like Groupon and LivingSocial offer huge discounts on fitness memberships.
3. Talk to HR. Your employer may offer discount packages to local gyms.
4. Use your smartphone. There are dozens of high quality fitness apps that can help you get in shape.
5. Take advantage of gym trials. Complimentary week or month trials are a great way to get free fitness access.
6. Use your own weight. Pushups, squats, and sit-ups are weight training exercises that don’t require equipment.
7. Find free videos. YouTube and on demand television offer plenty of free fitness videos.
8. Freeze your membership. Only pay for the gym when you need it, freeze your membership during summer months or vacation.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money on exercise. You can do bodyweight exercises at home and watch YouTube videos for other exercise ideas. Fitness is free and in the end it will save you a ton of money! Even if you decide you can only exercise by paying $200 a month for a Crossfit gym, you have to think of the return on investment: a longer and healthier life with less medical spending due to preventable diseases.

Instead of paying so much for healthcare in the future, just invest now and get moving! It will be the best thing you ever did!

If you need more motivation to exercise, check out these posts full of motivation:

• 50 Fitness Motivation Quotes
• Motivation to Exercise
• Motivation to Exercise When It’s Cold

Happy exercising!