Better Fitness, Diet, and Mental Health
What is a vegetable’s favorite martial art? Carr-ot-eee! Eating right and getting active can be as fun as this joke, am I right?!?!?! Plus, your body and mind will thank you! Today, let’s talk about how your benefits can help you pursue better fitness, diet, and mental health.
Why are fitness, diet, and mental health so vital?
Harvard Health reports that multiple studies have found a correlation between diets high in refined sugars with impaired brain function and a worsening of mood disorder symptoms. Further, a study housed in the National Library of Medicine documents the beneficial impacts of physical activity on mental health. If you ask me, it sounds like we can all benefit in our mental health by improving our diet and fitness!
Better Fitness
Do you know what chickens work on in the gym? Their pecks! HA! If you want to work on some or all of your parts in a gym, you may be wondering where to start. My first piece of advice is to ask your employer if they support wellness pursuits. Some employers work with fitness facilities to secure discounted memberships, for example. Others offer Lifestyle Spending Accounts (LSAs) with eligible expenses that may include gym memberships, fitness apparel and accessories, and fitness class subscriptions. And if you want to get (or stay) active but prefer sports, LSAs may cover team participation fees, golf memberships, and the like.
Better Diet
What do you call someone who can’t stick to a diet? A desserter. Get it? Dessert, not desert. Yeah, whatever. Laughing at this joke may be as challenging as sticking to a diet. Some nutrition expenses may be eligible under FSA and HSA accounts but may require a Letter of Medical Necessity. What if you want to eat healthier but don’t have that letter? Again, you can turn to your Lifestyle Spending Account if your employer authorizes nutritional expenses like healthy grocery delivery services, cooking classes, and nutritional counseling.
Better Mental Health
Maintaining a good diet and exercise is often easier said than done. Mental health issues can be challenging to manage, and cultural and/or religious influences may prevent some from even admitting a struggle or seeking treatment.
Paying for diagnosis and treatment expenses may be possible in full or part from your benefit accounts. If your mental health issues require medical treatment, you may need to seek the help of a trained professional. You may receive a prescription for medications. In that case, your health plan may cover some, but not all. You may turn to your CDH accounts to cover copays, deductibles, and prescription medications in these more significant cases. If you experience minor anxiety or sleep issues, you may benefit from remedies such as sleep or meditation apps. Some employers include these mental health apps as LSA-eligible expenses.
Ready to start?
You may not be very excited about eating your veggies or spending an hour in the gym when you could be watching a show or playing a video game. Or you may feel depressed and unable to decide what to do. Employer-sponsored benefits can’t solve every challenge, but they do provide tools to make it easier at least financially.
A healthy, happy employee is a successful, productive employee. Ask your HR administrator for more information, and tell them Captain Contributor sent you! 🙂
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