Americans Favor More Exercise Over Higher Healthcare Costs, Study Finds

Online, July 2, 2013 (Newswire.com) - According to a recent study by the University of Michigan Health System and Stanford University, people would rather exercise more instead of paying up to 20 percent more for health insurance.

The researchers evaluated a group of people insured by Blue Care Network, which requires people who are obese to pay more for not doing anything to reduce their weight. The study examined Blue Care Network participants who chose to enroll in a pedometer-based program as a requirement to receive insurance discounts. After one year, almost 97 percent of participants had met or exceeded the average goal of 5,000 steps a day or 450,000 steps a quarter. This included the most resistant participants who disagreed with the financial incentives because they thought the program was "coercive."

The majority of enrollees met the required fitness goals one step at a time by participating via an Internet-tracked walking program. There were other eligibility choices for the incentive, including Weight Watchers, but more than half of those eligible chose the walking program. There was also an exemption for those with medical conditions if they had waivers from their doctors.

"We recommend walking as the best exercise when fat-burning is the goal," say boomer generation health experts Dian Griesel, Ph.D., and Tom Griesel, authors of the books TurboCharged: Accelerate Your Fat Burning Metabolism, Get Lean Fast and Leave Diet and Exercise Rules in the Dust (April 2011, BSH) and The TurboCharged Mind (January 2012, BSH). "However, walking alone will not solve the problem. Many people who walk or do some other exercise regularly are still obese and would definitely not be considered healthy. Exercise is good but a more comprehensive approach is needed to improve body composition and health."

SOURCE: http://turbocharged.us.com/your-health-insurance-costs/

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