Thursday, May 3, 2012

Being High Maintenance

I've always thought it was ok to be high maintenance, as long as you take care of your own maintenance. My husband says it's ok for me to be high maintance because I am "healthy high maintenance."  He's a keeper.

Urban Dictionary gives these definitions:

1.  Requiring a lot of attention. When describing a person, high-maintenance usually means that the individual is emotionally needy or prone to over-dramatizing a situation to gain attention
2.  A person who has expensive taste (re. clothing, restaurants, etc.).
This person is never comfortable because he/she is constantly concerned about his/her appearance.
This person feels they are better than most people and usually judge others based on outward appearances.
3. Requiring much time and many products to keep their appearance at the current level; And/or requiring much attention from others in relationships, romantic or otherwise.
I'm going to pick apart these definitions in the context of health:
1.  Requiring a lot of attention:  For having such developed brains, humans are very poor consumers of their own machines. Most people know more about their cars than their bodies.  You may take your car in every 5000 miles for an oil change but you expect your body to go 2 million miles and than can't quite understand how it could possibly fall apart.  Requiring a lot of attention is not necessarily a bad thing.  Even injured workers don't cost as much when they have a case manager that is good at getting them timely appointments, and communicating.  If you feel cared for, you get better faster. 
2.  Expensive taste:  Companies save between $3 and $5 for every $1 they spend on wellness, ergonomics, and safety.  There isn't much comparable data available for individuals.  If you think that spending a few hundred (or even thousand) dollars on some preventive care is a lot, check out the cost of being injured. A 1999 article in EMS Magazine stated:
•Average cost for a “simple” sprain or strain of the lumbar spine is approximately $18,365 in direct costs per occurrence. (a direct cost example is the cost of a doctor visit, medication, etc.)
•Indirect costs are calculated to be 15-40 times the direct costs. (such as the cost of lost productivity)
•An insurers average cost per “simple” lumbar sprain is $25,200.
•Second back injury is usually more complicated and costs 2-4 times more than the first injury.
 3.  Time and Products: If we were healthier on the inside, we wouldn't need so much to enhance our outside apperance.  I know I don't look so tired when I am exercising regularly, eating healthy.

4.  Relationships:  We all need them.  Just like requring attention is not all bad, neither is having a relationship with a variety of people that help improve your health. The tough part is figuring out who is most efficient and effective at facilitating your health.

Keeping up your body is high maintanance.  You are worth it.  The cost of not doing it is much greater.