I am a 76 year old fitness professional and a dual licensed insurance agent. I live in a retirement community in Sun City, Arizona.

For the past six years I have been preaching about the dangers of crossing over into retirement physically unprepared.

As I have often stated “Ageing ain’t for sissies”, because this is when all the bad habits we failed to ditch in our early years come home to roost.

The years you worked so hard for will now be spent in hospital beds, wheel chairs, doctor’s offices, or stuck in a tiny, smelly and lonely back room of a nursing home where you’re at the mercy of a casual, indifferent and forgetful, minimum wage staff.

Gruesome enough for ya?

I talk about the guilt associated with burdening your loved ones because you can’t pull your own weight, participate in family gatherings, or even mow your own lawn.

Now let’s talk money. How do you feel about going broke from crushing medical expenses?

Like, financially wiped out. Cancer will do it. Heart disease will do it.

Once you go on Medicare you might think you’re mismanaged body will be totally covered by the government.

Medicare is a broad program of health insurance designed to assist the nation’s elderly to meet hospital, medical, and other health costs. Medicare is available to most individuals 65 years of age and older.

But there are huge gaps.

Some of the items and services Medicare doesn’t cover include:
• Long-Term Care. …
• Most dental care.
• Eye exams (for prescription glasses)
• Dentures.
• Cosmetic surgery.
• Massage therapy.
• Routine physical exams.
• Hearing aids and exams for fitting them.

You can purchase extra coverage like Medicare Advantage to hedge your bet, but they still don’t cover everything.

And they cost money.

Bottom line
With the average price of a three-day hospital stay hovering around $30,000, Medicare can be a massive help to many people dealing with medical issues.

While the program can help you with hospital stays, treatment, and general routine care, there are many things that it doesn’t cover, and you have to be ready to fill in those holes with your hard earned savings for unexpected costs.

The down and dirty: If you smoke, stop now. If you are sedentary, get moving. If you drink too much, get help. If you are overweight, start trimming down.

Unexpected illnesses, especially those from neglect will wipe you out financially and drive you into poverty in a heart beat.

Start training your body today. It’s never too late. I got religion at 70.

Teach yourself to eat right and exercise. Drop that extra weight.

I say, live like you’re gonna die tomorrow, train like you’re gonna live forever.

Take some time to educate yourself on how your body works.

Otherwise, you might not be able to afford these wonderful years.