In his inauguration speech today President Barack Obama encouraged us to assume personal responsibility for our lives and ultimately the course of our country. His words inspired me to think of ways we can assume personal responsibility for our health, improve the overall health of our nation and reduce the cost of healthcare. Here's a list of ten steps you can implement throughout your life.

1. Breast-Feed

Saves $1200-$1500 per year in direct costs of formula
Saves $3.6 billion annually in treating conditions that can be prevented by breastfeeding
Improves productivity by reducing days missed from work, school, trips to the E.R. and pediatrician.
Reduces your personal risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer and ovarian cancer
Click for more information about breast-feeding.

2. Actively Prevent Child Abuse

When you have a child at any age, you are the grown-up; behave like one
Engage in self-control to model good behavior for your children; do not ridicule, belittle, or physically harm them
If you don't have children of your own, the children of the world are all our children because they're our future Click here to learn what you can do about child abuse.

3. Be Sexually Responsible: Prevent Pregnancy and STD's

Whether you're a woman or a man it's your responsibility to prevent unintended pregnancy and all its disastrous consequences: Use birth control or consistently practice abstinence.
Do your part to prevent STD's (sexually transmitted diseases): Use condoms, get the HPV vaccine.

4. Control Your Weight

Reduces diabetes, heart disease, two of the most prevalent and costly diseases in America.
Maintaining normal weight is good for your self esteem

5. Make Exercise a Habit Beginning in Your Teens

Morning exercises are the most consistent
Vary your exercise to prevent boredom
Choose a form of exercise that is easy to do: walking 30 minutes per day five days a week is a great goal
Make the time for exercise; excuses do you no good
If you "fall off the wagon" get back on and just do it when you can

6. Abstain from substances

Tobacco, drugs, excess alcohol, excess food

7. Grow a Garden

Eating locally grown food reduces energy consumption and provides you fresh healthy food
Cultivating a garden induces relaxation and reduces blood pressure

8. Drive Less

Ride your bike or walk to work/school if/when you can
Consolidate multiple errands into one trip
Use public transportation

9. Research Your Health Care Options: Expensive does not Equal Effective

Medical Interventions are not always the most cost effective or medically effective ways to treat a disease. For example a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine earlier this decade showed sufferers of chronic back pain got equal or more relief from yoga as from back surgery.

10. Develop an End-of-Life-Plan

80% of our health care dollar is spent on the last six months of life. Consider how you want to live out your life and make a plan.

Share your ideas about living healthy and responsibly by commenting!

Ten Free Ways to Engage Responsibly in Your Health and Reduce the Cost of Health Care