The application process for life insurance can be very rigorous. There are many things that the companies will check to make sure that your risk of dying is as low as possible. One of the most important things going in is your medical checkup. There are many things that you should know that the insurance companies are looking at in your physical. Fortunately, many of these things are also easy to prepare for to some degree.
Something that will factor heavily into your premiums and the type of plan you can get is your Body Mass Index, or BMI. Generally speaking, a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered healthy. The people who fall in this range are the ones that insurance companies want to insure. BMI can be calculated by dividing your weight in pounds by your squared height in inches, then multiplying the resultant number by 703. There are many resources online that will instantly do this for you. Although there are some people who will have an inaccurate reading, such as people who are very muscular, insurance companies tend to adhere strictly to BMI. It is in your best interest to do what you can get yourself into the healthy BMI range before your physical.
It is worth noting that although it is advisable to lose or gain weight as necessary, you also shouldn’t aim to quickly drop weight. Very sudden weight loss can be a sign of sickness, another thing that life insurance companies want to avoid. Although many healthy people lose weight through diet and exercise, insurance companies tend to be cautious so that they can potentially avoid unhealthy people. Do what you can get reasonably close to the right BMI, but don’t go on any crazy crash diets.
BMI is not the only health concern that you should have when applying for life insurance. Blood pressure and cholesterol levels are also major factors in determining what kind of deal an insurance company will give you. In general, you want to have an average blood pressure that is less than 140 over 85 for the last two years, and a CHOL/HDL ratio of 5 or less. If you are having issues with blood pressure, it is good to reduce the amount of salt you eat. To improve your cholesterol ratio, it is advisable to cut down on foods high in saturated fats, as well as simple carbohydrates such as bread, pasta and fried foods. You can also improve both of these by beginning an exercise program that includes intense cardiovascular workouts as well as some weight training.
Although it is good to get yourself into the best shape that you can before you apply for life insurance, it is also important to have realistic goals. If you are very overweight or unhealthy, you shouldn’t necessarily wait the years that it will take you to fix these issues. Ultimately, anything could happen, and if there are people in your life that depend on you for income, you should minimize any delays before you get life insurance.
This article was published on behalf of Sam Jones. He is the author of this article and advises all his friends to get two or three life insurance quotes before signing on the dotted line.
