Tuesday, January 20, 2009

More bang for your buck - Prioritising health & wealth





This article is inspired after I received a $1 100.00 solicitors bill for a 45 minute consultation. The result was a lot of moaning and hair pulling and body rocking to which my partner Matty offered insight - "It may be the best $1000 you have ever spent."

That afternoon I took my nine month pregnant belly to gym and did what comes naturally to me. I hit the boxing bag as hard as I could and screamed a lot. I don't think I am exaggerating when I say the resulting endorphin rush saved me & my unborn baby hours, and even days, of grief and physical and mental anguish. The result was a feeling of control and peace - I could think clearer and get on with my long list of tasks for the day and week.

Which leads me to ponder: what will the current economic crisis be doing to our health? How is it affecting our priorities?

More importantly - do you view your health as an expendable luxury item?

Something has to give if we want to survive this economic down turn.

The only real solution is to be honest with yourself: what are you cutting back on to make ends meet?
A cup of coffee or frappachino?
A bag of chips or slice of cake?
Walking to the local shops rather than driving?
Movies and DVDS being replaced by free family entertainment (often outdoors and involving activity)?
Going to the library to feed your reading or gossip mag addiction?
Shopping at local markets for fresh, cheap produce?
Cutting out expensive packaged and takeaway meals?
Rather than getting a retail fix going for a walk or doing a group training class with friends?

If these are some of the strategies that you are employing then you are not only benefiting your hip pocket, but also your hips.

What I commonly see is these sort of sacrifices being made:

Cancelling fitness sessions and memberships.
Buying cheap, inferior sporting footwear and protective clothing.
Opting out of massage and natural therapy.

But let me ask you: what price is your health?
Can you earn money from a hospital bed?
Can you make sound decisions when you are stressed and overwhelmed?
Can you be happy and fulfilled when you are overweight, suffer poor health and berate yourself every time you get dressed and catch a sideways glance at yourself in the mirror?

Can you afford to have less energy and more stress in your life?????

NO! OF COURSE YOU CAN NOT!

Let's look at some options to maintain health AND your account balance.

Fad shakes and diets are expensive, unhealthy and will cost you later in ways that you don't even calculate. For example: you will pay with constipation, excessive weight re-gain, kidney and liver dysfunction and immune disorders. This equals big bucks when you are running to and from a doctor and chemist.

SOLUTIONS:
1. Buy cheap, fresh produce from markets and farmhouses.
2. Cut back on expensive cuts of meats, preserved and pre-packed meals and buy more fish and vegetarian alternatives like lentils and chickpeas.
3. Buy unprocessed foods and eat more whole grains to keep you fuller for longer. Did you know that it costs $7.95 for a 400gram pack of Special K? A supposed "diet" cereal with 3-4 teaspoons of sugar per serving - but only $2.95 for a 1kilo pack of wholemeal oats. You do the math and nutritional forecasting on that one.
4. Stop looking for a quick fix and ask for advice. In business I take advice from successful business people. In health I follow the example if people that look great, have heaps of energy, lots of positive energy AND DON'T SPEND EVERY SECOND DAY AT THE DOCTOR. True health is being free of the need to be diagnosed and medicated.

If you don't have the know-how or motivation to exercise effectively by yourself then budget for exercise.
1. Chose group classes that motivate you and get results.
You are not paying to be mollycoddled - you are paying for an intense, high quality workout.
2. A good personal trainer teaches you how to teach yourself. Use personal training packs as a method of compiling safe and effective workouts that you can do yourself at home.
3. Get a GOOD workout DVD. A versatile workout DVD should not need expensive supporting equipment and can be performed in any room in the house. Like the SWEAT AT HOME DVD!



In short - you get out of life what you put in. Put in crap, expensive food, get back expensive health problems. Invest in health and fitness, get back longevity and beauty - inside and out. What is your choice going to be?

1 comment:

Zoƫ said...

erin. I love you. Keep up the motivational blog stuff. you're a modern wonder! hehehe. and bring on the baby I say!