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IT COSTS TOO MUCH TO BE UNHEALTHY
Fitness and Health In These Economic Times
It costs way too much to be unhealthy - from excess health care costs and medical bills to expensive packaged or unhealthy grab ‘n go foods loaded with fat, calories, sodium and lots more.
Exercise and proper nutrition has a way of helping you manage stress, maintain optimism, increase energy, feel stronger, lose weight and work through aggression. In a group environment, you can network and even find others who provide that extra boost of support you needed on a bad day.
So what are some things you can do to help you lead a healthier life and make or keep exercise a priority? First and foremost, remember you are in control, you have the power. And then try some of these out for size:
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If you belong to a gym already, block out three days and times in your calendar, your Outlook or your Blackberry. This is sacred, YOU time.
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If you want to work with a trainer or stay working with a trainer, make arrangements with him/her to train a few times a month to help you stay on the exercise path. This will motivate you, keep things fresh and, hopefully, help keep you safe from injury.
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Share weekly personal training sessions with a friend/partner. This saves both of you money and you will maintain the benefits of working with a trainer.
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Temporarily suspend something or a few things that you can do without in exchange for your fitness program. Examples.
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Can you reduce "coffee stops" throughout the week/month and buy some really good coffee for your home - you'll love the aroma in the morning. My husband and I now save the "coffee stops" for two mornings versus our previous 5 times per week. We are saving $140-$150 each month ($1,800/year) just by making this small adjustment.
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If you're eating nutritiously and planning ahead, you'll also save money on food each week, each month.
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Pack a lunch and save $8-10 each day or $50 per week ($2,600/year). You've just saved $4,400/year between coffee stops and lunches!
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Discover walk/run routes and paths in and around Riverside and the Inland Empire. Save them for the weekend or when we have more daylight hours. Meet up with a friend or friends after work and head up a mountain or path. We have some amazing places to walk or run in our area!
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Join boot camp and enjoy the camaraderie and motivation of others! It's a cost-effective solution to exercise and fitness. It's never boring. You'll build cardio endurance, increase stamina, lose unwanted pounds, build and define muscle, maintain physical fitness, lose body fat, relieve stress, build confidence, make new friends and so much more.
So fitness matters now more than ever. Dr. Jan Cannon, author of "Finding A Job In A Slow Economy," writes, "The last thing you want is to gain 20 pounds during a job search [or during a stressful time at work - added]. That just compounds that sense of ‘what's wrong with me?' Exercise can spur creativity." (You know how we have those "aha" moments of enlightenment while we're doing some mundane, day-to-day activity?) Dr. Cannon continues, in the same way, "a good brisk walk can be very helpful."
Dr. Cannon recalled a client whose workouts "got more frequent as time went on" - to block out the disappointment, and to give her something to get up and do every day. "She lost 40 pounds.
Take charge now and work at staying healthy in these economic times!
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well put together and full of the truth.