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Get Healthy and Save Money at the Same Time
Debt AdviceLiving on a budget is not easy – especially in the first few months that you try it. Our society has developed into an instant-gratification type of status where if you can’t afford something now, just put it on credit so you can be in the position of not affording it (plus the interest) later. Living differently and managing your money well in a way that is not mainstream may not seem popular, but if all your popular friends are in debt and broke but don’t know it yet, then that is a type of popularity you should avoid.
When trying to live well financially, few people realize that living well physically and in a health-sense is not only good for your body and life, it can be good for your budget as well. Some people are under the misconception that living healthy costs a lot of money but that is only true if you don’t know how to live healthy the way our ancestors did. Here are a few tips to get you started:
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Eat Less Meat: No, this isn’t an ad for PETA or living a completely vegetarian lifestyle, but the truth of the matter is that Americans do tend to eat too much meat – and it’s expensive. If you could make it a simple goal to eat meat with only one meal per day, you will be off to a great start in improving your health. You will feel a difference in just a few weeks and your budget will start to show the savings as well.
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Stop Smoking: If you’re already a non-smoker, that’s great. If you still smoke, then you already know that the cards are stacked against you in society. Congress and state governments have declared war on cigarette smoking by taxing it practically into oblivion. Do yourself a double-favor and quit smoking and your body will thank you, your wallet will thank you, and the government(s) that were conspiring against you, though they will cheer you openly, behind closed doors they will weep for the loss of your tax dollars.
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Stop Paying Gym Memberships: An article about getting healthy doesn’t seem to be the type of place to tell you to quit going to the gym, right? But it is perfect for an article that is also focused on cutting out your debt and improving your financial bottom line. The truth is that good old-fashioned, ‘get out and go’ exercise is as good as anything you can find at a gym for getting fit, and let’s face it…you rarely go anyway. Instead, pick a time of day when you’re usually sitting in front of the TV and go walk around your block. One time. That’s all, just walk around the block once.
Do it for a week, get used to the area, the sights and the sounds. Then get out and try to jog around the block. If you can’t make it, that’s fine, just go as far as you can and mark the place where you had to start walking. Next day, try to jog just 10 steps further. And keep that up until you are jogging around the block. When you’ve succeed there, try jogging around your block and walking around the next one. Taking simple steps like these can save you hundreds of dollars in gym membership, require the same ‘get up and go’ attitude as going to the gym in order to function, and can provide tremendous health benefits if you stick with it.
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Cut the Sugar: Stop buying soda. In fact, you should try to stop buying anything with High Fructose Corn Syrup (which is pure sugar) in it. Those juices and soft drinks are expensive, and they aren’t doing your body any favors either. Your body requires insulin to produce fat cells. Insulin is only produced by your body and enters the bloodstream when you take in sugar. No sugar…no insulin…no fat. You’ll look better in no time, and the money you save on buying sodas over the course of one year should go into a jar just so you can stand back in amazement at how much you’d wasted before on a null, zero-nutrition product. Then take the money and do something nice for yourself with it, like pay off a debt or go on a health-cruise.
