The Link between Health and Financial Wealth

This article originally appeared on Arrest Your Debt and has been republished here with permission. 

Are you taking care of yourself physically? The link between physical health and success in this world is a strong one. With increased physical health comes more clarity and a sharper focus in your daily activities.

As you know, taking care of your finances can be a difficult activity. It requires you to deal with the bills and the debt you have today while also thinking about the future and retirement.

It requires multitasking and ambition as well as a great amount of self-control to curb your spending habits.

This constant juggling can become overwhelming even when we focus all of our attention on our finances.

I am the type of person who is incredibly focused and driven. When I have a goal, I will put on my blinders and ignore absolutely everything until I achieve it.

While this does help me achieve my goals, I tend to ignore other things that are as much, if not more important than my goal. 

Ignore Your Health, Ignore Your Wealth

When I first started my blog, I pumped out a new article every day for two weeks straight.

I was so goal-oriented and excited about this project that I stopped doing my normal routines to have enough time to write. For example, I would usually work out at the gym while my daughter was at swim practice, but I found I could write an entire post in that amount of time if I skipped the gym.

I was doing well for the first couple of months and didn’t mind skipping my normal gym routines. Add a couple of more months on to that, and now I find myself wearing tighter pants, and my energy is starting to decrease. If you’re like me, when I stop going to the gym for an extended period of time – I tend to start eating more junk and totally go overboard.

I also noticed I was having trouble coming up with ideas to write for this blog. It wasn’t as easy to sit down and bang out a quality post that could add value to others. I even started to “feel” unhealthy.

A few weeks ago, I noticed all of these symptoms slowly creeping up on me, and I finally recognized it was due to my lack of exercise. So, in the past few weeks, I have started going back to the gym, and I have cut back on my posts. Instead of every day, or every other day, I now upload a new post three days a week.

I would still love to be writing every day and adding new content to this site, but if I don’t take time out for myself, I can tell the quality of my content suffers.

Since I have returned to the gym, it has been easier to write with clarity and develop ideas for topics. I am starting to feel better, and my anxiety levels have decreased.

Yes, believe it or not, with someone who seems to have it all together like me–even I deal with anxiety.

Maybe I should start writing about mental health in the future…

Physical Exercise and Goals

As a finance blogger, I have to throw a quick disclaimer out there. This does not give you an excuse to go out and spend $150 a month on a fancy gym if you are in debt.

You can start by walking or jogging around the block or doing push-ups and sit-ups at home. That is just as good as the gym, I promise!

Diet and Clarity

I feel like this is turning into a health and fitness blog! But, unfortunately (or fortunately), our physical bodies are so intertwined with our mental health and clarity that we can not ignore our diet and exercise if we hope to accomplish our major goals.

Like how we buy too much junk, which puts us in a bad financial situation, we also eat too much junk. Easier said than done, right?

A month or so ago, I was on a sugar binge. I rarely eat candy, but I couldn’t get enough of it in the past month or so. At work, the secretary has a bowl full of candy that I have to walk past every day, which is a real test of my willpower.

Unfortunately, it has been a losing battle because I just love those sour gummy worms….

Since I started working out again a few weeks ago, I have found it easier to avoid grabbing those worms as I pass by her desk. The increased exercise also increases willpower and the ability to avoid temptations I previously gave in to.

Reference your diet, force yourself to get back to eating healthy, unprocessed foods. If you don’t buy it, you can’t eat it at home. I have had to make several changes recently because of the bad eating habits I had developed. I would have dinner with the family, go to the gym, and then come home and watch Netflix with my wife before bed.

Guess what routine I found myself doing while watching Netflix? You guessed it; I found myself snacking. Not necessarily because I was hungry, but because it was routine. Eating right before bed is a terrible idea!

New Routines

As you move forward to your financial goals and examine your monthly budget and spending habits, I encourage you also to examine your physical health (or lack thereof) routines.

When was the last time you exercised? If it has been a while, intentionally set aside some time to go for a walk or a light jog. There are multiple free workout apps you can download that will help keep you motivated.

I have used apps like “30 days to 6 pack abs” and other daily exercises that force you to come back to them each day. Force yourself to schedule time to exercise – your body and mind will thank you.With an increase in mental clarity and physical health, you will have even more drive and ability to destroy your debts and achieve financial independence!

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