Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

          Welcome to afitnewyou!  As we are now a good ways into the holiday season, it becomes obvious that an unfortunate focus (especially for those of us here in the States) tends towards holiday spending instead of reflecting on the true "reason for the season."  But with that deeper subject aside, we all know that this time of year brings a lot of spending.  And having already passed Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it makes me think about what we spend our money on.  I do believe there are times when we buy things simply for the sake of obtaining things; there are times when we purchase things for the wrong reasons.  However, I believe that most of the times when we spend money that it is on things that we truly value.  This is why we call it investing.  Furthermore, when we are investing our money wisely, we usually have the goal of gaining some sort of return on it.  So as you continue your holiday spending, I think you should consider investing a little bit of your budget on yourself and your health.  Treating yourself to something that will help you achieve your fitness goals shouldn't be looked at as a selfish act, rather it should be looked at as an investment in your health.

          On "Day Three" of their book, The Love Dare, authors Stephen and Alex Kendrick express the value which we place on things that we spend our money on.  They say, "Whatever you put your time, energy, and money into will become important to you.  It's hard to care for something you are not investing in."  While they referring to what could help you restore a relationship, I believe this also pertains to your health.  I would like to restate their sentiment in regards to your vitality...It is hard to not care for something that you are investing in.  Although I am usually against the idea of feeling like you need to spend money in order to achieve health (because that isn't 100% true), I am in favor of you taking whatever steps are necessary to get you on the path to a healthier, fitter new you.  And a good part of that is placing value on your own health and even more so developing value for being healthy.  So, just as the Kendricks suggest with restoring a relationship, investing some money into your own health can have long term dividends.

          The key to making any investment pay off is to invest wisely.  Rather than just "throwing your money at something" and hoping that you will get a return, it is better to do a bit of research into what will lead to the best value.  It is unfortunate that sometimes we learn the hard way that sometimes finding the best deal isn't the greatest in the long run, but that you often "get what you pay for."  This is why when people buy the "latest and greatest" piece of cardio equipment from a television infomercial I usually roll my eyes.  Those are the types of investments that usually over the long term become glorified clothes hangers.  But even if that purchase allows you to start towards your fitness goals, then you can consider it a worthy investment.  I just believe that a better investment would be in a gym membership and/or sessions with a qualified personal trainer and/or nutritionist.  These types of purchases can help you with both your short and long term fitness goals.

          If you spend some money on fresh fitness apparel, a new piece of exercise equipment for home, or best yet, a gym membership and/or sessions with a personal trainer and/or nutritionist you are very likely to want to get something out of it.  There is a high likelihood that you will want to see a return on your investment, so there is a great chance you will actually use these things.  The best part of this is that the investment is not actually on the items, but in your own health and fitness.  Because you are looking for value on what you have spent your money on, you will in turn develop a value for these things that will help you reach your fitness goals.  Although you don't necessarily need to spend a significant amount of money to get in shape, putting money into these things allows you to want to get something out of your expenditures and therefore will have you act on it.  Putting your money where your mouth is by investing in your own health is a valuable way to achieve a fit new you!