When you look at it on the surface, a fitness membership, personal trainer, healthy foods, plus child care while you sweat it out, looks rather expensive. It can add up and it may be easy to say “I just can’t afford this!”

But ask yourself this: are you making your health a priority, not just for yourself, but for your family?

Using ourselves as examples, we list our top 3 priorities:

  1. Personal health and well-being
  2. Family
  3. Work life and serving others

Are you shocked that family is not listed first? Let us explain.

Our passion for healthy living really materialized when we realized that if we are not healthy – inside and out – our second and third priorities suffer. Maybe not this week or even this month, but eventually we noticed problems – aches and pains, lack of energy, little motivation, depression – started creeping. So, with some time and effort, we got our acts together and made our health and well-being a priority! Once we readjusted our priorities, we found the benefits naturally flowed into our 2nd and 3rd priorities.

And really, it’s fairly simple to live a healthier lifestyle by just tweaking a few minor things that make those seemingly expensive healthy-living choices much more within reach!

All you need to do to start is take 5 minutes and write down all of your “extras”. What’s an extra you ask? An extra is something you spend money on that

  • Is not a necessity.
  • Enhances your outward appearance (while makes you feel bad inside).
  • Could classify you as a “shopaholic” (the first step to recovery is admitting it!).

Be 100% honest with yourself here and this is definitely not the time to analyze your extras – just write…

Here are some examples:

  • Nails
  • The latest, greatest makeup (or so says the Kardashians)
  • Those “I have to have” shoes
  • Specialty coffees: Starbucks, Tim Hortons, etc.
  • Hair: such as salon colour and hair extensions
  • False lashes
  • Botox
  • Your seasonal clothing spending spree
  • Restaurants
  • Alcohol/Clubs

Now, we are willing to bet that you wrote down at least two extras that focus on enhancing your external appearance? There aren’t too many women – and men – who don’t like to indulge and pamper themselves now and again. And we aren’t saying that you can never indulge!

Trust us – we also love getting our hair and nails done occasionally, or treating ourselves to a new outfit. But finally, after years of neglecting ourselves, we get that eating nutritious foods and doing a fantastic workout is going to benefit us and our loved ones just that much more. So, rather than feeling buyer’s remorse, wouldn’t you rather feel good about yourself and your choices?

Now hold on – this isn’t about trying to make you feel guilt or shame if you are spending on the extras! This exercise is simply meant to provide clarity and maybe help you realign your priorities – just a teeny bit – and see more value in YOU!

Think of how much money you could save if you cut back on a few of the extras on your list. Could you put that money towards a monthly fitness pass? How about writing out a weekly meal plan, buying the groceries and prepping so no food gets wasted? If you must have your retail therapy, at least use coupons to save some money. A Bloomingdales discount code can help you get some shopping in, while still saving money on fitness and healthier food.

Don’t wait. Decide TODAY to make yourself and your well-being a priority. It’s never too late or too early to start. Avoid or minimize future trips to doctors and expensive medication by choosing to take care of yourself right now!

So, when you look beyond the surface (cost), cutting back on a few extras to allow you to afford that fitness membership, personal trainer or healthier foods is truly an investment in yourself. You are telling the world that you matter!

We believe that you and your health are totally worth it – now go and believe in yourself!

 

Nicole and Lara

2GFitness / Barre Fitness Fusion (BFF)