When was the last time you checked in with your money mindset? I know you’re probably wondering why I’m talking about money mindset when I’m a health and fitness coach. That’s fair! There is method to my madness, I promise.
There’s a connection between how we spend our money and our values (what’s most important to us in our life). Sometimes we think we know what we value most in our life but the reality is our words don’t always line up with our actions. We’ll do a deep dive on this topic today.
We spend our money on the things that are important to us and that are needed. We all need food to stay alive. Life is much more enjoyable when we have a warm, comfortable, safe place to sleep. We need some form of transportation to get us to the grocery store, work, school, and wherever else we want to go.
After all our basic necessities are paid for we have the choice to spend, save, or invest the leftover at the end of the month (if there is any which I’ll talk about as well). These are three completely different actions. While I’m not a financial advisor (nor do I want to be one), I’m going to share with you how each of these relate to your health and wellness values.
Spending
There’s always new health and fitness trends roaming around social media these days. Let’s rewind for a sec. In the 80’s, it was the Step Aerobics platform promoted by the original cardio queen, Jane Fonda. Back in the 90’s, it was Suzanne Sommers’ thigh master, which was actually a very effective tool to firm up your thighs and there’s still versions available today. Dance classes (Zumba anyone?) became a big hit in the early 2000’s as the go-to workout to do.
There’s not only fitness trends that become popular but nutrition trends, as well. If you think about it, we’re always hearing about the latest “super-food” that you just have to eat because it will turn you into Wonder Woman and you’ll be able to fly your invisible plane and use your lasso of truth to make people tell you the truth. Okay, maybe I’m being a little dramatic but, honestly, who doesn’t want to be Super Woman? My point is that there’s not one food (or supplement for that matter) that’s going to make or break your health and wellness. I’ll dive more into this in the investment section in a bit.
If you want to keep up with the latest health and fitness trends I’m all for it! Just be sure it’s actually something you enjoy doing (or eating) and not something you’re doing (or eating) just because social media influencers are telling you it’s good for you. When you fall into this trap you might be adding an unnecessary expense to your spending habits. You’re the only one who gets to decide what’s good for your health and wellness. We’ll tap into this later on.
On the other hand, if you say you want to scale back on your processed food intake to eat healthier but say you can’t because it’s too expensive, I encourage you to take a look at your spending habits. What can you take a break from buying and spend that money on meat, eggs, or veggies instead? Every few months or so we’ll do a no-spend month where we don’t buy any extras. We don’t eat out (or scale back on this) and only spend our money on the regular expenses that keep us alive and kicking (i.e. food) and the necessities (i.e. insurance). It definitely opens our eyes to unnecessary spending that’s happening that we’re not aware of.
Saving
If you’re a saver like me (which, by the way, I wasn’t always), this can definitely benefit your health and well-being. Having money in the bank in case any unexpected expenses come up such as a car repair can help you avoid diving into panic mode. You know what I’m talking about. The one that pops up during a routine maintenance check that adds an extra $500 to your bill. This happened to us the week of Christmas and, while it wasn’t too expensive, we were really grateful we were able to pay for it no problem.
The constant stress about money can take a toll on your overall health. When your cortisol (your stress hormone) levels are constantly high, this can create chaos with your hormones. When your hormones are out of whack sugar and salt cravings increase, anxiety levels go up, you have trouble sleeping, and you may feel less motivated to move your body. Before you know it, you’ve eaten the entire box of cookies and it’s 1am and you’re still scrolling through social media. These are just a few things that can inhibit your body from burning fat effortlessly.
Enjoying peace of mind when it comes to having a cushion in the bank can help you feel calm and collected even when surprise expenses come up. When you feel relaxed and optimistic, you’re more likely to make food and movement choices that actually align with your health and fitness goals. It will make creating sustainable lifestyle habits more enjoyable and feel effortless. Which brings us to the last money topic.
Investing
Now we’re going to talk about the good stuff! Investing in your health, in my opinion, is the best way to create lifestyle habits that are sustainable. There’s something really satisfying to me when I hand over my money in exchange for something that I know is going to help me get great sleep, feel strong, have energy, and feel confident in my own skin (which is something I’ve struggled with all my life).
So, what does this look like?
Well, this looks different for everyone. Now, I know I talk a lot about the benefits of health and fitness coaching. I do this because I truly believe in the value of it, which is why I got into this industry. This is why I’m committed to writing about women’s health every single week. This is why I started the Wellness Abundance Podcast. This is why I get out of bed every day and make it my daily mission to impress upon women like yourself that you can live in a healthy body while enjoying life’s simple pleasures like chocolate and wine.
Some women benefit from joining a gym and signing up for group fitness classes. Other women prefer investing in fitness videos and workout equipment they can do in the comfort of their own home. By the way, if you’re not on our Women’s Weekly Wellness email list, go here to join and you’ll receive our Guide to Fitness For Weight Loss that includes 27 on demand fitness videos you can do at any time in the comfort of your own home.
Okay, I digress. Let’s get back on track.
Personally, I like to invest my money in grass-feed meat, wild caught seafood, pasture-raised eggs, and organic fruits and veggies whenever possible. This aligns with one of my core values of eating as many nutrient dense foods as possible. Of course, only the ones I actually enjoy eating. You won’t catch me eating liver. EVER! I’ve tried it once and never again. Yuck!
To be honest, it’s actually easy for me to choose nutrient dense food over processed food because it’s a core value of mine. Same with my hubby which was actually one the qualities that attracted me to him. Health and fitness being a priority was a “must-have” quality on my list I was looking for in a life partner. In fact, it was at the top of my list. Yes, I had a list of the qualities for a life partner. That’s a fun story for another time.
One of the first things I want to learn about my clients is what they value most in their life. What’s most important to them? This conversation usually starts before we actually start working together because they come to me for help them align their actions with their values.
Just to give you some clarity on this, here are some examples of women who’ve enrolled in one of my programs:
She’s having fertility challenges and wants to start a family
Osteoporosis runs in her family and she wants to prevent it with a strength training routine but she doesn’t know where to start
She wants to lose fat to be healthier because of a scary diagnosis
She feels wants to take her health and fitness to a different level
At the very beginning of our coaching relationship, we chat about her values and why it’s important to her to create healthy lifestyle habits. This then translates into a great conversation about what her life would look like if she implemented these changes and found success.
As we work together and collaborate on a healthy lifestyle strategy, we keep in mind her values and how they relate to her food, fitness, and rest choices. This makes it easier for her to choose whole foods over processed foods, a workout over sitting around, and sleep over doom-scrolling or binge watching a show. My ultimate goal as her coach is to help her get to a point where it’s almost effortless to make choices throughout her daily life that support her health and wellness intentions. This is why my signature program is called 12-Weeks To Effortless Weight Loss.
Working with a health and wellness professional like myself is one of the best investments anyone can make in their future. Just imagine how liberating and amazing it will feel waking up every single day knowing that you’re going to make the best choices for your body. You’ll feel lighter, more energetic, and confident in your own body. And you deserve to feel this way no matter what season of your life you’re in.