The Benefits of Exercise to Your Financial Life

In a previous post (Healthy and Wealthy), I briefly mentioned the benefits of exercise as far as keeping your immune system strong and helping you avoid the cold and flu. Now, we can talk about the cost side of keeping yourself healthy and the financial benefits. This cold and flu season has been one of the worst that I remember so keeping yourself healthy should definitely be a top priority. Besides avoiding the cold and flu and costly doctor bills, other benefits of exercise include better sleep, more confidence and, therefore, more motivation when it comes to other aspects of your life. Oh, and yes, there are the physical benefits as well….But, keeping yourself in shape can be costly, if you let it.

Here are some of my secrets to keeping in shape without breaking my budget. I do have a gym membership which is about $20 per month. I have had it for quite some time. The question is, do I really use it?! Yes, I do, most months. The exception to this is for 4 or so months during the summer when the weather, at least in Southern California, is so nice that all I want to do is be outside. During those times, I run and bike to keep in shape. Knowing this, I actually suspend my membership during this time. My gym still charges a “suspension fee” of about $6 a month. But, at least I am saving $14 a month for 4-5 months, which is 56-$70. Not bad.
Another trick I have? I love yoga. I have been doing yoga for as long as I can remember. I first discovered it in college and realized how paying attention to little areas of tension in your body and being mindful of those can really make a difference. I notice that my body is more tense and I don’t handle things at work (i.e., stress at work, personal drama, etc.) as well if I have not been practicing yoga regularly (2-3 times per week at least). So, for the sake of everyone who has to be in contact with me, I try to practice regularly and have even converted many friends to yogis. One problem – yoga is costly. Classes can cost $20-$35 per class (at least where I live) and even a “class package” will still run about $14 per class.

My trick – I do occasionally check Groupon and Living Social for “deals” for my favorite yoga studios. (Be careful about not getting sucked into those deal sites though!). My other budget-friendly yoga source if I cannot find any good deals, is YogaGlo.com. I consider myself to be somewhat of a yoga “snob” because I have been practicing for a while and I am particular about teachers. I want to feel like I am getting a good experience and that I am getting my money’s worth. Anyway, the instructors at YogaGlo.com are really great, renowned actually, and they actually film classes taught at the YogaGlo studio in Santa Monica, California. For about $16 per month, you have access anytime, anywhere, to some really great instructors and classes. It has been my secret when I am low on funds, too busy to go to class during normal hours (6:30 am to 9 pm), and when I am traveling.

And, what does this have to do with finances? First of all, you can save some money by using some of the suggestions above. Second, if you reach a goal, such as working out or doing yoga 3 times a week, this builds confidence which actually makes you more likely to reach for other goals, like financial goals, such as budgeting, saving for retirement, and so on.

We are one month down in 2013 so we still have 11 more moths to make some positive financial changes for the year!