The parallels between finance and fitness.

I have been cultivating my body for health and physical fitness since I was 16, but I can’t say the same for fiscal fitness.

For the past 16 months, I have been hyper-focused on paying off any debt attached to my name. Credit cards, cars, student loans- you name it. I have also decided to be an adult and start a savings account. Yes, I waited until the ripe age of 29 to do so. I have made some MAJOR mistakes when it comes to finances. The majority of my debt is from education, but it was certainly not the start or end of a bad set of behavioral issues I would continue with.

My lack of education when it comes to all things money is not the complete reason I put myself in this little mess. I definitely didn’t think about interest and how it will screw you up. That does play a huge role, but it was my behavior towards using credit cards and love for instant gratification. I knew how to save up for a new item, but not a rainy day. I thought that because I paid my bills at the bare minimum I was cool, no one was coming to collect money from me. I relied on my ignorance as my excuse and then I realized: The parallels between finance and fitness are so similar it hurts.

It’s not about knowledge. The more you know doesn’t change your habits.

We all know vegetables and water are really beneficial to our health and well-being, but we avoid them constantly. Why? PIZZA ROCKS. Vegetables take time to cook and I can order a slice in 2 minutes. Going to the gym takes time and energy, and we are chronically tired. These are excuses, but also a reality for most of us.

We all know saving money for a rainy day and having good credit is important, but we swipe away with ease to get the new items on the shelf. Why? Instagram and Facebook now know what we want, so they use that to target us more ads, to buy items we don’t need to impress people that don’t care about us. These behaviors lead us further and further away from financial freedom and our health.

You are going to think of every excuse in the world as to why you are in your current situation. But guess what, it doesn’t matter. No one is coming to save you.

Nothing will work if you’re not ready for change. It does not matter if you have the best coach in the world, it’s not happening if you don’t want it to. There’s a big difference between saying you’re ready and living it. EVERYONE I work with rates themselves 8/10 or above in the readiness category. Some admit there is some hesitation because they are afraid to fail, but most believe they are ready for anything. After all, why would they reach out if they weren’t?

Change happens in phases.

Step 1: Realize you need to do something about your current situation. Admit it out loud, scream if you must.

Step 2: Get your feet wet with a few tweaks. Maybe reach out for some help.

Step 3: Be consistent about it. No matter what.

Step 4: Do it when nobody is watching.

Almost NOBODY dives right into steps 3 and 4. The people who are there have sat in the purgatory of steps 1 and 2 before. They spent their money on the latest exercise outfit and then had a full-on ‘cheat day’ in it plenty of times. Myself included.

Debt and laziness accumulate overtime. Weight gain doesn’t happen overnight, it happens over years one pound at a time. Nobody thinks about accumulating thousands of dollars in interest until they realize: holy crap, I spend how much per month? You’re not paying attention to it, so it’s no wonder you can’t control the issue. You didn’t know you even had one.

You’re far more likely to stick to something if you’re actively engaged in it.

Start looking at the last two months, write down every single thing you spent your money on. Write down the interest you spent too. Now eliminate everything that wasn’t absolutely necessary. It can be scary. Ask yourself self- WHY? Why did you buy that item, why do you spend so much on it (insert the blank)? Can you spend less? If not, fine, can you make more? These questions are intimidating and often makes us defensive. We can all do better than our current situation. It’s time to start budgeting.

The longer you wait to address your problem, the longer you BS about WHY you cannot control the problem. The longer you engage in this self-talk, you begin to speak it to others and somehow it becomes your truth. Hell, you’ve done quite a job convincing yourself and others as to why it’s impossible to get back in shape and/ or get out of debt. But it’s time to cut it out.

This is not an opinion piece. Most Americans do not have a savings account with enough money to get them through a 3–6-month rough patch. Most Americans rely on credit cards for simple purchases. This is not about the poor and the rich. Every type of person is capable of this behavior. I know people who make 6 figures that are so far in debt they can hardly breathe. Why? They have to keep up with their peers.

It’s not about having more money and life getting better, it’s about managing emotions and changing bad habits. If you can’t manage $1,000, then you definitely cannot manage $10,000. The same goes for fitness and nutrition. It’s not about adding every new supplement and workout routine out there into your regimen, it’s about managing what you have first.

It’s not supposed to be comfortable. Being comfortable got you where you are. How’s that working out for you? Most people understand the concept that working out has to involve some kind of suck. Mental and physical. That allows for the adaptation. A simple concept many of us will 100% agree with. But most people won’t allow for that when it comes to their bank accounts.

Saying no, saving money just to have it sit there in an account, and “downgrading” their lifestyle are things they are not willing to. But if you want it to work, it is going to suck for a while, until you eventually learn to love that suck because you are seeing results. You are going to have to give things up. You have to put the Oreos and credit card you bought them with down.

It’s going to be hard at first, but damn, when those thousands start to shed off your bill and into your savings account — something happens. Your mood changes. You’ve got the baseline fitness and some weight is shedding off. Look at those muscles starting to pop out. You’ve gotten stronger. You are motivated for the next step. You start to think, why didn’t I start years ago? You weren’t ready, and that’s why you failed. But now you are. Now you’ve seen what you are capable of, YOU WANT MORE. You start to think- ‘Wait, this isn’t a punishment, this is a blessing!’. This is what you are capable of. Your excuses melt away along with the desire to spend your money on nonsense. You hold onto it and use it wisely. You make better choices.

I am going to continue to write on this topic because…. I feel like it. But also, because if you aren’t stable in your life, it’s really hard to make other lifestyle changes. “Money” (AKA people’s behaviors around money) is one of the biggest stressors in many of my client's lives. It’s the biggest reason for divorce. It has ripped families apart. It has been a stressor in my life from before I was born and I will not allow it to be anymore.