Six Ways To Improve Physical and Financial Health in the New Year

With a new year underway, this signals a time when we tend to become more excited about taking inventory of our lives.

If we’re really on our game, that excitement turns into an effort to resolve to be better, in any number of ways. Whether diet, exercise, career, finances, or relationships, New Years resolutions serve an important function in our collective renewal. When one boils it all down to its essence, we strive to become more vital and healthy people, closer to the ideal life we’ve imagined for ourselves.

Whether you’re trying to lose a few pounds or clean up your finances, the basic strategies and techniques are quite similar to one another. In fact, each discipline can be improved dramatically by doing just one thing consistently. For example, if you want to become healthier, exercise daily, starting now and continuing forever. Wish for a better financial future? Set aside money in savings and investments regularly, starting now and continuing until you’ve saved and invested enough. See, that was easy, right?

I wonder if you will find it as fascinating as I do that the fitness industry is measured in the billions of dollars, but can be summed up so easily: exercise. The financial industry, of which I’m a part, can be made equally as simple: save. Therefore, for all intents and purposes, you can change the trajectory of your future right now by committing to exercising daily and saving consistently for the rest of your life. Simply don’t stop.

The fact is though, there’s always more to the story than what first appears. So with that knowledge, let’s take a look at some ongoing actions that can further your efforts in both the physical and financial realms, to achieve greater vitality.

For this exercise, we’ll assume you’ve committed to regular exercise and saving.

1. Set clear goals – Is there an ideal Body Mass Index (BMI) that would have you living in a healthy weight range? Financially, there is an “enough” number for each person that will allow you to retire from paid work if you take the right steps. Get help determining those numbers, and goal-setting just became simple.
2. Trim the fat – Cutting out some (not all) of the least healthy foods can accelerate your physical progress. Paying off consumer debt can have a similar effect on your financial life, leaving more cash flow to improve financial vitality.
3. Find accountability – A workout partner can be a tremendous help in pursuing fitness goals. Similarly, a financial advisor and other professional advisors can suggest strategies for helping achieve long-term financial goals.
4. Get regular checkups – Make necessary adjustments to your workout routine to avoid burnout and fatigue. Periodic rebalancing of an investment portfolio can yield similar benefits.
5. Don’t overdo it, but don’t underdo it either – Too much exercise or excessive saving and workaholism can have terrible adverse affects on many aspects of a healthy life. Taking the long-term view can prevent a lot of unnecessary pain and injury. On the other hand, the body and mind respond very well to some stress, applied for the right reasons. Pay attention to that balance and benefit greatly.
6. Enjoy the process – If the process isn’t enjoyable, even in some small ways, it’s unlikely you’ll stick with it to see the true long-term benefits. Nobody said progress was easy, but it doesn’t have to be dreadful either.

Becoming and remaining vital and healthy are incredibly rewarding outcomes of a few deliberate actions, applied consistently. If you’ve ever felt healthy and on top of your finances, even for a short time, that means you have it in you to do it again. Do yourself a favor and commit right now to even a small action toward greater vitality and you may surprise yourself with the results. You’re worth it.