Personal Finance Meets Personal Fitness

Personal finance, in the general sense of the term, usually encompasses meaning beyond just how much you make and spend on a regular basis. To many, it consists of closely tracking their expenditure, monitoring their investments, resisting temptation to make thoughtless purchases and planning for the long-term in hopes of being well-off and living a wonderful, happy life.

Being the fitness junkie I am, I started to think about my personal thoughts on finances and how they relate to my fitness endeavours. How closely related could personal finance and one’s personal fitness endeavors be? Closer than one might think…

First, You Must Educate Yourself

Just like anything in life, you must first educate yourself. It doesn’t matter if you wish to make a budget, open an IRA, pay off your debt or how to use credit wisely. When I first became interested in personal finance, I read so many blogs on the topic.

It all started with getrichslowly and then trickled down to multiple PF blogs about saving, investments, credit cards, etc. After a while, I figured I’d learned enough to get me by and that’s about the time I found Studenomics. I was fairly intrigued because I’d just gotten back into academia after a 2 year layoff and needed some serious pointers on managing my money on a limited budget all the while getting through school.

The many PF blogs were all a part of my education and is a result of where I am currently with my finances.

The same goes for personal fitness. Most guys/gals get started because they saw someone they deem to be healthy and fit. They may have also seen someone on TV or a magazine. They then think to themselves “I want to do what they’ve done; I want what they have.”

After the initial spark, education begins. The endless scouring of media of all forms in search of the answers consumes a ton of their time for a few weeks. As the education takes root, they start putting the pieces together.

Over a period of time, if the education is sound and their motivation is high, he/she finds themselves exercising routinely and following a healthy diet.

It all starts with education.

Patience Is A Virtue and Hard Work is Vital

Anyone who knows much about personal finance, understands there’s nothing fast or quick about any of it. Building an emergency fund takes time, lots of it. Saving up enough cash for a large purchase is going to take a while unless you’re raking in the dough and have very few expenses. Paying off your stupid credit cards because you just had to have (insert thoughtless purchase here) is likely going to take a good deal of time as well.

Many get overwhelmed or discouraged after reading a success story about how John Smith paid off his mortgage, built up an emergency fund of 10k, sent both of his daughters to college debt free and bought a yaught.

Many don’t understand that John’s successes were a result of patience and a little bit (okay, a lot) of hard work.

It was hard for him to cut back on the useless expenditures. It was hard for him to give up the family vacations. It was probably very hard for him to get rid of his satellite TV with all 500 sports channels. But hey, he wanted to be debt free so badly. His hard work and sacrifice paid off.

The same happens with personal fitness. After you’ve become educated, you must begin thinking about the long-term. Develop some goals and begin working toward them. Some guys are interested in putting some meat on their scrawny frames while others have downed a few too many beers and wish to lose the freshman 15.

For many, patience is a hard pill to swallow. Both guys and gals tend to forget the models they idolize in the magazines and on the web have spent years developing their bodies. It didn’t happen overnight and it sure as hell didn’t come without a price.

However, the positive changes can take place and new habits can be formed. I’ve seen many females who develop this insatiable interest in strength training and completely transform their bodies.

Achieving any goal in life, whether it pertains to fitness, finance, or whatever will require a great deal of patience and hard work.

It’s always worth the price you pay, though.

Discipline is a Must

Without discipline, nothing worthwhile is ever accomplished. To pay off those pesky credit cards, you must stick to your plan, as rigorous as it may be. If you wish to be completely debt free by a certain date and you’ve worked out exactly how to get there, you better be good at limiting the unnecessary expenses in lieu of the freedom you’ll experience later.

Visually imagine what it will be like once you’ve hit your goal. Make it real in your mind first, and then get to work at making it happen right now.

The same goes with any fitness goal. If you’re dying to see those abs you haven’t seen since last summer, you better stick closely to your fat loss plan. If your goal is a big deadlift, you better train with the weights in a sensible manner and fuel your body with the proper nutrients.

Anyone who has ever accomplished a specific goal will tell you they got there as a result of discipline and persistence. They didn’t waiver or let their goals out of sight.

Why is anyone successful? Why is Donald Trump super wealthy? Why do professional athletes get to throw a ball or skate around with sticks in their hands as their job? Why are some people self-employed and living their dreams?

Discipline. That’s why.

What Do You Think?

How has discipline, hard work and education impacted your life in a positive manner? How have you used what you’ve learned about personal finance, fitness, or whatever other blogs/media you follow?

Let us know in the comments.

JC is the author of JCDFitness, where he writes about fat loss, building muscle and his relaxed approach to all things fitness. Check out his free eBook, A No-BS Approach to Looking Great Naked and follow him on Twitter.