If you missed the first blog in this series, read it now. Time is no excuse for not getting fit and living fit. Little changes can make a huge difference. In fact, if you follow my suggestions, you will find yourself with more free time than you know how to use. Read excuse 1: TIME
EXCUSE 2: MONEY
The money excuses echoed around the world:
“Healthy food is too expensive.”
“I can’t afford the gym.”
Money is a real struggle for most of us, I understand that. I also understand that many people view a gym membership as a luxury and dinner at McDonalds as a treat.
Before I tear up those excuses, I want you to ask yourself a few questions:
- How many days have you missed work because you were ill?
- How many important events have you missed because you are too tired to go?
- When is the last time you got a good night’s sleep and awoke feeling rested and energetic?
- How good is your memory?
- How much money do you spend on clothing every season because last season’s wardrobe no longer fits?
The situations listed above are the true cost of not exercising and eating well. When you give your body the fuel it needs to properly function, the result is you have more energy, less stress, better sleep, fewer illnesses and increased productivity. When you pair healthy eating with exercise, the results grow exponentially and your body is even better equipped to ward off diseases like diabetes, cancer, hypertension, osteoporosis and health disease.
SOLUTION: Stop thinking about cost and start thinking about long-term benefits
“But I don’t have money,” you’re still thinking. You don’t have to join a gym to get fit. I started by walking in front of my tv, too ashamed to go outside. As my confidence grew and the weight started dropping, I started running in the park. At first, I couldn’t run longer than one minute, but I remained focussed on my goal and gradually increased my running time. In 2016, I ran in the London Marathon. If running doesn’t interest you, find something that you enjoy and just start moving as much as you can. Little changes build up to dramatic transformations. I’m proof.
The excuse I struggle with the most is the belief that healthy food is expensive. Look again at the questions listed above and think about your answers. What you eat has a direct correlation to how you feel—that fact alone should convince you. The true cost of unhealthy food is not measured by pounds and pence, it’s measured by how you feel.
If all you see are figures and bank statements, then let me break it down in simple terms to compare two dinners for a family of four. I purposely selected items from the Nando’s menu that appear to be healthy.
Note: The price difference is deliberately shocking, but you can substitute Nando’s with McDonalds and still see a huge price difference between fast food and home cooked. I didn’t even attempt to compare calories, which would make you faint because most fast food meals contain more calories than an entire day’s worth of calories. Frightening.
Ask yourself, how much is a longer life worth to you?
Start moving today. Substitute one bad food item for something green. Follow me on Instagram and Twitter. Better yet, join Body by Cathy and use my mobile app to keep you motivated and teach you every fitness trick I know, which is especially helpful if you don’t have the resources to join a gym.
Don’t let money be the deterrent to living a happy and healthy life.
Get fit and live fit. I will show you how.