There are a number of ideas that you could think of when you start to list down some of the best financial investments you can make for the year. There are some who would say that you need to start investing in stocks. The stock market is one of the many ways you can start saving for your future needs if you can put in the time to understand how it works.
When you start to think about investing your money, your retirement fund can be included in the discussion. You will need to rely on that amount when you reach your golden years since you no longer have regular work. Your emergency fund is another goal you could have when looking to invest your money every month.
All the previous examples when talking about some of the best financial investments are accurate. However, there is one area in your life that you might have overlooked which is just as important, if not more crucial than the others – your health. Spending some serious time, money, and effort in making sure that you are at your healthiest resonates with all other areas of your life including your finances. Part of the problem is that people do not have the time to take care of themselves as reported by NYPost.
That being said, you need a concrete plan and a solid commitment to living a healthy lifestyle. Much like how you benefit from having positive financial habits, the same can be said with your health plans. Creating a positive mindset and reinforcing that with habits that help you reach your goal can push you in the right direction. If you are serious about your health and how it can benefit your finances, here are a few things to think about.
Determine your current health condition
Focusing on your health can be one of the best financial investments you can make but you need to have a process to it as well. You can wake up one day and decide to live healthily but in order to do that, you need to know the areas you have to work on. This can give you a more focused plan and you can concentrate your efforts on the problem areas.
It is a good idea to have a general check-up especially if you are getting older to determine if you have any health concerns to work on. Your doctor could ask you to take some laboratory tests done to determine and fully assess your current health condition. This helps them paint an overall picture of your current health condition.
It will also be a good idea to make a list of your family’s health history and share that with your doctor. This helps them understand what to watch out for in terms of illnesses that could be passed down from one generation to another. It also gives you a prevention plan to help lower down the possibility of getting the same illness.
Assess your lifestyle
As you focus more on your health, you need to make a careful assessment of your current lifestyle as well. Remember that the way you live your life has a direct correlation in how your health turns out. It may not be apparent in the beginning but if your lifestyle revolves around habits that are detrimental to your health, these can hurt you in the future.
Take a look at how you live your day from the moment you wake up to the time you turn at night. Are you always trying to catch up on days where you are not sleeping well? Do you live in a fast-paced world that you are left to order fast food just to be able to eat? Are you always left with little to no time when you get home that you just want to get to bed and sleep?
Make the necessary changes
Now that you have a clear understanding of how your current health condition and how your lifestyle is, you can now make the necessary changes. If you already know that certain diabetes runs in the family and your lifestyle check reveals that you consume a lot of sweets when you are stressed, you might want to start making some changes.
Rather than sweets, why not look for a way to use exercise as your stress outlet. The Mayo Clinic explains that exercise is a great stress reliever. It could take some time to get used to it but the endorphins your body releases after can make you feel good. It can also make you stronger as it increases your body’s stamina. You can also feel a lot more energized to accomplish various tasks in a day.
You could also be gaining weight because you tend to order fast food for your meals at work to save time. If this is the case, you can look at preparing your meals in advance at home over the weekends. This helps you bring home-cooked meals to work you can easily heat up. It could take some getting used to when you start to prepare meals at home but you will soon feel the difference in your body.
You need to spend to live healthily
There is no doubt that a healthy life is one of the best financial investments you can ever make. This also means that you could find yourself spending a little bit more to make it happen. The meal preparation you need to make every weekend is one of them. You might find out that choosing healthier alternatives to your food intake could be a little more expensive than you are used to.
It is also possible that you spend on a gym membership, a class pass, or even just for a new pair of running shoes to get your body moving. You might also discover some supplements that can complement your healthy lifestyle and you need to add that amount in your household budget so you can purchase them.
These are just some of the additional expenses you might incur every month as you live a healthier lifestyle. The idea is to not look at them as unnecessary expenses but rather an investment you are making on your health. If you frame it this way, you will notice that they are worth it and the returns are more than what you expected.
Reasons why this is one of the best financial investments for you
Now that you have an idea of how to frame your action plan to live a healthier lifestyle, here are some of the benefits you can expect to see in return.
It can give you more energy at work
Once you decide to live a healthier lifestyle, you will soon realize that you seem to have more energy than usual. If you are exercising, you might think that this is far from the truth since you feel sore and tired after an exercise session. However, once you create a habit out of this, you will notice that you seem to have some extra push at the end of the day.
You can look at side hustles
Your health is one of the best financial investments you can make because it can give you the chance to take on some side hustle. Having that extra energy at the end of the day could allow you to take on an extra job or even spend a few hours for online work. All these can bring in some extra money you can use to strengthen your finances.
Quality and quantity time with your family
The healthier you, the bigger the possibility that you can do more with your family. In the past, you might already be heading to bed as soon as you got home due to fatigue and work exhaustion. Now, a healthier you can plan some activities with your children and loved ones when you get home. It can be a short movie, reading a book, or just about anything so you can spend time with them. This is one of the best things you can get from living a healthy life.
Your health is one of the best financial investments you can make because the benefits it brings ripples out to numerous areas in your life. It does not only help you improve your finances but your life in general.
