How could Tax day and your health be related? Well, not to bring you down, but tax day is coming up. At this time of year, most of us get our financial affairs in order, take stock of where we are, and examine what needs to change to improve our situation in the coming year.
When was the last time you did that with your health? Everyone’s familiar with the dreaded tax audit; nobody wants to undergo one of those. But what about a health audit? That could be quite beneficial.
- Is your body where you want it to be?
- Is your health in a place that will allow you to flourish, not just for the next year, but for decades to come?
With finances, it’s about the balance between deposits and withdrawals. How much is coming in vs. how much is going out? We all look at our numbers, create budgets, try to stick with them, and adjust as needed. We should be doing the same with our health and fitness. And I don’t mean going to the doctor for your annual physical; that’s the bare minimum.
I mean taking stock of your deposits and withdrawals when it comes to achieving your ideal body and health.
Here are a few examples of what I mean:
Deposits:
- A strength workout
- Yoga session
- Outdoor activity.
You’re putting currency into your health and fitness bank every time you do these things. And they’re not limited to physical activities. Prepping your healthy meals for the week, meditating and having a romantic date night with your significant other all go in the “income” column of your health and fitness ledger. The more deposits you make, and the more consistently you make them, the more your fitness “bank account” will grow.
Withdrawals:
- Skipping a workout
- Overindulging in unhealthy food choices and/or alcohol
- Working such long hours that your sleep dwindles to 4-5 hours a night …
These would be considered withdrawals. Every time you engage in these kinds of activities, it’s like swiping your credit card and watching your hard-earned deposits disappear. In finance, we all know what happens when we spend more than we make. We end up with a negative balance and go into debt. And wouldn’t you know it? The same happens with your health and with your body.
You might be able to sustain these fitness “overdrafts” for a while. But eventually, the bills come due.
So it’s clear that it’s best to focus on making as many deposits – and as few withdrawals – as possible. But there’s another point I’d like to emphasize and it’s a mistake I’ve seen too many people make when it comes to their health and fitness. Obviously, you don’t need 100% of your transactions to be deposited in order to achieve financial wealth. The same is true of your health and fitness.
All or nothing doesn’t work. If you’ve consistently been making deposits, you can “afford” some withdrawals here and there. And the more deposits you’ve been making (workouts, healthy meals, and self-care), the less harmful the withdrawals (pizza, wine and ice cream) will be.
