Comments on: The Parallels Between Fitness and Finance

By: Outsaving the Joneses

Outsaving the Joneses — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 21:05:25 +0000

After spending a year resolved to get in the best shape of my life and accomplishing that goal, I’ve started attacking my financial life. They really are very similar–it’s about being ready to do it, setting goals, and making daily progress.

I’m very jealous of your Concept rower! I want one!

By: nickel

nickel — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:44:27 +0000

So… They’re anti-parallel??

By: Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck

Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:32:21 +0000

They’re actually opposites:

You want to spend more calories than you take in.
You want to spend less dollars than you take in.

Of course, to accomplish both of these tasks, many of the attitudes you reference above must be adjusted. Because after all, doing the opposite (with regard to calories and dollars) is far easier and the default decision for most Americans.

By: MKL

MKL — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 17:25:32 +0000

nickel, your post gave me the inspiration to consider these same questions and put my own spin on it. I came to many of the same conclusions and added a few of my own.

I liked the association of making things into a game, focusing on areas that interested you in both aspects, and celebrating milestones when you reach them. One area that I found very helpful in both spheres is that getting a big win early on in a process is a major boost going forward. Losing 50+ pounds is tough, but losing two or three pounds in a week? That’s easier to wrap your head around and actually see the progress. Making a connection to writing down what you eat and what you spend go hand in hand. My #1 take home, though, is that if you practice strict portion control (for me that means cooking and allocating food to what the actual serving size says it is), I eat less and my food items last longer, thus I lose weight *and* save money .

By: MITBeta

MITBeta — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:27:45 +0000

I recently wrote a post about the similarities between losing weight and gaining wealth.

Check it out at my site.

By: Kirstine

Kirstine — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:02:54 +0000

If you are fit and live like someone who os not (eating unwisely, not exercising, and eating more than you burn) then you will become unfit.

If you are unfit and live like someone who is fit (eating and excersising wisely, and burning more than you eat) then you will in time become fit.

The same with finances: earn and spend wisely – and spend less than you earn. Even if you are not rich – you will be in time.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:22:43 +0000

I recently bought a home workout program, P90X (120 on ebay), a set of adjustable dumbells (200 on sale) and a workout mat (20). Total cost $340. Now you could substitue bands for weights and save a bunch. With that said the gym membership was going to cost me, my wife and 13yo around 1400 for the year not including gas.

We all use these DVD’s love them, and are getting in great shape. If we stick with this over a two year period it will cost us $170 per year vs 1400.

By: Brandon

Brandon — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 07:28:40 +0000

I really appreciated this post as this is EXACTLY what my blog focuses on. Physical and Financial fitness are one in the same. If you ever want to know the specifics on any type of eating recommendations or excercise you should definitely check us out. We haven’t done like you have where we integrated the two…yet, but its cool to see your perspective on things. There’s no point in saving up millions if you are going to die before you get to use it.

By: Meg

Meg — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 03:53:14 +0000

I think there are parallels between debt and fat. Both creep up slowly over time, both are very hard to get rid of – it’s way easier to never accumulate it in the first place!

By: Dollar Frugal

Dollar Frugal — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 01:13:33 +0000

Don’t forget this one – keep checking back with your end-goal. If you keep going back each month or week and looking at what you’ve done, you’ll remain accountable to yourself – whether it’s with money or fat!

By: Mrs. Micah

Mrs. Micah — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 23:38:05 +0000

I’m working on finding fitness solutions too. I think it’s about as personal as personal finance. And it has to be as interesting or you won’t end up actually doing it. I’ve found a pretty good Tae Bo video that excites me.

By: Tina at FrugalSister

Tina at FrugalSister — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 20:00:35 +0000

Yes, I found that when I decided to make a commitment to health and finances, I also make a commitment to clean up other areas of my life like organizing my business finances and my house. It all takes time and commitment no matter what you want to change. But it is all worth the effort.

By: nickel

nickel — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:13:57 +0000

Jon: We used to do that. In fact, my wife worked in the childcare at the Y some evenings every week in return and we thus got a discounted membership. Unfortunately, we don’t have anything like that near us. Moreover, that adds a good bit of time to the entire process and also requires that we coordinate our schedules. This way we can both work out on our own schedule, and there’s not additional time commitment for commuting to a club. Works for us.

By: Luke @ Money & Fitnes Blog

Luke @ Money & Fitnes Blog — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:10:08 +0000

Great article and your first point is the most serious: Nothing will work if you’re not ready for change. It seems to me that although it doesn’t happen in all cases, people struggle at times with money and then let their fitness goals fail as well. It definitely is not an easy path to stay on track but to stay healthy and have security, I think it is worth it.

By: Jon

Jon — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:59:57 +0000

Just a thought…I have a friend who has a family membership to the YMCA here in Boise. He and his wife are able to go work out, and there’s actually supervised children’s play areas where the kids can be dropped off…it might be worth looking into in your area.

By: tom

tom — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:40:06 +0000

I’d say that the most difficult part of the fitness/finance process is starting a routine. Whether it’s a fitness routine where you workout every day/every other day/3 days a week or a family budget, starting these activities is the most difficult part of the process. Sustaining or sticking with it becomes… well… routine!

By: Lissa

Lissa — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:05:54 +0000

What a great article! I’ve had similar thoughts recently comparing losing weight and getting out of debt, and agonizing over how long it will take. Another correlation that funs under the “slow and steady” category is realizing that it takes time. You can’t expect to meet your financial goals (freedom, out of debt, etc.) in a short amount of time, nor can you expect the same for losing weight. Most people can’t pay back $30,000 or lose 30 lbs in a month. It’s not realistic. You have to set short and long term goals that can actually be met in both cases to meet the end result in the future.