Change doesn’t have to be expensive

There are a lot of reasons or excuses why people who want to make a change don’t. Today
I would like to address just one. Money.

It doesn’t seem to matter what you want to change but people always tend to think that it will
cost money. Well sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t, and sometimes you just need to
change where and how you spend the money that you do have.

Most people are just afraid of the unknown. What if what I want to do is just too expensive.
What if I start something and the price changes and I can’t afford the ‘new’ price.

First of all you need to decide if there is any room in your budget for a little wiggle room or
are you just using money as another excuse. Let’s face it, you can use money as an excuse
for a long time because everyone complains that money is an issue and nobody else knows
how much money you really have. Come clean, if you want change, don’t let the money
stand in your way.

There are a whole lot of things that will cost a lot of money and then, yup, make money your
vice. For example surgery, getting your stomach stapled is not cheap, fat camps, any kind
of retreat is expensive, hypnotherapy, there is a continued cost and a lot of unknowns,
weightloss counsellors, again on going financing for as long as the counselor gives you help,
gym memberships, these can be costly when you are committed to several years and then
you stop going but must keep paying and finally prepackaged eating plans, you MUST buy
their food, not usually cheap.

Now, for some people, these options are the exact thing that they need. I am not an
advocate for one size fits all, EVER. People need to do what works for them, so sometimes
there needs to be some testing done. Figure out what you love and what you hate. Start
there. Eliminate the obvious for you. Don’t commit to a gym membership if your doctors
says you are not ready for that. Don’t commit to regular meeting of any kind if you schedule
is all over the map. Spend some time looking at where you can spend some time and some
money. (this last sentence repeats itself)

In the meantime here are some tips for getting started without draining the bank account.

1. Move, that's it, move. Most of us simply don’t move enough in the day. Walk around
   the office a little. Take the stairs, don’t run them…yet, just use them. Park a couple
   of rows back at the mall. There is a lot more room to park in the outer circle anyway.
   Anywhere there is an option for moving instead of standing or sitting take it.
2. Use smaller dinner plates. Seems simple but we, as a society, have got used to
   filling our plates and we don’t stop eating until they are empty. We don’t pay
   attention if we are full or not, just whether the plate is done.
3. Drink water. Generally we are all a little dehydrated. We have gotten used to that
   feeling and don’t recognize that if we had a little more water in our bodies, we would
   have more energy and feel better. Also, our stomachs are only so big, if its full of
   water, then we are less likely to fill it with more food.
4. There are a few FREE apps that we like to use too. Free is always good if you
   actually use them. For tracking your movement, we use Mapmyfitness. It is simple.
   Can be used on your phone, computer, talks to other programs and has a lot of extra
   info. For your food we like MyfitnessPal. Again, simple, has multiple platforms, and
   has a lot of food already listed in its huge list of food. It also has a lot of restaurant
   foods to choose from and even has a UPC reader so that you can even add your
   own store brand.
5. Check out your local rec centre. There are a lot of drop in programs with a very
   broad range of things to do. They range from boot camps, gyms with equipment,
   dance classes, lots have pools with classes. In the winter, they are the place to go
   basketball, volleyball, ball hockey, taekwondo, yoga and on and on.
6. Check out Instagram and Pinterest for health and fitness tips. There are a lot of
   groups that although they want you to purchase their product, will give you free
   exercise routines. Why not use them. Get as many as you can, customize them to
   your level, space, time, equipment, until you have mastered them and are ready for
   more advanced stuff.
7. Pick up a magazine. There are so many to choose from. Pick one, read it from
   cover to cover. If you like it, go get the next month, if not, try again. You could
   probably do this for a year without running out of options.
8. Look for a Meetup in your area. Meetups are groups that meet and serve a lot of
   purposes. They are in most communities and groups range from purely social
   groups like board gaming, pet lovers, to business groups, podcasters, to golfers,
   runners, yoga groups, and so many more. They are designed to be local to where
   you are and there is usually no commitment of time or money.
9. Realize that most junk food is overpriced. I have heard too many times that eating
   healthy is too expensive. It can be if you are going to the extremes, but it doesn’t
   have to be. Skim milk is no more expensive than whole. A bag of apples…how
   much does that cost compared to that bag of chips, and when you are done, how do
   you feel. Keep in mind that you will be replacing food, not adding it to your food plan.
   So the more you spend in the produce, chances are you will be spending less in the
   bread, pasta, or cookie aisle.
10. If you are planning on exercising, buy some good running shoes. This is one place
    that I really believe you need to spend some money. Find a store that will fit you
    properly, pick the right kind of shoe for you, running, gym, walking, hiking, court, or
    just good support. If exercise will be a new thing for you, take my word for it, your
    knees, hips, and back will thank you for new kicks.

I truly, from the bottom of my heart, feel that changing how you spend your money so that
you are spending it on healthier options is the best way to spend your money. From our
experience, one of our benefits is that we no longer have prescriptions to buy on a monthly
basis. Because of the changes we made in our house, my husband got off of all of his
hypertension, high blood pressure, acid reflux, high cholesterol meds as well as his CPAP
machine. These, over a 20 year period, were so much more expensive to pay for than the
way we spend our money now. Plus, I know that my husband will now be with me a lot
longer than was predicted. THAT, is the highest price.

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the
day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.– Mary Anne Radmacher