3 Ways to Improve Your Health and Mood

If you have been reading our blog for any length of time, you know that each area of your life affects your finances. This includes your personal life, which consists of both your physical and mental health. For example, if you are very unhappy and feel depressed, you may start over-eating comfort foods and gain quite a bit of extra weight, then spend money visiting a therapist, which can get expensive (I am not saying therapy is bad, but realize it does cost a lot of money). In that same situation, what if you started working out a few times a week and eating healthier? Both of those would help with the weight issue, and working out releases endorphins that can give you a great mood boost. Then you could skip the therapist and spend that money on something more important to you.

Anyways, that is an illustration of how your personal life is tied to your finances. But today I thought I would simply share some tips and tricks for making your personal life better with the goal of both helping your finances and just plain making life better:

1. Get an exercise trampoline – A friend of mine has a toddler and a baby at home and works 2 part-time jobs, some of the time in an office and some of the time at home. Needless to say, she does not have a lot of time to go work out (she’ll readily admit she’s been trying to get rid of the baby fat left over from carrying 2 kids). When the kids are in bed and she does finally have time, she can either pay for a gym membership or skip exercising because she can’t go out running by herself in the dark and cold. She would also miss getting to watch the few favorite TV shows she still keeps up on. So she had a great idea. She bought an inexpensive $30 trampoline with digital stats display so she can see how much she’s jumped, how long, and how many calories she has burned all in the comfort of her own home while getting to watch her TV shows. Being able to get exercise to feel healthier has helped her both physically and mentally. Being able to save money in the process is an added plus!

2. Learn how to DIY – If you want a good way to boost your mood and give you confidence and ability in the future, learn some do-it-yourself projects. (Alert: This may also help you save money, provided you take the time to learn how to do the job properly!) Learning a skill can be a great mood-booster. For example, suppose you learn how to change the oil on your car yourself. Have you ever done this? It may be messy, and it may take a little time, but when you get out there and do it, you get a sense of pride and accomplishment. You can also use this skill to help other people, friends and family members, which makes them happy and in turn makes you more happy. It’s a great cycle.

3. Pinterest.com for recipes – There are some really great recipes out there to help you eat healthier. Now, eating healthy is not always the most exciting thing, and it can be tough to find recipes out there you like. Fortunately, sites like Pinterest are a great way to find healthy recipes a little easier. And you can share them with friends when you have found some you like. For example, if you know that eating quinoa is healthier than regular pasta, but you’ve tried cooking it and found it incredibly bland, you might find a fantastic black bean and lime quinoa recipe that knocks your socks off on Pinterest. If you need an invite to get started on Pinterest, let me know and I’ll send you one!

Please know that we here at iMoneyCoach value your health, both physical and mental. And we value you as a person. You are special! Don’t ever forget that. If you would like to learn more about our Life Balance philosophy and see how every area of your life affects and is affected by finances, please be sure to check out our Financial Life Training System at the iMoneyCoach University.