Sustainable Personal Finance

We understand that living healthy and going green is a commitment not only to the planet, but also to ourselves. But sometimes, people can get carried away with all the delicious health food because they think they can gorge on it and not gain a pound because, well it’s healthy! But anything in excess is bad for you, no matter how organic the source or how lean the meat.

The Cost of Being Fit

How much should you really pay to be fit? The answer is absolutely nothing. You can invest in a good pair of running shoes if you’re actually going to do some, but other than that, the cost is zero. You don’t have to pay for a gym membership, a Pilate’s class, a useless exercise machine or a brand new chrome-plated home gym. All you need is motivation, an easy to follow diet and your own bodyweight.

That’s it. No special stuff to buy. No exercise DVD’s. Use what you currently have, use your surroundings and save a ton of money in the process.

How it Works: Diet and Exercise

The first thing you should be doing if you’re overweight is to go on a diet. You have to reduce your daily caloric intake so your body burns fat instead of the food in your gut. If you always eat in excess, the calories get stored as fat you don’t want and need. Reduce you calories per day, create a deficit and you’ll see results.

What IF?

I found out that the best and simplest way to induce a caloric deficit is to go on a fast. Fasting has many documented health benefits like reduced cardiovascular disease and longevity among its practitioners. The easiest form of fasting is Intermittent Fasting or IF, which is basically an eating schedule where you fast and feed.

The most common one, and the one that brings the best results is the 16/8 fasting schedule, where you fast for 16 hours and feed for 8. So, let’s say your last meal was at 8pm. You won’t eat anything until 12 noon the next day, and you’ll only eat during the 8 hour window. Rinse and repeat. Pretty simple! No more prepping breakfast. Just black coffee with no sugar and you can start your day. So, you’re essentially saving money on food, which is always awesome.

Cost: ZERO

HIIT

The next thing you should do is get off the couch and exercise! The best way to shed the poundage is to do high intensity interval training or HIIT. If you run, you can do sprints instead of steady state cardio (where you run at your own pace). Do this by sprinting for as fast as you can for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds and do it again. Do this for 4 minutes, rest a bit and do another round. If you can do 3 rounds of HIIT, you’ll be burning a ton of calories. If you’re not huffing and puffing after 4 minutes, you’re not giving enough effort.  The 20 seconds have to be really intense. Choose a street or a park with a slight incline for a more challenging workout. Your body will still be burning calories hours after your session.

Cost: ZERO

Bodyweight Circuits

But what if it’s snowing outside? This is where bodyweight circuits come in. The same principle applies here, but lengthen the workout time to 30 seconds and transition immediately to the next exercise, with no rest in between. If you have access to a pull up bar or any sturdy horizontal bar (monkey bars in the park, for example), do some pull ups. If you can’t do a regular pushup yet, do it on your knees. If you can’t do a pull up, do assisted ones by propping your feet up on a chair.

Try this circuit:

• Pushups – 30 seconds
• Pull Ups – 30 seconds (omit if there’s no bar)
• Bodyweight Squats – 30 seconds
• Chair Dips – 30 seconds
• Bodyweight Lunges – 30 seconds

Cost: ZERO

Final Word

So, the real cost of being fit is ZERO. You don’t have to pay anything at all to lose weight and be healthy. Everything you need is around you: the street, the park and your own body. All you need is a little time and commitment to reverse the weight gain.

Your health: PRICELESS