5 Ways To Help You Manage It
There is no denying that the rising cost of living, for want of a better word, sucks!!!
None of us wants to have to pay more for the life that we were already living.
But this is the game of life, it’s out of our control, and we cannot change what is happening around us at the moment. All we can do is change how we react and respond to the situation that we are in.
We have to get our heads out of the victimhood, head in the sand ‘i don’t want this to be happening, and instead, ask ourselves:
How can we better play the game?
I wanted this post to be about how you can still implement health and wellbeing practices in your life even if you are watching the pennies. In all honesty, lack of financial resources is one of the most common barriers I hear from people that are often stopping them from getting started.
Though I also do need to point out it’s often a pretty BS excuse for a lot of people too, it’s really more about priority. And that’s ok, just don’t use money as the excuse when it isn’t really.
Who here is happy to go out at the weekend and spend over £100 on eating and drinking, but when it comes to investing money in improving your health and wellbeing, the price tag on that programme seems a little too much.
I work hard to provide insane value into my programmes and keep them as cost-effective as possible.
The Online Better Body Coaching is less than the price of one meal out. And for that you get workouts, a step by step guide on nutrition, mindset and interactive coaching with me as your guide.
BUT as one lady asked me the other day, do I have anything available for those that can’t afford the £47?
This is a super valid question as I never would want anyone to put themselves into financial trouble in the name of health.
Let’s get onto some of the top ways in which you can continue to take care of your health and your body in the most cost-effective ways.
1. Youtube
There is literally a bazillion different diet, fitness or many health-related videos’s over on Youtube and it’s all completely for free.
You can access some of my workouts for free over there too. I don’t update there quite as frequently at the moment, though I working on coming back to that very soon. So if you aren’t already then please do subscribe to my channel, it really helps more than you know CLICK HERE to subscribe now. I’m working towards getting my channel to the place where I can earn money from my videos (at no extra cost to you), but I’m a little way off that yet, so you hitting subscribe, helps me to get that one step closer.
If you can’t afford a gym membership, or to do my live online coaching you could see if you could get yourself a hand me down pair of dumbbells or look on marketplace for some cheap second hand ones in your local area, a space on your living room floor and you really have everything you need to get fitter and stronger from home.
Your workout programme could look like this
- Mondays – Lower Body Booty Workout
- Wednesdays – Upper Body Sculpt Workout
- Fridays – Cardio Conditioning Workout
- Weekends – Get out In nature for a long walk
Repeat these 4 sessions per week for the next 4 weeks and notice how much fitter and stronger you get. And it costs you nothing, well apart from clicking on that subscribe button, don’t forget to do that for me 😉
2. Reading Blogs
There is no shortage of information out there on the internet. You could likely get all of what you need to be successful in your health and fitness journey from the free information that’s out there on the internet with a very simple google search.
Of course, with lots of information and many different approaches and opinions is where the overwhelm often creeps in. Overwhelm leads to inaction which is why doing a paid programme can lead to faster results as it cuts through the noise and into the simple actions steps.
But for the free resources you can check out my articles on my blog. I am working hard to write weekly blogs on the topics that will help you the most. You can see more blog posts HERE.
3 Get Cooking & Food Savvy
Cooking from home is not only a super-effective weight loss strategy, but it’s also a much more cost-effective method too. It doesn’t have to be fancy, it doesn’t have to be complicated but making your own meals at home is better for your body and your pocket.
Check out Pinterest for an unlimited amount of healthy recipes to try out, and particularly look for batch cooking recipes as these are often the ones that will be kinder on your pocket too.
HERE is where I save some of my favourite recipes, so be sure to follow me on Pinterest too , to see what new finds I discover.
Also, check out Jack Monroe who is known as the Bootstrap Cook who has dedicated her career to creating cost-effective family recipes
Also, consider how much food you are wasting. I know I can be bad for this, but I was recently reading an article that ⅓ of all food produced is wasted. This is an outstanding statistic, and just imagine how much money could be saved, and how much of our planet could be better sustained if we didn’t all waste so much.
If there could be one benefit to the rising cost of living, let it be that we are all going to become more mindful of just how wasteful we all are.
4 Get Walking
We all know that fuel prices have been soaring, and I know for many the need to drive is certainly there and cannot be avoided, but are there some trips that could be done on foot?
Now that the weather is much better and I have the privilege of being able to do so, I am doing afternoon school pick-ups by foot as often as I can. I get to walk the dogs and save fuel all in one go on the school run.
Maybe that’s not an option for you, but could you look at giving yourself a little more time to walk some of the journeys that you may normally drive, or even dust of your bike and get cycling. I’m talking like nipping out to the shop, or shorter errands that could be done on foot, or bike. It will help you save on fuel while also increasing your daily movement, getting you outside more and increasing your NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis). Get moving = saving fuel and better for your health.
5 Increase Your Income
As the cost of living increases maybe that can be the kick up the backside you need to look at increasing your income. This could be looking for a new and better paid job, if you are a business owner it could be brainstorming how you can increase sales, maybe starting a side hustle or simply clearing out your house and turning some of your crap into cash.
My own income has changed drastically over the last couple of years and I’m constantly looking for ways to supplement my income. As you may have noticed I am talking a lot about Medium more recently, that’s because I have turned this into an additional support income to work alongside my coaching work. I get paid for writing articles and I love it. Some months I have earnt as much writing articles as I do for my coaching work and it’s an exciting prospect.
I also love using buy and sell sites, to offload some of the crap I have in my house. Clothes that no longer fit, or that I just don’t wear and turning them into money. So many of us probably have £100’s worth of stuff just lying around unused.
I have been absolutely loving Vinted of late. In fact, I have also made some awesome purchases on there too, like some hiking shoes that I just bought for the kids at a fraction of the new price and also some Fabletics workout tops. I love fabletics workout gear and have done for years, but there is a style of top that is my favourite and you just can’t get anymore. Anyway, just the other day I found 2 of the exact style and they were practically new and cost me like €5, I’m absolutely made up with them. I’v also been earning by selling on there too. I find it much easier to use than places like eBay.
Again buying and selling second-hand stuff is better for the environment and your pocket, it’s a win win.
These are just a few really simple ideas that can make all the difference. I really hope that this gave you a few things to think about and reminded you that health and fitness does not have to cost the earth.
It’s just has to be important enough for you to make it a priority in your life.
Because there is no getting away from the fact that when you feel better in your body, that in turn helps you live a happier and fuller life, and you absolutely deserve to gift that to yourself.
Love Always
Emma
PS – Don’t forget to hit me up with your suggestions or feedback if there is anything you would like to see offered from me that isn’t already available. Leave me a comment below, I can’t wait to hear from you.
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