While it may seem like your wealthy friends look good because they can afford to enlist in a personal trainer, there is actually a much deeper connection between your fitness and your finances. According to research, those who tend to overspend on their purchases, tend to overeat as well, and vice versa. The more this cycle continues, the more they tend to feed off each other.

However, the fix might also be fairly simple, as the rules that apply to your financial fitness will also apply to your physical fitness. Therefore, if you ramp up the performance on one, you should be able to get out of this loop and regain control over both.

Financial And Physical Fitness Have A Lot More In Common Than You Think

Spend Less Than You Make

One of the fastest ways to get out of the constant spending cycle is to pay attention to your expenses. If your income is exceeded every month, it’s time to have a closer look at your budget and trim the fat, or else you’ll soon find yourself extended on every front. The same rule applies to your eating habits. If you don’t keep track of all your eating “expenses” you’ll soon run out of daily calories. Keep an eye on your snacks and beverages, and perhaps swop the pizza for a home-cooked meal.

Practice Moderation For Results

While it may not always be possible to eat clean and exercise, it can also be a struggle to employ a scorched earth budget. Amy Clover’s 90% Principle retrains your brain to stick to your clean eating routine 90% of the time. This still allows 10% leniency to indulge in treats. When you apply the same rule to your finances, you still have a little wiggle room to spend on items that are not considered necessities, but you’ll be able to stay on top of your finances a little easier. This is especially handy for those who have overindulged substantially in the past on credit and may need to take a few steps to repair it.

Move Out Of The Scarcity Complex

It can be tempting to blame a lack of finances or time when you’re trying to get financially or physically fit, but that only means that it’s creating a scarcity complex where you’ll never have enough. Instead, move out of the realm of scarcity, and rather create additional pockets of income and time to get to your finances and fitness. If this means taking on a second job or waking up earlier to fit in a walk or jog around the neigborhood, then it’s time to make some sacrifices in order to restore the balance.

While these areas are both multi-billi on dollar industries, it’s usually the simple approaches that allow you to see results. Speed is not an important factor here, but rather consistency.

By Jess Walter