You may feel like you’ve got money to burn, or you’re scraping by with what you have. Regardless, I don’t think your financial situation should dictate how you feel about investing in your health. Here are my go- to smart health investments for every budget.
I recently came across a dietician-turned-influencer stating that the secret to looking healthy is money. Here’s why that statement is not encouraging you to put your health first:
It makes you feel that you need a certain income to achieve the capacity to prioritize your health- have you ever caught yourself going through this thought process? Maybe you’re just wondering what you can do with your spare cash each month, and certainly don’t want to waste it?
If you have thought that way, or if you read the statement above and instantly felt a pang of worthlessness because you don’t have the financial means to invest in your health, then keep reading. I’m going to share smart health investments for every budget. Get ready to walk away with the FULL ability (and permission!) to invest in your health on your terms.
FREE- Hydration
You can carry around a reusable water bottle, for free, and fill up endlessly at any public park, public library, gas station, or transit authority. You can consume between 2L to 3L of water daily to support radiant skin, timely toilet trips, better liver function, and better blood flow, for FREE.
FREE- Low Impact, Steady State Cardio (LISS), Endurance Cardio, and High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Simply by strapping on your sneakers and stepping outside, you are exposing your body to a host of benefits that include:
Mental clarity and recuperation
Heart muscle training to increase cardiovascular endurance
Skeletal muscle stimulation and awareness for more resilient lower body muscle groups
Access to the great outdoors gives you the avenues of walking, jogging, and running to clear your head and have that time to yourself to engage in physical activity.
10 Euro to 30 Euro- Low Grade Gym Membership
Often times, commercial gyms (that don’t provide services like group fitness classes, steam rooms and saunas, or other auxiliary services such as a swimming pool or dedicated sports facilities) will have an entry level, off-peak membership option that is cheaper than the peak hour attendance. Provided you can attend the gym in the hours outlined, you can access the equipment you need in order to stimulate muscle tissue for stability, endurance, growth, and power.
Check out your local gym to see if they offer day passes as well- you can access the full gym facilities for an entire day (even the more up-market gyms that cater to total wellness offer these kind of passes).
10 Euro to 30 Euro- Multivitamin and/ or a Probiotic
As a nutritional therapist who works with a myriad of clients- from entry level performers to principals and business owners- I know you can feel even more energetic and productive when you’re able to absorb your food properly. This is why I know there are many multivitamins and probiotic supplements that fall into this spending range. These supplements are a fail- safe way to cover your nutrition needs when you’re on the go in your work day, or simply don’t have enough time to put thought into going “food first.”
40 Euro to 60 Euro- Workout Apps or On- Demand Workout Programmes
If you have a bit of gym kit at home, or you have your bodyweight and a sense of committed enthusiasm, then investing in a workout app could be a sensible option for you.
Provided the app can cater to the means that you have to physically work out, it can take the guesswork out of what workout to do on any given day, how to warm up or cool down for your workouts, and whether your workout structure actually makes sense (depending on the app). Some apps even offer weekly check ins with a coach, personalized form feedback, and scaleable programming that makes sense to your goals (like this one here).
40 Euro to 60 Euro- A Good Quality Protein Powder, and Vitamin D
Ok I know what you’re thinking- these two things don’t even go together. Yes they do, hear me out.
Vitamin D supports your bone structure. It also supports an uplifted mood which is why people in northern latitudes suffer more from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) than your counterparts closer to the equator.
Protein powder is the quickest, most transportable way to hit your protein targets on a daily basis. This is super important to actually support that bone structure that you’re working on maintaining. As you age, your bone density and propensity to maintain muscle mass decrease. These two can combat that, starting from any age or stage of life.
70 Euro to 100 Euro- A Personal Trainer
Yes, you’re paying bigger bucks here. A session with a qualified professional can provide you with: structure to your workouts, tips on how to progress exercises to make them more challenging, and even auxiliary tactics like mobility work and muscle recovery strategy to improve your workout quality. Even if you meet with a trainer once per month, it means you can step into the gym for four weeks with a plan of action that will actually help you reach your goals.
70 Euro to 100 Euro- Meal Kit or Grocery Delivery Service
If you hate grocery shopping, but don’t mind cooking, this is a great option for you. Meal delivery and grocery delivery saves the time of making a list, driving to the shop, making your purchases, and driving back home to unload and unpack- which could be extremely valuable time spent on business- owning and present- parenting and even working out. Think about it: getting groceries and meals delivered could be the make or break between you and the gym!
Although this options requires a bit more flexibility (not all meal services are completely allergen- friendly, and not all grocery deliveries will have perfectly picked produce), it affords you more flexibility in the longer term to make meals come together that will feed you and your family.
When you have a bit of cash leftover at the end of the month, it can be tempting to put it on drinks, expensive coffees, or an impulse buy when you’re passing through the mall just to get one thing (you definitely know how that goes). Consider investing your spare change in your health each month, even for three months, and see how much changes in the way you look, feel, and carry yourself throughout your day.
If you want to invest in a fitness membership specifically, be sure to check out FUNCTION, which is an on- demand membership that gives you access to a trainer and workouts on your own time, without the guesswork of “what will I do for my workout today?”
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