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Episode: 291 - The Unexpected Link Between Fitness and Finances: 5 Tips to Achieve Your Goals

At first glance, fitness and finances might seem unrelated, but they actually have a lot in common. Here’s a look at how lessons from the Debt Free Dad podcast can help you succeed in both. 

 
  1. Assess Where You Are: Your Starting Point 
    Before diving into any new health or financial plan, it’s essential to take a step back and assess where you are. For fitness, this means understanding your current health and identifying any knowledge gaps in wellness or exercise. For finances, it starts with a clear view of your debt, spending patterns, and budget habits. Both goals may require a bit of learning (or unlearning) to change your mindset around “dieting” and “budgeting” and see them as tools to reach your goals. 
  1. Have a Plan: Set Yourself Up for Success 
    Approaching the gym without a plan is like tackling debt without a strategy—both are recipes for frustration. For fitness, set clear workout goals and routines, perhaps with guidance from a trainer. For finances, create a structured debt repayment plan rather than randomly paying bills. Whether it’s a friend, family member, or community, having someone to keep you accountable is a key element in both areas. 
  1. Consistency Above All 
    Neither fitness nor financial success happens overnight. It’s all about consistent effort, even if you’re not perfect each time. Sticking to a regular workout builds your strength, just as consistent debt repayment makes a huge impact over time. Small, steady steps lead to meaningful progress in both journeys. 
  1. Know Your 'Why': Stay Motivated 
    A clear reason for your health and financial goals makes all the
    difference. For fitness, understanding the deeper reasons for improving your health can keep you going during tough times. In finances, a strong “why” for getting out of debt helps push through the challenges. Your motivation can make or break your commitment. 
  1. Bounce Back from Setbacks 
    Setbacks are inevitable, whether it’s an injury or an unexpected expense. But resilience is key. Use setbacks as opportunities to learn and adjust without losing sight of your goals. Adapting to challenges keeps you on track and builds long-term success. 

Both fitness and financial goals require a positive outlook, consistent discipline, and a commitment to learning and growth. The effort you invest in either area strengthens your belief in your ability to reach your goals. 

Thanks for being part of the Debt Free Dad community! Until next time, keep working toward your financial and fitness goals with confidence. 

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Get better results with your finances in 30-60 days - GUARANTEED. Watch this video to learn how! - https://www.debtfreedad.com/payoff-debt-in-60-to-90-days 

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Transcript:

Ryan Host
00:00
So about two months ago, I decided I wanted to get healthier and I started an exercise program. I think we've all done that. One thing that has struck me over these last two months is how tackling my exercise goals and my getting healthier goals has been very similar to paying off debt and getting control of my finances. Okay, I know what you're thinking: exercise and debt, like what's the connection? But trust me, the similarities are pretty uncanny. So let's break it down. You're listening to the Debt-Free Dad podcast, where we help normal, everyday people pay off debt so they can live a happier and less stressful life.

00:39
My name is Ryan Nelson, and my wife and I paid off about $160,000 in debt over eight years while we were raising three kids. So as I've gotten older, you get a few more aches and pains, and those aches and pains are usually met with "take this medicine" at the doctor. I think if you've been to the doctor, you know if you bring up any kind of ache and pain, there's not a lot of treatment these days. It's, "Here's some medicine, take this," and with that medicine usually comes other side effects that you deal with. And so I think, as I've gotten older, I really don't want to go down that route, as I've started to be prescribed these medicines. So I really don't want to go down that route if I don't have to. So I was kind of met with a decision that I had to make: keep doing what I was doing and probably end up on more meds and more pain, or I take control of it and I can do something about it.

01:31
As I've been going through this, I'm realizing how closely related our debt journey was, and this journey has been. So today I want to kind of break down five ways that can help you tackle your goals. So number one is the starting line, and that's facing the facts and education. With fitness, before you hit the gym, you know, before eating healthy, you've got to assess, right? What's your current fitness level? What are your goals, or are you aiming to grow muscle, or you just want to feel more energized and lose a little weight? What's your age? Do you need to learn about fitness and maybe a healthy lifestyle?

02:11
When it comes to debt, it was very similar when we got out of debt. We had to take an honest look at our debt. How much do you really owe? Where are you spending your money at? Are you keeping a monthly budget? Is the problem really the debt, or is it you? And do you need to be educated, or maybe even re-educated, about money or fitness? So I think it's really important when you start that you're facing the facts and the reality of what sort of education you might need out there, and a big thing is dispelling the myths when it comes to kind of re-educating yourself.

02:42
When it comes to fitness and finances, diet and budget are words that have a negative view. So if you think about if you're like, "I'm gonna go on a diet," you probably have this "ugh" feeling. Or if I say you need to be on a budget, you probably have this "ugh" feeling. You need to stop believing myths or things you may have brought up to believe that are true, that are actually false. Both a diet and a budget are very critical to your success. So I think you really just got to get rid of that idea that those two words are bad. Number two is a plan of attack, and strategy is the key. So for fitness again, and as I'm going through this, especially as you get older, you don't want to just wander into the gym and start randomly lifting things or doing exercises. I mean, some people might do that, but I think any trainer or anybody — again, as I've been educating myself — they don't recommend that. You really need a plan, a structured approach with clear exercises and targets that work for you.

03:45
An accountability partner is a great way to stay motivated. My wife and I started this exercise program and getting healthier together so we're able to hold each other accountable. When it came to our debt, debt payoff required the same mindset. It's not a great idea to just start paying off debt without having a plan to follow. It's the same way with fitness. We tell people we don't recommend that you just jump in and start paying off debt. You can do it, but you're probably not going to have a lot of success because typically, the debt for most people is the symptom and not the problem. And again, finding an accountability partner or group is a huge help when it comes to debt and even fitness in itself. I mean, in the normal world out there, especially when it comes to debt and finances, most people are living paycheck to paycheck and they're not doing this stuff. So having an accountability partner or a group of people to help you with the same mindset is huge.

04:36
Number three: consistency is king or queen. When it comes to fitness, it's one of those things — you do an amazing workout, right? And you wake up the next day and you want to look at yourself in the mirror and think, "Well, I'm already strong," or "I had to get muscles," you know? And it doesn't work like that, right? It's about showing up consistently, even when you don't feel like it. And, trust me, especially when it comes to this and learning how to do this stuff, there are mornings where I don't feel like it. I'm not going to say every morning we've done it perfectly. We haven't, but it's being consistent, and those regular efforts do build strength and endurance over time. We can see that after just a couple of months. You know, where we started and where we're at now, I can do things and do things longer or better than I did when I first started. So we are seeing some improvements by being consistent. Even when we don't feel like doing it or we're not doing it the best, absolute best way possible, we're still doing it.

05:34
Same thing with our debt, and this was again through our debt journey. We've seen this: it's a marathon, not a sprint. So paying back your debt is not going to happen overnight. It's taken you potentially years and years to get into this debt, and it's going to take some time to get out. But the same rules apply. Being consistent is the key to chipping away at that balance, and it's building momentum. You're going to be amazed at what you can accomplish in just a year if you can keep just having some consistency. And again, it's not to be perfect. You're not going to be perfect at it, and it's okay. It's about being consistent day in and day out.

06:10
Number four: finding your why, and this is a big one for me. I think why is so important for a lot of people, and it's really your secret weapon. So, like from a fitness standpoint, finding your why is helping me stay motivated. It's like, why do I want to be healthier? It has to be something more powerful to keep me motivated when the time comes. Like, for a long time, being motivated to work out was like I want to have a beach body or I want to have bigger muscles. And the reality is that wasn't really a big deal to me.

06:40
I think as I've gotten older and I'm starting to now have to take these medicines. Like I said, I don't have to take these; I'm choosing to take them by living the life that I'm doing. And so, it's very similar to debt in the sense of, you know, if you figure out your why, a lot of times we're choosing to be irresponsible with money to live in the moment because our why is not important enough to us. We're not trying to accomplish something bigger than ourselves. So finding your why — why you want to get out of debt, visualizing yourself without debt, celebrating your progress, and again finding that support of a community or financial coach — a positive mindset can make a huge difference. And it's really important from my standpoint that if you just think about if your why isn't strong enough, it's super easy to quit. I've seen this in my own life over and over again, even with debt. Before we got really serious and figured it out, our whys were very superficial, very loosey-goosey. I want to retire one day, I want to have more money one day, or, when it comes to working out, I want to look better one day. None of that is going to keep you or keep us, or none of it kept us motivated, because it wasn't important. It wasn't until we got really clear on what we're trying to accomplish that we started to remain consistent.

07:57
And number five: setbacks happen, and you need to embrace the recovery. From a fitness standpoint, what I'm learning is you get hurt, you get an illness — things happen, right? You wake up. I just got over a cold recently. Those mornings of working out weren't exactly fun. It's easy to say, "I'm just not going to do it," or "I'm going to skip it." But those things happen, and the key is to acknowledge that it happens, allow yourself to recover, and then get back on track with a potentially modified plan if needed. I've already had to do that these two months. I have some feet issues, and sometimes they bother me. It's easy to just say, "Well, they hurt, and I guess I just won't do it." But you just figure it out and kind of continue on your way. You just did have to do it in a modified way. Maybe it's going to slow your progress down, but you'll still be making progress.

08:47
And the same thing with debt. Again, have we seen this when we were doing this? Unexpected expenses, job loss, emergencies — these all can derail your debt payoff journey, and they did for us as well. But don't beat yourself up. You need to just reevaluate, adjust your budget, forgive yourself if you mess up, which it's going to happen — it happens to all of us.

09:10
And being consistent is the goal, not perfect. And I think this one, you know, from some of the big voices out there in the industry when it comes to debt payoff, is you need to be perfect. And if you do anything outside of the realm of like what certain people teach, well, you're a terrible person and you shouldn't be doing it. And, quite honestly, at Debt-Free Dad, we just don't take that approach. That's not how most people live their lives. We are going to mess up. To this day, even with money and fitness.

09:42
I mess up. I'm not perfect when it comes to my debt still, but I'm consistent. So, even if I mess up, I'm consistent to make sure that I don't keep messing up, and I think that's the mindset that you have to adopt. So, honestly, there you have it. Whether you're starting an exercise program or you're paying off debt, the principles are surprisingly similar. It's about setting goals, creating a plan, staying consistent, and maintaining a positive mindset. Remember that both journeys require effort, discipline, and a belief in your ability to succeed. Thanks for checking out the Debt-Free Dad podcast. Until next time, keep crushing those goals, both financial and fitness-related. If that's what you're doing, take care.

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