GUEST POST: Why You Can’t Afford Not to Invest in your Health
Many of us try and try again to improve our health. We try to eat healthier, exercise regularly, or commit to healthy living and only a small percentage succeed.
So why do so many people fail to live a healthier lifestyle:
They believe they have no time. If you exercise 1 hour every day of the week, you are only exercising 4% of your time. Are you worth 4%???? During this small time investment, you manage your weight, increase your stamina, ward off viral illnesses, reduce conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke and certain types of cancer. You are also strengthening your heart, keeping your arteries clear and it reduces stress. Only 4% of your time gives you all these benefits. Don’t have 1 hour per day? Break in up into 10 minutes segments, it gives you the same results as a full hour.
Too tired? Exercise will improve your energy. If you are new to exercise, you will be putting your body through new stresses, so in the beginning you will feel more tired. Between weeks 3 – 8, your energy level will sky rocket. You’ll have more energy to play with your children, get another round of golf in or just stay awake during the 10:00pm news. Now you can live life to the fullest. Pick the time of day that is most convenient for you. It doesn’t matter what time of the day you exercise, as long as you exercise!
Lack of determination and patience are 2 huge reasons why people quit before they see results. Your body is going through major changes as you workout. During weeks 1 – 8 you should start to feel better and have more energy. From 2 – 6 months you will lose size and inches, gaining muscle and losing fat (clothes begin to fit more loosely). And after 6 months, your metabolism has changed and you will start losing weight quite rapidly.
Leticia Martino and her fitness company are listeners to Money Smart Radio! YEAH!!
So be patient, and remember it’s not only the improvement you are making on the outside but you are improving your overall health as well. A great tip that worked for me: Take your measurements, take a before picture and if it’s available to you, have your body composition done. Every 6 weeks, repeat and see how much improvement you’ve actually made. This will keep you motivated to continue.
I must be honest and tell you I used these same excuses time and time again. Until 9 years ago, my 5-year-old daughter and I were playing on the floor. She suddenly stopped playing with me, with this shocked look on her face proceeded to say, “Mommy, your butt is huge”ย.
As they say, “children tell it like they see it”ย.
That evening I actually held up my jeans and was shocked at what I saw. The very next day, I changed my lifestyle. I say “lifestyle”ย because that’s what it is. It’s not a diet that will come and go, or exercise routine that I’ll just try this week. It is a daily on-going journey of improving my health.
It took one entire year to drop from 34% body fat to 14%, size 12 to size 1. My entire life changed for the better. My personality changed, I no longer was the shy, intimidated girl that didn’t want to be in large crowds. I saw my life and the world around me in a whole new light.
My motto became, “Bring it on because I can handle anything”ย.
After this transformation, I wanted to help others feel this amazing feeling that I was experiencing and that’s when I became a Personal Trainer and opened Fit Physique 4 Life, a health and wellness company. My life experience gives me the tools I need to educate, motivate and empathize with my clients on how difficult weight loss and changing your lifestyle can be.
I am here to help you improve your health, which in turn, improves your entire life. Visit my web site and drop me a message.
Why not start tomorrow? Start now and invest in your health.
You are worth it and your family will benefit from your healthy lifestyle as well!
Live Healthy,
Leticia Martino
Owner, Fit Physique 4 Life
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 708-691-3398
This was great information . Thanks for inspiring me . I will try to start soon . stanley
Great article, It really seems achievable when you put it as only 4% or even being able to break it in to 10 min sections. Again great artilce.
This is a GREAT article! I agree with everything Leticia mentioned. Everyday is a learning experience and it’s not easy. Some days are harder than others but you have to just keep fighting. You get to a point in your life where you have had enough and want this more than anything ~ to be happy and healthy! We all deserve to be happy and healthy and live life to the fullest. The hardest part for me is the number on the scale but I keep telling myself to go by how I feel and not by the number. I feel great, my clothes are loose but the number is what is the hardest to understand. I’m still having a hard time with that but at this point I think I am going to hide my scale for a while and keep going. Thank you so much Leticia for sharing and I wish you the best!
Thank you all for the nice comments.
Stan – My greatest gift that has been given to me is the ability to inspire people. If I did it, so can you! So many people say “they don’t have enough time in the day to exercise”; when I went through my transformation, I had 2 young daughters under the age of 5. I found the time because I made my health a priority, which made me a better Mom. You wrote….”I will try to start soon”…..start now. Feel it….believe it….and achieve it!!!!!!
Phil – Thanks! Yes, it is very easy. Actually write it in your calendar as you would any other appointment; however, this appointment is the most important and the most fulfilling appointment you’ll have all day. Good Luck!
Kathy – Congrats!!!!!!! Keep it up!!!!! I agree, the number on the scale is the hardest thing to overcome. In the beginning, I actually weighed myself everyday, talk about “mind games”! I no longer own a scale and I’m a much happier, relaxed person. Remind yourself that as you exercise, you are losing fat but gaining muscle. So if you lose 1 pound of fat but gain 1 pound of muscle, the scale doesn’t move. However, muscle takes up less space, so you become “smaller”. But more important…..you are improving your metabolism!!!! So it’s time the scale meets the trash!!!!
Great information Leticia! You made mention of it being a “lifestyle” change and that is EXACTLY what it is! I’ve learned that, in order to get where you want to be, not only do you need to incorporate new things into your life, but you need to change the very things that got you to where you are…the place you’re not happy with! Once you do that, and incorporate everything into your new, healthy “lifestyle”, it becomes easier…Routine.
You also suggested in a follow-up message to Phil about logging in a calendar as an appointment. That is great advise! Exercise is crucial and I try to make it a priority. It doesn’t mean that everything else in my life has taken a back seat, but I believe that the people closest to me (my wife and children) appreciate and understand my efforts to become healthier. They continue to support me by allowing me the time to do what I need to do.
Your article really inspired me to more fully commit to incorporating a healthy lifestyle into my daily routine. This is great information, especially as it relates to tracking your own progress. Also, I never realized that it takes only 4% of your day to work on improving your physical condition. With all of the benefits associated with a healthy lifestyle, everyone should be able to find 4% of their time to improve themselves. Thank you for the continued motivation!
I agree 100% with Leticia. We NEED to start investing way more into our daily health. 4% is nothing! It’s not about taking the hours a day and going to the gym…it’s everything we do in our daily routine to get us there..whether it’s walking that extra 5 or 10 minutes or drinking water instead of caffeine in the morning and getting that 8 hours of sleep every night. That’s where the “lifestyle” changes happen.. No excuses just results! Its so easy to make these excuses but it feels even better seeing the results. I’ve been working with Leticia for a while now and not only is she right about the diet and the exercise…it’s the confidence and knowing what your worth that’s difficult. But she’s made me realize that it’s not as hard as we all think it is. Noone is that busy nor do any of us not have the time. Health is number one..and the older i’ve gotten the more i’ve realized it. And i want to live a long life and i plan on doing so. So i continue to take Leticia’s advice and work on living a more happier and healthier life and therefore pass it on to the ones i love. ๐
Wow Leticia! Our readers LOVE you!! I, too, agree that we cannot invest in our health. What sense does it make to make a ton of cash and have to eventually spend it all later just to regain our health? Again the saying goes, “Health IS our first wealth!!
Great guest post here Leticia!!
Great information. It is very inspiring. Seems like investing in our health should be a “no brainer.”
I have to say this was a very informative article and I also can say from first hand experience that Leticia looks amazing. She inspired me and is an incredible Personal Trainer. I went from a body fat percentage in the upper twenties to 10% body fat!
Leticia—-I came across your article , looking for something else . It was great reading yours . I must take the first step and than continue to work on regaining my good health . WISH ME LUCK . I will try harder to change my lifestyle . GOOD LUCK TO YOU . ANN L . L .
Leticia, great article! You are a powerhouse of inspiration and motivation. Thanks for pumping us up!
Laurel B.
Great Article! You are right with this being a lifestyle change. I think if people view it from a long term perspective, the task to lose weight or get stronger won’t be a major hurdle. JUst a little bit every day gets one moving closer to their desired goals.