Investing in My Health & Fitness
Finally putting forth the effort to become healthy and fit has been one of the best decisions I have ever made and I am very happy with my progress to date. I cut out junk food, eat a veggie and/or fruit with every meal, run 3x per week, and I feel good. Now that I’ve found an exercise that I truly enjoy and plan to continue for the rest of my life, I’ve made a few investments to help me reach my health & fitness goals.
Running Shoes
This is probably the most important purchase I’ve made so far. Without the proper running shoes, my calves and shins were KILLING me! And to think, in the beginning, I wasn’t even running that far – maybe a few yards. LOL! The biggest lesson learned, proper running shoes give your legs and feet the support they need to avoid injuries.
After running in the wrong type of shoe for 3 weeks, I finally went to a specialized running store and had a gait analysis. They examined my arch on one machine, then watched my running form on a video screen while I ran on the treadmill. They also asked me a ton of questions about my preferences, fitness level, and the location of pain. Based on their analysis, it was determined that I do not overpronate, but have a normal arch or a neutral gait. Then I was given several pair of running shoes to try, they answered all of my questions, and gave me a few running tips. Almost an hour later, I walked out with a pair of ASICS Gel-Cumulus 11 for about $100. I’ve been running on clouds, with zero pain, ever since!
Heart Rate Monitor
When doing strenuous cardiovascular exercise – such as running – it’s important to know if I’m working hard enough or if I’m overexerting myself. So around Christmas time, I asked my mom to get me a heart rate monitor as my gift. She said “Of course, I am so proud of your dedication!” Wanna know what she sent me? A blood pressure monitor! *blink blink* Gee, thanks mom! I was muy confused. What does a blood pressure monitor and heart rate monitor have in common? Naythan! One doesn’t even resemble the other. LOL!
I returned that thing with the quickness and bought a Heart Rate Monitor made by SportLine for about $50. Technically, I didn’t pay for it myself because the BPM was $75, so I had money left over. It’s a regular watch with an alarm, a stop watch, and a HRM that also tracks your calories burned. One day, I’d like to buy this one by Polar. I hear it’s one of the best.
Digital Scale
On a mission to lose a significant amount of weight, I bought a new scale with the rest of Ma Dukes’ money. My previous scale was an old fashioned analog. I couldn’t tell if the arrow was pointing to the small line or the big line. Did I gain 5 lbs or lose 2? It was just way too much guessing, so I’m loving my new one.
It’s a a digital scale made by Health O’ Meter for about $25. It tracks the body weight, body fat %, hydration level, and bone mass for up to four people. That’s a lot of data! And it was on “resolution” sale. Score! In fact, we’ve developed a really strong love/hate relationship already.
Healthy/Organic Food
A health and fitness mission is useless without changing the way you eat. For the past year, I’ve spent ~$250/month on groceries. Now that I’ve been eating healthier – organic, fresh produce, lean meat, healthy snacks, etc. – my grocery bill has increased by more than 150%.
The final tally for January was $421.15 – for TWO people! The bright side is that I prepare every meal – breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks – at home. During the month of January, I ate outside the home a total of 3 times and those were special occasions.
Other Expenses I may will incur in the future:
- Wii and Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board – $300
- iPod Nano and Armband – $180
- Gym Membership – $25/month
- Personal Trainer – $25/session
- 5k Race Registration Fees – $20??
- Good Quality/Sweat Absorbent Workout Gear – $xxx
- Smaller Clothes – $xxx
In total, I’ve spent about $345 $270 (so far) to live a healthier lifestyle. In the future, I plan to spend hundreds more. And it’s cool. I’ve fallen in love with running and I love the way my body feels. How did I ever deprive myself all these years? Who knows! Besides, I’d rather spend a few hundred dollars now to have a strong, healthy heart and lungs than spend tens of thousands later on prescription medication, doctor and hospital bills. I’m committed to this new lifestyle and I am worth the investment!
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34 comments:
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Have you read the Fabulous Financials comment policy lately?
You’re doing a great job! And you’re right – it’s better to spend the money here and there NOW, than to be a slave to Rx medications in the future, for conditions that could be avoided. I’m on a mission to get better with my diet as far as more organic foods and cutting down on the sweets (my weakness).
I’ll keep you posted on the date/fee for Runway 5K, if you still want to come down and run it. :)
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Single Ma Reply:
February 11th, 2010 at 8:57 am
Yes, please send the info when you get it. I’d love to run a 5k with you…if you promise not to leave me in your dust. LOL!
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Marilie Reply:
February 11th, 2010 at 3:14 pm
LOL! Man, that thing is not until October. You will be up and running loooooooong before then. I’m not even worried about you. :) Or Tazzee. If she can make it. I hope we have better weather this year. It was warm, but rainy last time. .
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^5!!!! Lurve the shoe.. glad you made that investment.. your shins, feet and knees are definitely thanking you!!! I absolutely HEART my Polar F6.. I’ve had it for 4yrs now and NO problems.. now I’m eyeing that F7 which is a slight upgrade.. I need to check my discount and see how much I can get it for :D yes I will definitely share with you if you want it..
Did u already find a trainer for $25 a session??? that seems pretty low unless it’s a “group” training session. Race fees for a 5K may run $25 or more.. depending on the race.. May be cheaper since you may be near a pacers and they do 5K runs weekly.. on Friday evenings.. check out your local store..
When you are ready to run a 5K let me know.. and I promise not to run and leave you but stay with you for support!
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Single Ma Reply:
February 11th, 2010 at 10:48 am
When you decide to upgrade your Polar, let me know. If I have the funds, I will surely jump on the discount bandwagon. :-)
We have a trainer on site in my apt community; that’s his published rate for residents. My previous trainer was $35-45/session, depending on how often I met with him in a month.
Another 5k supporter…yay!! I have a lot of work to do before I can get on your level.
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BK Reply:
February 11th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
^5 I would def jump on that!!! that’s a good deal.. yeah your previous trainer is the norm rate..and he was giving a discount 4 multiple sessions.. cool..
we all start somewhere… when I started running again I just wanted to finish a 5K without stopping.. Now my goal is to finish that half marathon in less than 2hrs 30 mins.. :)
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Single Ma Reply:
February 11th, 2010 at 2:40 pm
Impressive. What is your time now? And how much longer do u have to train?
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BK Reply:
February 12th, 2010 at 7:06 am
this is my first half.. I’ve run a 10 miler in 1hr 52 mins.. I’m trying to get down to consistent 10 min miles. Race is June 6th in Annapolis. I just started training this month but of course the snow has slowed that down and intervals on treadmill are OK.. Running a 10K in April for “speed” workout.. so 3 good mos of solid training left. Feb is a wash.. I’ll be on the dreadmill for the remainder of the month LOL
@Marilie.. that doesn’t sound bad.. Annapolis course is very hilly as well.. it had me invent new cuss words going up and down that thing.
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Marilie Reply:
February 11th, 2010 at 3:18 pm
@ BK – 11:24 pace had me finish my half right around 2:29. :) And that was with a lot of freakin’ hills. Stupid Thunder Road. And yet, I want to run it again this year and try to beat that time. You can do it!
@ SingleMa, When I looked at the Thunder Road website they had posted links to Hal Higdon’s half marathon training. The race was December 12th and they had training that started in August. I’m assuming that the training is based on you already having run…but I’m not sure. I ended up joining up with another group that was already in progress.
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I have the Polar F11 – I LOVED it at first, but lately the chest belt has been irritating. I can’t wear any metals (other than gold) against my skin for a long period of time. I guess the continual movement with running (wasn’t as vigorous with the elliptical) caused the metal to rub a little too much and I started to get little rashes. Thank God, I had a plastic chest belt that came with my elliptical – I wear that one now.
I’ve spent quite a bit on exercise stuff – never had a problem with it because I love to exercise. Now I need to divert those funds to groceries (my downfall).
I’m planning to run the Runway 5k too so I hope you can come down.
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Single Ma Reply:
February 11th, 2010 at 10:52 am
Oh you poor thing. Glad you found a quick alternative that works for you.
I have a feeling your groceries/eating will change once you get married and MM moves in. :-)
The Runway 5k is the one you’re doing in May? Oh my, I don’t know if I’ll be ready by then. LOL
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Tazzee Reply:
February 11th, 2010 at 2:31 pm
No, the Runway 5K is in October. You’ll definitely be ready for that one.
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Single Ma Reply:
February 11th, 2010 at 2:39 pm
Oh in that case, sign me up!
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If you have one of those health savings accounts at your job (and funds you want to spare) you might be able to get a Polar using that money (check to see if it is eligible). I was able to get an F11 that way a few years ago.
The F6 is a good one. The F4 gets annoying because it only stores info for one exercise session. The F11 fixes that problem but is a bit of overkill…I never use the other features!
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Tazzee Reply:
February 11th, 2010 at 2:32 pm
Well Dang! Never thought of using my FSA for exercise equipment. I need to check on that one…
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Single Ma Reply:
February 11th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
*checking FSA page now*
Hmm…I wonder if I can claim all the stuff I already bought.
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Single Ma Reply:
February 11th, 2010 at 3:57 pm
My FSA lists fitness “equipment” (treadmill?) and health “test” equipment (BPM, diabetic, etc?) as eligible expenses. All other things must include a “letter of medical necessity” from a doctor. I’m sure my doc can confirm that I’m overweight. LOL
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A bit off of of fitness more on food. I signed up for the daily emails from hungrygirl dot com. They have the best recipes to eat naughty but healthy. They were helpful in helping me to avoid burn out by not having fun food.
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Single Ma Reply:
February 11th, 2010 at 3:57 pm
Signed up to check her out. Thanks.
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I think the biggest investment for me so far has been time. I already had the treadmill, the videos, the good sneakers (my grandma was right, I can’t wear cheap shoes. lol.), etc. but what I was missing was the investment of my time. There was always something more “important” or “urgent” to do. Not anymore…it has to be a balance. If I am not worth taking care of, then who is? If I am not taking care of myself, how do I think I can really take care of anyone else?
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Marilie Reply:
February 11th, 2010 at 3:22 pm
“If I am not worth taking care of, then who is? If I am not taking care of myself, how do I think I can really take care of anyone else?”
So on point. This is what I tell all my friends who tell me they never have time to exercise. :)
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Single Ma Reply:
February 11th, 2010 at 3:59 pm
For me, finding time was my biggest excuse but no longer an issue when I changed my mindset. Once I decided to do this (you know how a Cap’s mind operates), it became mandatory.
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nofearingthemoney Reply:
February 11th, 2010 at 4:31 pm
Yes, I know how the Cap mind works. LOL. The Aquarius mind is not quite the same. I HAD the time, but just managed to convince myself that I didn’t.
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The Nano and the armband, put in front of everything else! I absolutely love it. You have to add to that the NIKE+ and NIKE shoes which tracks miles run and calories burned! It is such a great thing. It goes with the NIKE Plus website which allows you to set challenges and goals, join challenges with people all over the world. Only works if you have NIke shoes though. So maybe in 3 months or so when you have to replace your ASICS.
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Single Ma Reply:
February 11th, 2010 at 5:52 pm
Of all the shoes I tried on during my fitting, Nikes were the most UNcomfortable. These Asics are so supportive, I’m sure I’ll always wear them.
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Marilie Reply:
February 11th, 2010 at 8:05 pm
You don’t need the Nike shoes. You can get a pouch to attach the Nike+ sensor to the shoestrings of your Asics. If you want a pic of mine I can send it to you. I should also have the website somewhere where I purchased it. I got the sensor pouch from them, as well as an armband/case for my Nano. :)
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Single Ma Reply:
February 11th, 2010 at 8:52 pm
@ MsMarilie – thanx for the clarification/workaround. I’ve seen your Nike+ updates on Twitter & FB and it seems like a cool gadget. I may consider using it when I’m cranking out double digit miles/wk.
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Tabitha Reply:
February 13th, 2010 at 9:15 pm
@MsMarilie, Do you like the Nike+ sensor? I have been debating whether it’s really worth buying. I wanted to try the cheaper route of calculating pace and mileage, before investing in a Garmin. I’m ready to move from 5k’s to 10k’s, and having something of accuracy would help. Thanks for sharing!
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Rebecca Reply:
February 11th, 2010 at 8:44 pm
Nike’s are not for everyone. Marilie, I never thought about putting the sensor on the outside of your shoe. That’s cool, because I really love the tracking.
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Great job on your fitness goals ma. I agree with you eating healthier can be more expensive but you do find yourself saving LOTS of money when you don’t pay outrageous prices for extremely unhealthy restaurant food.
I was reading the End of Mindless Eating by Dr. David Kessler and its downright frightening how much fat and salt is in the typical restaurant / fast food meal. Even the healthy sounding stuff is just absolutely loaded with salt and cholesterol. I’ll pay a few more bucks for organics any day.
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Alonzo-MochaMoney Reply:
February 12th, 2010 at 8:50 am
Ooops book is The End of Overeating.
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Those are all great investments. I like the HR monitor. I try to stay away from the scale because I tend to obsess over “the number”.
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Brava! Good for you! One motivator for me with my old job was that I got a break on my health insurance premium when I would go to the gym regularly. You can bet I was there a lot! I hope these new changes lead to much health and happiness!
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You’re doing a fantastic job, keep up the good work! You are correct, ill fitting shoes can have a massive effect on your performance and can also cause unnecessary pain. A good gait analysis can help to choose the perfect shoe for each individual person. Changing the way your foot interacts with the ground can reduce the forces that have lead to the injury.
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