Can You Put a Price on Your Health and Fitness?

I want you to ask yourself, can you really put a price on your health and fitness? How do you value your health and fitness? Where does it fall on your list of priorities? Is it below family, friends, work, money, having fun even? Well consider all of those things without your health. How much fun can you have with family and friends if your lifestyle is slowly killing you? What good is working and having lots of money if you are unable to enjoy life?

This post is just about putting things into perspective.

Privilege, Not a Given Right.

So many people see exercise and eating healthy as a burden, an inconvenience, a real pain in the ass. Living healthy costs too much, takes up too much time or is just too hard. I’m sure those are the most common excuses. What people fail to grasp is having the ability to exercise and eat healthy is a privilege, not a given right. There are people all over the world dying of starvation who would give anything for the chance to have some fresh meat and vegetables, a nice wholesome nutritious meal. There are those that have disabilities and illnesses which leave them unable to even move, let alone run and do a few squats. People take so many everyday things for granted and it’s simply unbelievable.

Take a second and imagine the possibility of losing the ability to use your arms and legs. Imagine not being able to have full control of your body and be able to do whatever you want at any time. It is one of my single biggest fears in life and it’s incomprehensible to me, the struggles people with those disabilities would have to face day to day. Yet everyday someone with full ability to move chooses to do as little as possible, simply because it’s the easiest option.

Now take a second and really imagine you can’t afford food. I don’t mean ‘healthy food’; I mean any kind of food. You are homeless and broke and potentially have to eat anything you can find which could even be out of the rubbish. It’s not a nice thought is it? Yet even though you CAN afford it, you don’t see the value and benefits of it, and would rather put all kinds of junk in your body that is doing more harm than good. I’d say more than half the population eat for an emotional response as opposed to a health benefit. It might satisfy your taste buds for a minute or two but that’s it. It may bring a feeling of joy and euphoria temporarily, but then what? All the other effects are negative. What if you were forced to eat out of necessity and not pleasure? Survival and not gluttony? Do you think your opinion on food might change then? I love the expression “you eat to live, not live to eat”.

One thing to keep in mind at all times; Whenever you say “I can’t afford it”, “I don’t have the time” or “it’s too hard”; somewhere somebody has less money, less time, less physical ability and somehow has less excuses and is living a healthy active life.

Cost + Effort vs. Reward.

As a trainer you hear many different reasons why someone ‘can’t’ partake in your program, and cost is often a reason. In many cases those same people that say they “can’t afford your program” are the same people who spend ‘x’ amount on cigarettes and alcohol and junk food, which is all contributing to their problem, and wanting to do your program in the first place.  So it isn’t really so much the cost, but they either don’t see it as a priority, or they don’t see the value in it. Then there are those who say “eating healthy is too expensive”, yet they buy take-away food 3x a day every day. It’s amazing how much potential money you can save by purchasing food for the whole week and making it yourself, as opposed to buying food out all the time because it’s convenient.

When thinking about getting healthier and fitter, I imagine the average person would focus on how much it ‘costs’ and how much ‘effort‘ it’s going to be, completely disregarding the more important factor, which is what will the ‘reward’ be for my hard work and money. I hear so often about people paying for gym memberships that they don’t even use and it baffles me. Why would you give your money to someone else and getting nothing for it? Gyms aren’t charities. You opted for the cheapest gym available and you don’t think about the ‘cost’ because, in your opinion, it is affordable, even though you are getting nothing out of it. Then you have people who do go, but put little to no effort in, but still somehow expect a reward for the little bit of work they are putting in.

What if for a second, you thought about the benefits ahead of how much it cost or how hard it would be? If all you had to do was spend an extra $30 a week and exercise at an adequate intensity 3-4x a week to achieve optimum health, would that not be worth the cost in the end? If you had to spend 3-6 hours out of your 168 week exercising, shopping and preparing nutritious meals; to prevent yourself from things such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes; all while increasing your energy and making you feel stronger and fitter; would that not be worth your time and effort?

For the majority, I believe those who don’t think about the reward and only worry about the cost, are the ones that haven’t set any goals and aren’t ready to make changes to their lives. If you are ready then you aren’t concerned with the cost or the effort required. You will do whatever it takes to achieve your goals and overcome obstacles along the way.

Make a list of all the pros and cons of beginning your health and fitness journey. Does the reward outweigh the effort and cost? How good will you feel once you achieve your goals? If something isn’t important enough to you, then you won’t do it, simple as that. Find your WHY.

Expectations and the ‘Right’ Questions to Ask.

I don’t think a trainer gets asked a question more frequently than “How much is it”? People will ask that first off even if they have no idea of what you do and the service you provide. This is because more often than not, people don’t know the right questions to ask. They don’t know what to expect. If you have never had a trainer or participated in group activity then you have no idea what it should cost and what you are getting for your money. So immediately you are basing your decision on cost alone, and looking for the cheapest option doesn’t guarantee that everywhere is the same and you will get anything out of it.

What you should expect from trainers is the best service possible. Before asking price, you should want to know what services they provide, what qualifications they have and what benefits will you receive. In a nutshell, what are you paying for?

How many everyday people are paying for gym memberships etc. and not even using them? You might opt for the cheapest gym membership you can find, so losing $7-$15 a week out of your account seems like nothing, but what are you getting out of it? What are you getting in return for your money? More often than not I think things are generally more expensive for a reason, especially when it comes to any kind of service industry. Do you get any kind of support? Are you being kept accountable? Does anyone help motivate and inspire you? Are you being provided with information to educate you and help achieve your goals? These are all important questions to ask yourself and are also relevant if you are looking for a personal trainer or group fitness business.

For anyone who has a gym membership and all they do is go there to walk on a treadmill, I say you are a fool and wasting your money. No offense, but you could easily do that for free anywhere, just walk outside. If you want to be shown how to do exercises properly and be given a program that is relevant to your goals and is fun, challenging and engaging, then you can expect to pay more money. You can also expect that the trainer has your best interests at heart and genuinely wants to help you succeed.

In Conclusion

In the end I believe your health and fitness is ‘priceless’, and you should be doing whatever is needed to get healthy and stay healthy. If you are reading this, chances are you are already a member of Team Transform, you have been a member, or you have at least enquired with us in the past. Regardless, I hope that you take several things mentioned into consideration in future. Even if you don’t hire a trainer or join a group fitness business or even a gym, you can always exercise on your own anywhere using your own body weight or things around. You can always quit smoking, drink less alcohol, buy less junk food and spend the money you are now saving on wholesome foods instead. “Where there is a will, there is a way”. Don’t abuse your body; someone out there would give anything to be in your situation. Eating healthy doesn’t have to suck and exercising doesn’t have to be the worst thing in the world. Find a way to make the most out of both and enjoy being a healthier, positive, fit, more energetic you!