One of the most common comments i get on social media and also hear in person is

I cant believe how much it costs to eat healthy! or
I would love to lead a healthier lifestyle but cant afford it!

Now i would like to start this post of by saying this is a very individual subject and very hard to cover on an individual basis.
There are more than a few people that will be reading this post that are genuinely struggling financially and in no way i this post directed at these people.

I have been running my own business for 4 years now and came off the back of a redundancy from Barclays in Poole which at the time was paying me the most money i had ever earnt in a job.
The reality of my first 2 years self employed was one that smacked me straight in the face and left us as a family struggling way beyond what i had to before.

I cut my mortgage back, we lived off of cheap meals for 4 months, we cut all luxuries back in our house like Sky TV, Takeaways, Gym memberships etc

Why am i telling you this?

Because i have been there and it snot nice.

One of the biggest miss-conceptions out there is a healthier lifestyle cost more than a unhealthy one.
Yep, i mean it, its all rubbish!

I will happily argue this out with anyone.

Hear me out.

Its hard to live a healthy lifestyle, you have to be on your toes all the time, you have to stay motivated and most of all you generally have to go against the norm.

This is what i thrive at though.

I offer something within my business away from the norm.
Normal is boring!

Now, the main problem in life is people jump on the cost of healthy food and forget to weight up the cost of an UNHEALTHY LIFESTYLE

So, A takeaway once a week will cost in the region of £20 (depending on how many people you are buying for)
Alcohol, lets say £5 a week (im sure people spend more!)
Cigarettes if you smoke?
Now lets come onto food. Pizza and Burgers etc in the frozen section will come across cheaper, but how many of these do you go through a week?
No, the general c=thing that happens when you eat processed foods is your blood sugars are not stable so you snack more and crave sweet things.
So, ho many biscuits, cakes, breads, pastries, ice cream tubs etc are you buying each week?

You see, it all adds up

Now, away from food it comes down to priorities.
I have had people tell me they cannot afford a healthy lifestyle and then pull out a brand new iphone or drive off in a brand new car.
Wow, an iphone costs what, £40-£50 a month? A car on finance roughly £200 a month?
How about the coffee in costa once or twice a week, the trips out etc etc

You see, once again it all adds up.

Im not here to judge remember, what you do with your life is your choice however like most things it comes down to priorities.
I look to work with people that are at a stage of their life where they are fed up with how they feel and want to change things, if that means making sacrifices in other areas then fine, that’s something you need to look at (i will help you further down with something)

Now, the biggest thing people do not look at it and its hard to put a price on, is there health.
I mean, how can you put a price on it?

Generally when someone’s diet is bad, they are run down, tired, lethargic, lack motivation, sometimes depressed and in general hate themselves.
How much does feeling this way cost you?

Lets break it down

You dont go out as much as you should because you lack confidence
You are always making doctors appointments because you are run down and don’t feel 100%
You live on different medications to help you feel better and in turn they make you feel worse

Again, how much does this cost you of your life?

None if us know how long we are going to live for, harsh, but true, we dont

If our lives had a counter ticking down and you knew exactly how long you had left, would you change things?

Its something to think about

Now we have gone through the reality of things, its time to t help put some things into place and move forward

The biggest thing i can urge you to do is track your finances.

This is something people generally only do when the shit hits the fan

Its something i did when my income dropped.

I earnt £5750 the first year i was self employed, yep thats right and i have a wife and 2 kids to support.

But we survived! and are better off for it now.

You see, you learn so much about yourself when you actually sit down and writ your life down.

So, track your finances down to every penny. Go through your bank statements if you have to.

I have a spreadhseet.

Down the left hand side i have every monthly outgoing and along the top each month and the income we bring in as a household.
The spreadsheet then has an entry for every cost that comes out of our bank account. The first thing that hits you is how many outgoings you have!

You need to list every outgoing so Petrol, Nights Out, Mobile Phone’s, Shopping all need to be in there.

What you end up with is your monthly outgoings written down in front of you.

Now you can re-assess everything.

We were spending £75 a month on Sky Tv for example. £75 a month!
The worst bit was, when i phoned them we did not even watch half the channels we were paying for.

Basically, once you have your spreadsheet typed up, look through and see if you can make any savings anywhere.

Everyone likes saving money hey?

What also becomes evident is how much you spend on food.

Now hen it comes to healthy food, it can appear to cost more. However, like anything, its getting into a routine.

I spend no more now than when i use to eat crap.

Here are some tips on managing your budget

> Batch Cook things like Burgers, Stews, Curries, Bolognese etc
Mince is a great thing to buy and can make 3-4 meals at a time.

> Always check the cheaper isle in the supermarket
Its not embarrasing and you can pick up some bargains. At the end of the day, the food is going out of date that day, if you can freeze it when you get home, job done!

> Buy frozen berries instead of wasting fresh.
Fresh berries dont last long and if you find you are always chucking them in the bin, why not buy frozen?
Greta for smoothies and you can always defrost them!

> Buy frozen veg to stop waste
As above really, veg is veg at the end of the day. Forget about fresh is best when it comes to healthy eating unless you can buy from a green grocer or get one of those posh organic boxes delivered however we are talking about saving money here so you cant afford that option. Frozen veg is just as good.

> Plan your week of meals
Something people always smirk at but this helps in a big way.
Plan your meals out for the week before you shop and then right down what you need to buy and stick to that list!

> Online Shopping
Now, it amazes me how many people are against this option but i guarantee you, you will save a lot of money doing it this way.
But i have to pay to get it delivered!?
I still guarantee you will save money as you cannot succumb to the tricks that supermarkets play as your not walking down the eisle’s.
Shopping online against a list you have made (see above) is a great way to avoid the unhealthy treats and snacks you pick up whilst walking around the supermarket.
Most companies do very good offers for new customers.
TRY IT, TRUST ME IT WILL HELP YOU!

Overall, i want you to be aware of everything you spend and create an honest look at your life financially.
As i have said above, if you then realise you are on a tight budget and cannot afford to invest in a bootcamp or personal trainer then try some tips below

> Walk
Do not under estimate the power of a walk.
Get out in the fresh air and go for a 20-30 minute walk. Its great for relieving stress and once the sun is out you will be helping increase your vitamin D levels.

> Start a walk/run program
There are some fantastic walk run apps out there for smart phones/computers.

> Home exercise routines
Motivation is a huge thing here but if you can, do some exercises at home like Squats, Push Ups, Crunches, jogging on the spot, star jumps, lunges all just using your own bodyweight.
Walk up and down your stairs until you feel out of breath.
Remember, its all about doing a little bit more than yesterday, start off slow and slowly build up.

If you have any questions on the above or need any help, please feel free to email me at Admin@liveyoungbootcamp.co.uk

Take some time to look at things overall and ask yourself how you currently feel and how much your health is a priority in your life.
Investment is they key to everything we do in life, getting your money’s worth or more in everything you spend.

I hope this helps

Ross