FREE WAYS TO STAY HEALTHY

    In these tough economic times, the first things to go on your personal budget are sometimes what might be called the “extras” in life. These extras could be vacations, weekend getaways, memberships at the gym or fitness club, and counseling with the nutritionist. Since good health and wellness are all predicated on living a balanced life, everyone would do well to keep to an exercise and relaxation schedule that would help to achieve this balance. If you are feeling the financial crunch and need to compromise, here are some free and healthy ways to stay fit and relax.

1. Walk- Walking can be done from early in the morning throughout the day and night. The benefits from a brisk walk can be accomplished in several 15 minute segments, or by one long walk, whichever best fits your schedule and lifestyle.
   
2. Drink Water- The human body is 85% water, and it constantly needs water replaced to stay healthy and to protect the internal organs and tissues. Water also makes the skin look refreshed and moist, and helps to eliminate fats and toxins from your body.
   
3. Meditate- Taking a thirty minute break every day to meditate can lower the heart rate, increase the immune system functioning, increase mental functioning and memory, and help you to sleep better at night. You may prefer a 30 minute power nap, but do not sleep longer or the effects will be reversed and you may feel groggy and have trouble sleeping at night.
   
4. Simplify- Take an inventory of your life and see what brings you joy, satisfaction, or serves a purpose. If there are things you are doing that do not fit into any of those categories, then eliminate as many as possible. Fill your time with beneficial pastimes, pleasant experiences, and simple pleasures.
   
5. Socialize- Make time to spend with the people you love and care about. You don’t have to spend money to have a good time- think about watching the football game together, having a potluck dinner with friends, or taking a long walk in the woods. Tell the people you love how you feel about them, and seek out friends who make you feel loved and important.
   
6. Laugh- There are both mental and physical benefits to laughing and smiling. When you laugh, you release endorphins into your body which make you feel happy and relaxed. Smiling helps to relieve stress, and even people who were clinically depressed found a lessening of their depression when they regularly smiled.
   
7. Exercise For Free- There are many ways to get exercise that are free and fun. You can take a walk on the beach, take a dog for a walk, swim at a community pool, or go and play on the equipment at a local park and use the fitness trail. Gardening and house cleaning are good forms of exercise if you enjoy them and move at a fast pace, and the results of your labors are satisfying. You can jump rope without the rope, turn on You Tube or the television and follow a workout, or dance to music on the radio. The most important elements are to do something you like and to have fun!
   
8. Free Nutritional Counseling- Many of the popular magazines, such as Glamour and Prevention, have free nutritional counseling and exercise programs on their Web sites. You are given menus, exercise guides, nutritional counseling, and supports for making a commitment to giving yourself a healthy and vibrant body and mind.
   

Sleep- The body needs 8- 10 hours of sleep each day to revitalize. New research shows that people who get less than 8 hours of sleep suffer from more obesity, have more skin problems, and lack a healthy immune system. The mind also needs to go through several stages of dreaming to repair and be healthy. Lack of sleep can cause people greater incidents of anxiety, depression, apathy, and emotional stress.

    If you are anything like me, the shock wave of the financial institutions folding and the crashing stock market on Wall Street has probably left you a bit shaken. Every night on the news, and the first stories in the morning newspapers, seem to advance more gloomy financial news. Anyone with any size investment portfolio has been questioning what they should do about their personal investments. Since financial health is one of the main missions of where I work, The Health Care Credit Union Association, I have been making it my business to ask many people their opinions on this topic. In my personal inquiries, I have asked financial advisors and stock brokers, friends and fringe acquaintances, from all areas of life and in all age groups. The main question I have asked is, “Is it time to hold or time to fold?”

    The answers I received to the basic question have been varied, contradictory, and sometimes even sketchy, but for the vast majority of answers, the advice has been “to hold”. My answer to my own question would actually hedge the question, but it would be “it depends”. Here are some of my reasons behind that ambiguous answer. It depends on your age and how close you are to retirement. The stock market has historically had ups and downs, even if the downs are significant now. If you are ten or more years away from retirement, it would be a “hold”, but if you are less than five years from retirement, I would recommend that you consult a professional financial advisor about your unique situation as you may want to roll over your investments into other options.

    It depends also on your financial risk tolerance. This is definitely the time to buy stocks if you are secure enough to enjoy the thrill of not knowing the outcome. People have enjoyed huge profits from buying low priced stocks and selling stocks when they are significantly higher. At the very least, everyone with an investment portfolio right now could benefit from a review of their current holdings. Is your portfolio diversified? Could you make changes that would better reflect the changing market? What will you need in the short- term and the long- term? Do your current investments give you this level of confidence? Are you confident in your financial institutions and your financial advisor?

    I did veto my friend’s idea to take all their money out of all accounts and bury the lump sum in the backyard. I guess that could be counted on as an “it depends”, too. It depends on whether or not you can remember where you buried the money. It depends on whether or not your neighbors were watching you when you did the burying. It depends on whether or not you can trust those neighbors, or if a dog might think your treasure was a bone…….so much to think upon…

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