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Financial Health

A Dozen Easy Ways to Exercise on a Budget

Financial Health, Mental Health, Physical Health, Social Health

Losing weight, getting in shape or ramping up your exercise routine doesn’t have to be a drain on your bank account or require an expensive gym membership. In fact, some of the best ways to get fit are absolutely free!

  1. YouTube fitness channels are free and can be accessed anywhere you have an Internet connection. Whether you’re into yoga, Pilates, aerobics, or kickboxing, you’re sure to find something on YouTube to help you get moving.
  2. Amazon Prime members can access to over 1,000 exercise videos that are included with their membership.
  3. Get outside! Walk, jog, run, hike, bike. Take your dog, take your kids, take your spouse, or take a friend. In addition to some getting some cardio, being outdoors helps ward off depression, can lower your blood pressure, reduce stress, and boost your energy, just to name a few of the perks.
  4. We all know the recipe for success is to move more and eat less, but it can be hard to stay motivated if you’re going it alone. Use Meetup to find an exercise group near you. Sometimes all we need is a little companionship and accountability to stay the course.
  5. If you’re digitally motivated, a free fitness app might be right for you. Runtastic by adidas offers easy run tracking in real time with built-in GPS and progress tracking. 7 Minute Workout is available for Apple devices and offers a free workout plan that gives you a full-body challenge aimed at improving fitness and weight loss.
  6. Seek out free fitness events in your city at Eventbrite. I did a quick search and found over 150 in my area alone!
  7. Exercise on your commute. If you live close enough, consider walking or biking to work. In addition to getting a workout, you’ll also save money on gas or public transportation.
  8. Take on the 30-day Gym-Free Fitness Challenge at Thrillist. It consists of an initial assessment and 30 equipment-free workouts designed to hit all the strength, cardio, and flexibility guidelines suggested by the American College of Sports Medicine. Best of all, it’s totally free!
  9. Household chores can provide some of the best workouts. I found that out quickly when I moved to Colorado and had to start shoveling snow! Gardening, cleaning windows, painting, and even vacuuming can help you burn calories.
  10.  Volunteer to coach kids sports. Love playing softball or soccer as a kid? Get back in the game! Youth sports leagues are usually understaffed and in need of coaches. Share your love of the game with the next generation and get fit running drills with the kiddos.
  11.  Over 65? Silver Sneakers is a health and fitness program designed for adults 65+ that’s included with many Medicare Plans. From national gyms to local community centers, there are more participating fitness locations available in the U.S. to SilverSneakers members than there are Starbucks!
  12.  If you have space in your home for exercise equipment, join your local Freecycle group or scope out Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace or Letgo for free or cheap fitness gear.

With some creativity, you can find lots of ways to exercise for little or no money. This is one of the few things in life where “you get what you pay for” simply does not apply.

Set Goals, Not Resolutions

Financial Health, Mental Health

Every New Year is usually the same. We make unreasonable or even unattainable goals, mostly dealing with our weight. While keeping a healthy weight is advisable to avoid other health issues, New Year’s resolutions don’t always have to be concerned with such goals.The term “resolution” seems to connotate a temporary objective. Instead, let’s refer to them as goals. Goals, for many, is a mindful intention, something achievable and with an end in sight. While some of your goals may be an ongoing activity, reaching that goal gives you something to work towards. Below are some ideas for achievable intentions:
  1. Get healthy. While this is a lofty goal there are some solid ideas behind it. Consider what it means to you to get healthy. Does it require some weight loss? Do you want to run a half marathon this summer? Do you need to take more self-care by having a de-stressing hour each day?
  2. More self-care.  In our workaholic society, we’re driven to keep slogging away in the proverbial rat race. Our society sees downtime as selfish while working 50+ hours a week is admirable. This concept is just plain unhealthy. While some may not be able to trim back their work hours due to finances, if you’re able, try taking more time for yourself. Create a goal to read 1 book a month, or try out a new wine. Explore more leisurely activities to give your body and soul some much-needed rest. Even consider some time out in nature. Studies have shown that spending some time outside not only helps us destress, but can also help with coping with pain. (How Does Nature Impact Our Wellbeing?, n.d.)
  3. Try new things. Expanding our horizons livens up our lives in so many ways. By trying a new hobby, a new art project, or even meeting new people aid in reducing cognitive decline. Experiencing new activities or learning a new language helps create new connections to brain cells, thus effectively slowing down the decline. (Harvard Health, 2015)
  4. Meet new people. As stated earlier, even meeting new people, making new friends improves brain function, but did you know that scientists found it to increase your lifespan? Research has found that being social decreases an inflammatory factor that is associated with many health issues such as cardiovascular disease and some forms of cancer, among others. (Research Suggests a Positive Correlation between Social Interaction and Health, n.d.) Even getting a new furry buddy such as a cat or dog, has been known to reduce systolic blood pressure.
Now that you have some ideas of what to focus on, how do you tackle this daunting task? Many of us make New Year’s resolutions, but did you know that by February, 80% of those goals fail? (Luciani, 2015) Rather than set yourself up for failure, try these tips below:
  1. Make a plan. What do you want to accomplish? Write down those goals. This way, you can take each one and truly make them workable for you. Know what you really want and\or need.
  2. Take one of your goals and break it down into smaller bites. If you want to get physically fit, don’t make a challenging goal of doing cardio 6 days a week. Build up to something more realistic and feasible. Try breaking it down to a 15-minute walk every other day. Then gradually build up to every day. Then increase the intensity slowly. This not only makes your goal reachable but helps reduce the likelihood of stress or strain.
  3. Focus on one goal at a time. Rather than trying to completely overhaul your physical and mental health, pick 1 goal, the most important to you, and focus on it. Setting a goal as “to get healthy” is too vague and will likely fail as you flounder around trying to do it all without any real direction. With 1 goal in mind, devote your energies to it. Once you’ve achieved this goal, only then should you try to attempt another.
  4. Find a support system. Whether you want to quit smoking, shed a few pounds, or read 25 books in a year, find some friends or family that you can talk to about your goals. Find people who will support you, listen to you, and lift you up when you feel you’re failing. Even ask them to join you on your quest. A support system that works together is far more likely to succeed than you being the lone wolf. (And no, misery does not love company, but cheerleading sure is more uplifting with a group.)
  5. Forgive yourself. If you’re having problems meeting that goal, or feel you’ve completely failed, don’t beat yourself up about it. Don’t look at any “backsliding” as a failure, but as a lesson to learn from. What an excellent opportunity to learn more about yourself and your support group. Failure is only an opportunity to learn and grow, not true failure.
No matter what you focus on in the new year, know that any care for your wellbeing both physically and mentally is a good thing. If we don’t take care of ourselves, then who will? Take charge of your life, your health, and your happiness.
If we don’t take care of ourselves, then who will? Take charge of your life, your health, and your happiness.– Lisa Mildon
  ReferencesHow Does Nature Impact Our Wellbeing? (n.d.). Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing. Retrieved January 14, 2020, from https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/how-does-nature-impact-our-wellbeingLuciani, J. (2015, December 29). Why 80 Percent of New Year’s Resolutions Fail. US News & World Report. https://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/articles/2015-12-29/why-80-percent-of-new-years-resolutions-failHarvard Health. (2015, December). Rev up your thinking skills by trying something new. Harvard Health. https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthy-aging/rev-up-your-thinking-skills-by-trying-something-newResearch Suggests a Positive Correlation between Social Interaction and Health. (n.d.). National Institute on Aging. Retrieved January 14, 2020, from https://www.nia.nih.gov/about/living-long-well-21st-century-strategic-directions-research-aging/research-suggests-positive

The Origin Story

Financial Health, Intellectual Health, Mental Health, Occupational Health, Physical Health, Sexual Health, Social Health, Spiritual Health

Everyone loves a good origin story, right? From superheroes, world leaders, actors, and to all the influencers of old, we can always trace their history back. So, here’s a Positively Balanced Origin Story:  Why we are here today, and how we are bridging the gap in women’s health.

Positively Balanced was founded right when I graduated from undergraduate school. I knew I wanted to create something that meant we aren’t going to be positive all the time, but we can be hopeful for better days.   I also wanted a statement that highlighted the aspect of balance in our lives that isn’t always perfectly balanced.

So Positively Balanced was born. For 3 years it was a way for me to share my position of health, fitness, education, class schedule and events. However, I knew Positively Balanced would be something bigger, I just didn’t know quite what it was yet.

A few events started to cause a shift in the direction of Positively Balanced. A friend came to me in search of information on infertility, another with questions about menopause, and then another about postpartum exercise and lifestyle. Each time, I had the same answer: “I’m not sure, but let me do some research on who might know and also how I can help. So my love for women’s health began. I enrolled in and attended courses and seminars. I read books and did the research.

As I did my deep dive into the works of women’s health, I began to notice a significant lack of knowledge, education, and resources for women.

There were some resources and some research; however there are still huge gaps in so many areas and aspects.

Then, I found out I was going to be having a baby and it took my love to new heights. I began to experience first hand the lack of support, lack of resources and knowledge and the consequences of such.   It was like adding fuel to a fire.

This past year, I became so passionate, I shut my business down for 6 months just to focus on what it was I could actually do to make a difference. I graduated with my master’s degree and began working as a women’s health athletic trainer specializing in pre and postpartum health, as well as rehab performance exercise. I saw all types of patients, but my focus and study took me into the women’s health realm.

I realized that women’s  health was the evolution that Positively Balanced was meant for, the work had to be done. I remember telling my good friend about these crazy ideas I had during one of our walks. After I babbled for a good while, she looked at me and said “Well then, why don’t you do it?!”

The Be HEaRd Women’s Health Platform was formed. I only remember posting about searching for contributors twice on social media.   Within a week, I had so much interest I knew we were destined for greatness.

Starting in January 2020, you will have over 20 founding contributors (we call ourselves HEaRd), writing to you along with a few special guests popping in here and there. We will provide you with honest, current, and relevant articles that cover a variety of dimensions of health.

Our goal is to “Bridge the Gap” in Women’s Health. The gap between generations, research and application,  The gap between the phases of life, and so much more.

Women’s health platform is starting the conversations, empowering women with knowledge and supporting you with a wonderful community!

(The dimensions of health is something we will discuss in the Founder’s Note each month, and if you are interested in learning more sign up to be placed on a preorder list of my short ebook coming out soon.)

PS: Stay tuned for more information on and WHY we are HEaRd!

Thanks for joining us on this adventure,

Cassandra McCoy MS, ATC, LAT
Founder of Positively Balanced LLC

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