There\u2019s plenty of medical evidence proving the physical and mental benefits of regular exercise, and if you get into the habit of exercising three or more times a week, your run, ride or gym session will be easier than if you only do it occasionally.<\/p>\n
The same is true of your financial fitness.<\/p>
Getting into good habits such as consistently paying your bills and trying to save or invest some money each month will improve your financial well-being.<\/p>\n
It\u2019ll also be much less daunting than if you let the bills stack up before you do anything.<\/p>\n
ALSO READ:\u00a0Encourage your children to start saving early<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\nMarlies Kappers, chief marketing officer at DirectAxis Financial Services, spoke to some of her colleagues about financial fitness and here are some of the lessons they\u2019ve learnt about getting started:<\/p>\n
\n- Get going<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
It\u2019s too hot – It\u2019s too cold.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll go later or tomorrow.<\/p>\n
Procrastinating is always easier than putting on your takkies and doing something physical.<\/p>\n
Once you\u2019ve got over the mental hurdle and have done some exercise, you feel better about yourself and the next time it\u2019s a bit easier.<\/p>\n
How do you start to feel better about your financial wellness?<\/p>\n
Put some time in your diary to look at your finances.<\/p>\n
Use your bank statement to help draw up a budget.<\/p>\n
Draw a line down the middle of a piece of paper, list all your income for a month on one side and all your expenses on the other.<\/p>\n
You can then see where you might be able to cut some spending or how much you may be able to save or invest each month.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s amazing how this simple exercise, which probably won\u2019t take more than an hour, can be so empowering and insightful,\u201d said Marlies.<\/p>\n
\n- Get an assessment<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Unlike a true fitness assessment, assessing your financial fitness is probably easier than you think.<\/p>\n
Your credit rating is essentially a financial fitness report.<\/p>\n
It tells you how you compare to everybody else when it comes to managing your finances.<\/p>\n
By law you are entitled to one free credit report annually, but it\u2019s much better to check your credit rating more regularly.<\/p>\n
\n- Set realistic goals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
If you\u2019ve never cycled more than 50km it\u2019s unrealistic to think you\u2019ll place in the next Cycle Tour.<\/p>\n
By setting realistic goals for your fitness level, age and ability you\u2019re more likely to stick to your exercise programme and stay motivated as you achieve each of your milestones.<\/p>\n
Do the same financially.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re struggling to make ends meet each month, start off by seeing if you can save a few hundred rand by cutting out some non-essential expenses.<\/p>\n
You may then decide to reduce or pay off some short-term debt, before aiming to start saving or investing some money each month.<\/p>\n
\n- Get help if you need it<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
There are plenty of training programmes, lots of nutritional advice and information on different exercises available online.<\/p>\n
If your goal is to finish a half marathon, complete the Cape Town Cycle tour or just improve the time for your Saturday morning trail run you can pick and choose what works best for you.<\/p>\n
The same is true of all the financial advice.<\/p>\n
ALSO READ:<\/strong>\u00a0Understanding the importance of setting up a trust<\/a><\/h4>\n\u201cEveryone I spoke to agreed that getting financially fit isn\u2019t always easy, but taking that first step, no matter how hard, is always better than not doing anything,\u201d said Marlies.<\/p>\n
Hav<\/strong>e a story?<\/strong><\/p>\nContact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor)\u00a0<\/span>germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>or Leigh Hodgson (News Editor)\u00a0<\/span>leighh@caxton.co.za.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nAlso follow us on:<\/p>\n
It\u2019s too hot – It\u2019s too cold.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll go later or tomorrow.<\/p>\n
Procrastinating is always easier than putting on your takkies and doing something physical.<\/p>\n
Once you\u2019ve got over the mental hurdle and have done some exercise, you feel better about yourself and the next time it\u2019s a bit easier.<\/p>\n
How do you start to feel better about your financial wellness?<\/p>\n
Put some time in your diary to look at your finances.<\/p>\n
Use your bank statement to help draw up a budget.<\/p>\n
Draw a line down the middle of a piece of paper, list all your income for a month on one side and all your expenses on the other.<\/p>\n
You can then see where you might be able to cut some spending or how much you may be able to save or invest each month.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s amazing how this simple exercise, which probably won\u2019t take more than an hour, can be so empowering and insightful,\u201d said Marlies.<\/p>\n
- \n
- Get an assessment<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Unlike a true fitness assessment, assessing your financial fitness is probably easier than you think.<\/p>\n
Your credit rating is essentially a financial fitness report.<\/p>\n
It tells you how you compare to everybody else when it comes to managing your finances.<\/p>\n
By law you are entitled to one free credit report annually, but it\u2019s much better to check your credit rating more regularly.<\/p>\n
- \n
- Set realistic goals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
If you\u2019ve never cycled more than 50km it\u2019s unrealistic to think you\u2019ll place in the next Cycle Tour.<\/p>\n
By setting realistic goals for your fitness level, age and ability you\u2019re more likely to stick to your exercise programme and stay motivated as you achieve each of your milestones.<\/p>\n
Do the same financially.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re struggling to make ends meet each month, start off by seeing if you can save a few hundred rand by cutting out some non-essential expenses.<\/p>\n
You may then decide to reduce or pay off some short-term debt, before aiming to start saving or investing some money each month.<\/p>\n
- \n
- Get help if you need it<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
There are plenty of training programmes, lots of nutritional advice and information on different exercises available online.<\/p>\n
If your goal is to finish a half marathon, complete the Cape Town Cycle tour or just improve the time for your Saturday morning trail run you can pick and choose what works best for you.<\/p>\n
The same is true of all the financial advice.<\/p>\n
ALSO READ:<\/strong>\u00a0Understanding the importance of setting up a trust<\/a><\/h4>\n
\u201cEveryone I spoke to agreed that getting financially fit isn\u2019t always easy, but taking that first step, no matter how hard, is always better than not doing anything,\u201d said Marlies.<\/p>\n
Hav<\/strong>e a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n
Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor)\u00a0<\/span>germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>or Leigh Hodgson (News Editor)\u00a0<\/span>leighh@caxton.co.za.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
Also follow us on:<\/p>\n
- Get help if you need it<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Set realistic goals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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