FINANCIAL FITNESS: Seven Nuggets of Wisdom

It was 2005 when I had the realization that I should take charge of my finances.
I was already working for quite some time, but didn't have any savings.

A friend of mine shared his favorite book, "The Richest Man in Babylon" and at the same time, my brother was trying to influence me into taking a look into my financial status.

Since then, I was able to get a grip on things, slowly paying off my personal credit card debts and invested in some Retail Treasury Bonds (RTB), Time Deposits (TD) and the some Blue Chips in the Stock Market.

Back then, I was challenged as a single mom, trying to get back on track.
Years after the realization, I was able to make the change and had my own share of learnings along the way. These are things one would read in books, but for sure, these had helped me out a lot.

Sharing the Seven Nuggets of Wisdom that had helped me out during those times.

1. It's all in the mind. 

Wealth is a mind game.

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Unless your parents are already millionaires and tycoons, almost everyone starts from scratch, zero, nada.  A more specific case is that if one is deeply in debt, relying on credit cards to live and funds coming in is not enough, having allocation for savings is the least of your priorities.
If you could relate to this scenario, don't despair ~ I was in that exact situation 10 years ago.
Know that, as long as you have working income, you can convert that into passive income, IF YOU DECIDE. Be with positive, like-minded individuals. Develop a goal, device a plan and track your progress. What the mind can conceive, it can definitely achieve.

2. Develop the habit of saving. 

 Give yourself  10% no matter how small or big. It's the habit, not the cost.

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 Be it Php 100 a month, Php 1,000 or even Php 10,000, it doesn't really matter as long as you start on in. Remember, Rome was not built in a day.

3. Learn to find beauty in simplicity.
Simplify your life. Turn of the television, do picnics with the kids, run in the park and have mini picnics. Your kids will thank you more for it. Time spent with family is what makes childhood memories more special and memorable.
Do bike commutes,get on you bike and reduce your carbon footprint. Enjoy every moment of movement and the zen feeling of just breezing through traffic with just you and your bike.

4. Manage your wealth. 
Being stewards of wealth, we are gauged by how we manage what we have.
If we know how to manage the small stuff, we can then be trusted with the bigger stuff.

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Know how to minimize your extra expenses and determine the thin line between wants and needs. If you must, buy more assets that liabilities. Being a good money manager is the sure fire way to financial freedom

5. Make your money grow. 
It is not how much you earn but what you do with the money coming in.
Learn about your options with different investment vehicles: business, stocks, real estate, time deposits, etc. Expand your knowledge base and take calculated risks.

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Be open to opportunities for your money to grow - broaden your network and meet new people.
Who knows, your next business deal would probably come from that person you met in the gym!

6. Know there is joy in giving.
You might not feel that there is anything to give, but, looking at nugget #1, If you keep on telling yourself you have nothing, then your physical reality would prove your right.
As stewards, it is our duty also to share what we have.

Let us all learn from the majestic tress. They give that they may live.
When you prune a branch or pick a fruit, nature makes sure that it grows back after a time. The law of nature shows that the more you give, the more you grow.

7. Have fun in our way to financial freedom.

These simple things surprisingly makes a big difference to help you reach your financial fitness goals. Try it out and share what your nuggets of wisdom are!

Fitness and Blogging : It's All About Consistency

It was a gloomy Thursday morning, reminiscent previous morning mountain climbs, I woke up earlier than usual.  I was really excited on that 11^th of August as I prepared for the Blogging 101 Event that Tag Media was conducting that day.

Various thoughts come to mind during my preparation. Questions like : How do I improve on my blog? How can I maximize the digital platform in sharing my advocacy of a Fitness Lifestyle through Blogging?  The more I think of all of these, the more I got excited.

I have started this blog around 2009 after realizing that work, life, balance could be achieved if we focus on Fitness as a base. This advocacy is what drives me to write posts despite not knowing if I do have a readership base or none at all. 

I realized that my blogging journey is like climbing a mountain. There are terrains that you need to navigate, sometimes, you stop and get frustrated not knowing how to start again, but, you move on.

The Blogging 101 Advocacy caught my attention knowing that the workshop would broaden my understanding on what I have been doing for the past seven years.

My Trusty Planners and Netbook

How to Make the Most Use of Your Planner (Three Simple Ways to Productivity)

I love fitness.
I also love writing, reading and yes, collecting planners. 
Some might say, in this digital world, writing in paper is near extinction - I say, it's a lost art that is a gold mine once discovered.

In my case, having these notebooks and binders give me this compelling need to use them  for whatever function they may bring, then again, we all know that it is not possible.

Take your pick

I eventually came to terms with the thought that these are just tools for me to do what needs to be done, while enjoying what I love doing -- which is writing, and providing a venue for creativity. As tools, we  need to know what works and what does not.

Everyone wants to be productive. 
There is a sense of accomplishment when one ticks off a "To Do List" or when things happen as planned. With this thought in mind, a question popped up :   What do we "plan" for? What goes in our "planners" or notebooks?

In this post, I am sharing three things that I have realized would help in "planning" your day.

First of all, know your non-negotiables.

15 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Fitness - Part 2

As promised, here are the remaining items on the list..

     6.    Magazines

Reading fitness magazines and looking at possible workout moves motivate me. 
Yes I am aware that most are perfected by photoshop and some are probably genetic freaks, but being a visual person, fitness models and their workouts motivate me to work harder. 

Fitness mags for PinayFitness geeks.

Besides, cut outs are a good addition to one's Vision Board (hmm.. might do an article on that one time)

     7.    Blogs

I know that reading blogs inspire me. This is the same reason why I decided to bring back the habit of writing in my blog. It gives me accountability to my readers and who knows, I might be inspiring other people with my PinayFitness Journey too.
Until I have figured out the "subscribe" button, please feel free to visit my blog anytime. lol.

     8.    Success Stories

If a fitness website has success stories, for sure I will go back and read inspirational stories. Showing the ups and downs they go through is such a learning experience.

     9.    Instagram

Those catchy memes in Instagram really helps me in getting back on track. I usually download them and make them my wallpaper or share in the PinayFitness Facebook Page.

     10.  Forums and Facebook Groups

Talking about one’s fitness concerns and sharing ideas in a group full of like minded people would definitely help your fitness goals. Check in daily. 

Interact and post : PinayFitness Facebook Page

Post and interact. It really helps. Be part of the PinayFitness Facebook Group and share your thoughts on fitness too!

     11. Rewards

If you exercise for a few days, give yourself a reward! Progressed to a week? Add another reward. Do it often during the start of you “Balik Alindog” Program.

Stickers and pretty stuffs are my rewards. How about you?

In my case, my “rewards” are stickers. I am a member of a planner community & it gives me pleasure to put stickers in my monthly planner, knowing that I got it done. Weird, but that’s how I roll.

     12. Stress Reliever

Work. Home stuff. Life in general. Yup. All stress producer. Exercise = stress relief.

I also use exercise to regenerate and refresh myself as a form of rest.

13. An exercise log / graph

Writing it down makes a whole world of difference. Monitoring your progress in you planner, writing what you ate, how many glasses of water you took in (hydration is very important!), you body weight and tape measurement – then graph it at the end of the week for four weeks. You’d be pleasantly surprised once the month ends.

Graphing my one month progress was a great motivation for me!

14.  An exercise class

Golds’ Gym Bootcamp, Cardio Martial Arts, Yoga. These are my favourite combination. I have fun working out with my kiddos, laughing at each others moves during the class, and eventually putting in that workout for the day. Invite your friends to join you for a class and for sure, you’ll be motivated to go there and workout.

     15. A day at the beach or a Class Reunion.

Yep. You know how that feels.

Last December trip. Good thing I was beach ready!

So how about you? How do you motivate yourself?

15 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Fitness - Part 1

MOTIVATION

 a ten letter word that is so hard to keep up. If this specific word has a gender, it probably is a lady that is super high maintenance.

We all can relate to writing resolutions at the start of the year and planing to work out – actively tackling it on the next few days, only to stop after a week or so, then trash it all and go back to the same old rut. It is the second month of the New Year, so how are we with our goals and plans?

But, how does a regular pinay with lots of things in her plate, find motivation to exercise when you feel that just thinking about it makes you tired already? I ask myself this million peso question every now and then, and I know that I’m not the only one.

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Yes I have days when I struggle with putting in a workout in my schedule. I know that I should start making it a habit until it is part of my PinayFitness Routine, but the "M" word  is needed until the habit sticks and that, is where the challenge begins.

Recently however, I felt so happy because after lots of failed tries,  I was able to actually work on my goal – I was able to find motivation that was needed to make the habit stick. 

In this post, I am sharing what I did differently and what had helped get back on track.

The happiest loss of all. Loss of excess body fat.

Feel free to see if you can make some of these ideas “your own” so you can start working on your fitness goals..