June 22, 2025 • 23 mins
Let me know what you think of this episode about how to afford to stay fit and strong whilst on a budget PLUS if you like the sound of this 75 Challenge and want to know more. I am actually thinking of making it a fun new challenge! Please know that you can always reach out to me @SugarMammaTV so that we can keep this conversation going.
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Best Seller: The $1000 Project Book: https://amzn.to/3RV0Bnq
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In the meantime...
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If you need help with your budget or are sick of living paycheque to paycheque, you can enrol into The SugarMamma Budget & Cashflow Academy course, which includes a one on one appointment with me so that I can help you. Enrol here: https://courses.sugarmamma.tv/Signup
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ADDITIONAL GENERAL ADVICE WARNING:
Whilst we discuss various financial topics, this podcast is not advice in anyway, but purely for educational purposes only. Nothing in this podcast is personal advice, investment advice or product advice. With any major financial decision, you must always do your own research, consider all the pros and cons, fees, caps, limits, costs, taxes etc. Always proactively educate yourself before making any major financial decision, consider your own financial goals, deadlines and risk profile. So please bear all of this in mind when listening to this podcast and please always speak to a Financial Planner when wondering what you should do to achieve your own financial goals and dreams.
GENERAL ADVICE WARNING & FINANCIAL PLANNING LICENSE DETAILS:
The information in this podcast is general in nature and does not take into account your personal circumstances, financial needs or objectives. Before acting on any information, you should consider the appropriateness of it and the relevant product having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs. In particular, you should seek independent financial advice and read the relevant Product Disclosure Statement or other offer document prior to acquiring any financial product.
Canna Campbell is an Authorised Representative and Financial Adviser of Links Licensee Services Pty Ltd AFSL No. 700012 ABN 97 678 975 589.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Sugar Mamma's Fireplay, the podcast where we ignite
your financial independence, retire early goals and dreams, and empower
you to live a richer, more intentional life on your
own terms. I am your host, financial planner, Cannah Campbell,
and I'm someone who firmly believes you do not need
to spend a fortune to feel strong, confident, and in control,
(00:24):
both financially and physically. And this is what I want
to break down with you right now together today. So
today I want to talk to you about the cost
of a gym membership and see if it's maybe burning
(00:46):
a hole in your budget, and if it is, what
are the alternatives out there to help fix that. Now
you've probably seen in the headlines there is a viral
story going around about a supposedly broke Street the influencer
who proudly spends sixty dollars per week on her gym membership.
Now that's over three thousand dollars a year. Now. The
(01:09):
Internet was somewhat divided when they saw this video. Some
people applauded her investment in her health and well being,
and others judged, saying that it was a financial disaster
and that she was a product of her own destruction,
and she leaned to learn how to make some sacrifices
in her life, as everyone needs to do when things
do get tight. Now, on this podcast, we are not
(01:32):
here to judge or to form an opinion, because we
are here to respect. Everyone is different, and everyone is
in different situations, has very different values, different goals, and
different dreams. So we take a moment to step back,
ignore the opinions and the judgment and the noise, but
respect each other's values and where they are on their
(01:53):
individual financial journey. However, what I do want to discuss
today is some practical, helpful and financially friendly ideas and
solutions obviously to help you get fit stay fit without
going broke, so that you never need to jeopardize your
own financial fitness. And of course you always get the
(02:14):
best return on your investment, whether it be five dollars
per month or five hundred dollars per month when it
comes to your physical health and wellbeing. And at the
end of the day, as they say, health is wealth.
So first of all, let's just uncover or explore how
much do people really spend on a gym membership. So,
according to the research that I did. On average, Australians
(02:36):
are spending between twenty dollars per week and forty dollars
per week or one thousand dollars a year to two
thousand dollars a year just on gym memberships. And if
I look at my own gym membership, it's actually just
under that two thousand dollar mark. Now when it comes
to those boutique, bougie gyms and studios, that number really
does start to climb up to sixty dollars per week.
(02:56):
But I actually do know of gyms that have gym
but you'll I've got a whole range of other activities
like ice baths and infrared saunas that can go up
to one hundred and fifty dollars per week. So yes,
it is a significant investment whichever way you look at it.
But regardless of what you're really paying, at the end
of the day, the crucial thing here is am I
getting good value for money? Am I actually using this membership?
(03:20):
Am I making the most of what they're offering? And
is this membership actually adding value to my life? Now,
if you were to ask me, Canna, do you think
your memberships are really worth it? My answer would be yes,
but only yes if you are consistently going and genuinely
benefiting from your membership physically, mentally, and emotionally. Think of
(03:44):
it like any other investment. You want to see a return,
but a decent return on your money. But this is
actually the way that I like to view any exercise expense,
which for me, is where it gets even more powerful.
So bear with me for a second. I want you
to think about it. When we are feeling fit and strong.
(04:04):
We've gone to the gym, we've gone for a job,
we've worked up a sweat, we've been on the bike,
we've pushed those weights, we've done those berbies or planks
or star jups, whatever it may be. When we are
feeling physically fit and strong and resilient, and we're standing
up strong and tall, we are actually less likely to
fall sick, which then in turn means fewer visits to
(04:27):
the doctor, having to spend less money on trips to
the chemist, buying medication, getting various tests done like blood tests,
and of course seeing specialists, which we all know can
be very expensive. But it also means we have less
days off away from work. And anyone who can tell
you who's taken time off away from work because they've
(04:47):
been sick. There is the additional stress of thinking, oh,
my gosh, I've been away from my desk, away from
my emails for the last two days because I've had
the flu, the stress and anxiety of going back to
work and thinking I've got a mountain of emails and
deadlines to catch up on. This doesn't happens often when
we're feeling fit and strong and prioritizing our physical, mental,
and emotional wellbeing. So the way I look at it
(05:07):
is staying fit and strong and resilient can actually save
you money in the long run, not just today. Having
said that, though, there are of course loads of smarter ways,
more cost effective ways to help you take care of
your health without actually draining your bank account or damaging
your budget. And this is what I really want to
explore with you today. Forget the creative juices flowing as
(05:30):
to what alternative options are there out there that if
you are looking at a tight budget, and you're looking
at making changes such as maybe cutting out your membership
or cutting down your membership or your overall budget, let's
look at some different ideas that might help you take
off the financial stress and pressure, but also make sure
that you are able to stay physically fit, strong and healthy.
So the first point of call is how do actually
(05:53):
save money on those memberships? Now, this is where I
would probably start, And of course this is for me
who do love going to the gym and they're not
ready to cut their gym memberships from their budget. And
for the record, I would never necessarily recommend someone does
that because I believe investing in your health is definitely
worth it. But here are small ideas. One great idea
is to start with a trial. So many gym, so
(06:15):
many yoga studios, so many polarate studios, like so many
fitness outlets offer free seven, fourteen or even thirty day
free trials. Another great idea and a lot of my
friends do this is called class pass. So it's like
an aggregator app. It is one app that allows you
to actually access multiple gyms and studios at a fraction
(06:38):
of the cost. My friends are addicted to class Pass.
They always go to these. They have a wide range
of different exercise routines and they get to mix things up.
Whenever they get bored doing yoga, they can jump into
like a f forty five kind of style class and
then they're back into a polarates lesson, then they're doing
something completely different. It keeps things fresh. And apparently with
class Pass you can get great referral discounts. So if
(07:01):
you send the referral to your friends to tell them
about class Pass and they join up or they go
to some classes, you can also get some free classes
or some discounts on your classes. So definitely worth looking
into class Pass or other aggregator apps just like that one.
Then of course you can speak to your gym about
seeing whether they offer any off peak memberships. Now what
they do is they look at particular times during the
(07:23):
day where the gyms are really quiet, they don't have
many people, and often gyms will actually create a discount
for those quiet periods, which maybe just before lunchtime rush,
or maybe in the late afternoon when people are back
at their desks, or even late at night where most
people are you know, at home relaxing watching TV. For
people who are shift workers, this can be really cost effective.
(07:44):
Or for people who are perhaps maybe studying and you
know they're studying at night time perhaps and they want
to go during the quiet periods during the day, or
even parents who are perhaps working part time and on
their days where they're not with their kids and they're
not at work, perhaps they want to go, you know,
say ten o'clock after the early morning madness rush that
goes through the gym. So ask good gym if they
(08:04):
offer off peak memberships. It may be significantly cheaper and
actually better for your budget. Another great idea is to
actually speak to your gym about your rate. If you've
been really loyal and you are seriously considering canceling, ask
them what they can do about it. Sometimes they can
give you a free month membership. Sometimes they can put
you on a discounted rate. You never know. I do
(08:25):
this every single year with my gas and energy bill,
and every single year they drop my fee, my monthly fee,
and I'm always amazed as to how much it comes
down by and I do the same actually with Foxtel
as well. So don't be afraid to ask. And again,
if you're really serious about canceling, you'll be surprised what
they'll be able to create and do for you to
keep you as a paying, loyal customer. Then of course
(08:47):
it's about asking other questions like do they offer corporate membership?
You know, if you work for a big one organization,
they may have a partnership program in place where you
get to access those gyms at a significant discount. A
really good friend of mine just started working with a
big corporate and she gets to access the gym for
eight dollars per week and it gets taken out of
her pay, and she did the gym is absolutely amazing
(09:09):
state of art, and it actually evencludes working with a
personal trainer. If you're a student, let them know that
you're a student. Quite often significant discounts apply to students,
which is great. And of course, speak to your health
fund see whether they offer any rebates or perhaps they
have any partnership discounts with that particular gym. A lot
of people don't realize that they exist until they ask.
(09:30):
You must get on the phone, you must go in
and see them and see what they can do for you.
And of course, if you are struggling right now and
you're looking at what you can cut from your budget,
consider not canceling your membership, but perhaps pausing it. And
this may create the perfect opportunity for you to go
and try all these other ideas like doing a trial
for a month or doing testing out class bars or
(09:52):
making some phone causes to what you can do elsewhere
that it's better value for money, and now she suits
your lifestyle, so don't be afraid to ask, and of
course put it on hold when in doubt. You can
always come back to it. And perhaps you never know.
By putting your membership on hold, you may actually discover
more fun, different exciting exercise routines and outlets that you
never knew existed before because you never got to that
(10:14):
point where you questioned and asked and explored. Next time,
want I talk to you about your alternative to traditional gems. Now,
of course, you do not need a gym to get fit.
There are so many low cost options or even free
options out there, so starting with like online fitness programs
like twenty eight by Sam would. Now this isn't free,
(10:34):
It costs a flat fee per month. However, what it
includes in that fee is not just a wide range
of different workouts from dance classes to ballet to pilates
to yoga to hit training and cardio. It also includes
nutritional advice and recipes. And I've had a look into
the Sam Word program because I actually have it myself,
(10:55):
and there's also some great meditation sessions, and there's also
some great video clips to help improve your mindset when
it comes to thinking about your own physical, mental, and
emotional fitness, which I love, but of course that's one
of many. There is things like Sweat. Of course, you've
got all those amazing fitness apps. Some of these costs
less than ten dollars per month. Someone recently told me
about couch to five K, and I have admit I've
(11:17):
downloaded this, but I haven't actually personally tried it yet.
But couch to five K is basically an app that
teaches you and trains you to start running, and you
slowly build up your running ability each day, and it
aims to get you to start about running maybe three
times per week, and you can set it up with
you all the details about your sex, your height, your weight,
(11:39):
your goals, your lifestyle, and it talks you and trains you,
and it sends you're a reminder to get off the
couch and start moving, start running, And it starts with
steps and walking, walking faster, and then doing some jogging
light jogging, getting faster and faster, but ultimately getting to
use the stage where you can actually run five k. Now,
of course there are lots of free apps Apple Jymvers,
(12:02):
and of course they have various levels you can pay
for upfront or on a monthly basis. Another great free
idea is basically YouTube YouTube workouts. They are high quality.
There are thousands upon thousands to choose from. And what
I really like about the YouTube workouts is they have
some that go for five minutes and some that go
for fifty minutes, and they have so many different styles
(12:23):
and types for everyone's different fitness and strength levels. So
it's free, and again you're doing it from the privacy
and comfort of your own home. Another great idea, and
I do this myself and I love it, that is
I use my local gym outdoor gym areas. Now, of
course it's free, and I jumped online because I'm quite
(12:44):
fortunate and there's actually three outdoor gyms within about two
hundred meters from my house, and I thought I was
just lucky, but I jumped online and I found a
brilliant website called Free Outdoor Fitness dot Net and it's
said that within twenty five kilometers of the city there
are over two hundred and thirty nine outdoor gyms. So
(13:05):
of course these outdoor gyms are free, and even if
you reach out to your local council, a lot of
the councils actually offer really affordable fitness classes from yoga, taichi,
even bowling. These options are out there. You've just got
to pick up the phone or jump online and have
a look for them. There are really no excuses not
to be fit and strong and healthy these days. There's
(13:27):
nothing holding you back. And then finally, which I think
is something I'm really excited to share with you, and
that is looking for free thirty day challenge groups. Now
these are all over social media Instagram, Facebook, TikTok. But
these thirty day challenges or various different versions of them
ten day, five days, seven day, seventy five days, which
I'll tell you about in a second, there are all
(13:48):
for free. You join up, you sign up, or you
just follow along, oh if you like just watching on
the sidelines. But they're all focused around building consistent fitness habits.
Now I've actually been doing one, the seventy five challenge.
I think I'm up to day fifty one maybe, And
there are different levels hard, medium, soft. Now I'm doing
the soft version and I've kind of created my own version,
(14:10):
so it essentially for me doing this let's call it
soft seventy five. Every day, with the exception of one
day where I get a day of rest, I have
to do a minimum of thirty five minutes of consistent exercise.
I also have to do at least ten minutes worth
of nonfiction reading, and I have to journal every single day.
And I'm also working through my Jamie Ryder mindset program.
(14:33):
So I have been doing this. It cost me absolutely
nothing to do this, and I am loving it. I
have to say most of these habits I will be
taking on indefinitely was a hit Day seventy five, but
for most people who do the seventy five challenge, it
is free and there are different variations, and of course
is not necessarily entirely about losing weight or being fit
(14:54):
and strong. It incorporates your spiritual, emotional, and mental wellbeing
as well. And I have to say the one activity
or habit that I thought would be the least inspiring
one to do, which is journaling, has actually been the
one that's actually helped me the most with my mental
fitness because I just feel like I'm getting all the
noise and the clutter and the craziness in my head
(15:17):
down on paper, pen to paper, and it just starts
to quarantine my feelings and helps, I guess, put things
back into perspective. My point is is doing this seventy
five challenges actually costs me nothing whatsoever. And of course,
on that note of free or alternative expenses to gym memberships,
don't forget Facebook, Marketplace and of course gum Tree, which
(15:37):
are filled with secondhand fitness gear. Think weights, treadmills, exercise bikes,
resistant bands. These are often a fraction of the price.
Even Kmart has an amazing range of exercise equipment, and
I actually recently spent I think about one hundred and
fifty dollars on Amazon and I got an exercise circle
(15:58):
like it's like I think it's called a ring of fire,
which is a pilate's thing. I got three different bands,
I got some hand weights, and I got this contraption
that moves across the floor to help me do stomach
exercises and inner and out of thigh exercises as well.
Now I have been using these five or six pieces
of equipment a couple of times a week, and you
(16:19):
know what I love is as a busy working mom
of three kids, and three dogs. I'm time poor, but
this morning I just pulled my equipment out on the
lounge and lay down on the ground on the rug
and just exercise for thirty five minutes. And I'm actually,
you're already feeling a little bit sore. So again, yes,
it cost me up front of about one hundred and
fifty dollars, but there are now no excuses. I can't say, well,
(16:42):
it's too cold, or it's too dark, or I've got
no one to look after my kids. My kids were
safely in the house, probably laughing at me while I
was doing this exercise. But I had a lot of
fun and it felt so good to tick off my
exercise early in the day before the day really had begun.
So there are again no excuses here whatsoever. Now my
final tips for being and staying financially and physically fit
(17:05):
with my financial planning cap back on apologies, I did
deviate a little bit with what was going on in
my life, So to bring it back to the finances,
you should really think about your fitness like a financial goal.
Put that expense into your budget, have a fitness goal.
Run further, to move more weights, to sweat more, to
(17:27):
sleep better, which means you should track your fitness goal.
Make a note of how much further you're able to run,
or how much longer you can go on the treadmill
or on the exercise bike, or how many kgs are
you pushing this week compared to last month. Make sure
you're tracking it, reviewing it and monitoring it, and of
course reward yourself. You know, feel proud about sleeping better,
(17:47):
Feel proud about feeling stronger, Feel empowered that you can
stand up tall and strong, and that you seem to
be handling emotional challenges with the greater sense of resilience
because you're feeling fit and strong yourself physically meant to
spiritually in emotion. And of course, like every single financial goal,
no matter how big or small it is, the key
is consistency. Be consistent. If you've said you want to
(18:09):
go to the gym four times a week, make sure
you prioritize, put it in your diary, and try and
create that habit where automatically, without even thinking, because it's
a Monday, you go to the gym on Monday. Because
it's a Wednesday, you go to the gym on a Wednesday.
And of course you've got to also be patient with
that consistency and the hard work will most definitely pay
off when you combine those two things, I personally promise
(18:32):
now with my financial planning cap still on. My other
tip is to avoid silly trends, like when you see
people talking about this get rich quick scheme or some
sort of slick investment like you do not need to
follow the trends. You're smarter than that. Stick with what
actually works for you and your lifestyle. Just like you
would invest according to your risk profile and your investment
(18:53):
time frame and your deadline for those goals. The same
when it comes to looking at your fitness and where
you want to spend money on your fitness, look at
actually what works for your lifestyle. Now. For me, I
would absolutely love to go and do a polarates class
every single day, but I know that it's not appropriate
for my lifestyle. Number one, it doesn't fit within my budget.
(19:13):
Number two, I actually don't physically have the time to
get to a Polartes studio every single day. Number Three,
my knees would be so sore and aching if I
was to do a polarities class every single day, that
is going to be a waste of money. If I
was to sign up to something like that. However, I
do know that my body likes a mix of things,
a mix of different activities hardio, weight training, hit training,
(19:36):
and of course doing stretches on the ground. So we
know what is actually realistic for you and your lifestyle
and of course your budget. Then, of course, never underestimate
the power of walking. Walking is a great fat burning tool,
and even simple things like you park a little bit
further away from where you need to go to make
sure you get those steps up. If you have an
Apple phone, I'm sure it's the same with androids as well.
(19:58):
You can see how many steps you do per day.
Obviously we're going to try and aim for around about
ten thousand. Now. Some of my friends and I are
obsessed with our steps, and we have this running joke
where we check each other's steps and we have a
bit of an unspoken competition to see who's done the
most amount of steps this week, or this fortnight or
even this month. And I have to say it's really addictive.
(20:20):
It gives me immense satisfaction at the end of the
day when I jump into my health app within my
iPhone and see how many steps it actually allows me
to compare what I was doing at this point last year,
and I'm proud to say it's also a little bit
embarrassed to share this as well. But this time last year,
I was only averaging about six and a half thousand
steps per day. Thank goodness, because I'm now aware of it.
I'm tracking it, I'm reviewing it, i'm monitoring it. I'm
(20:42):
actually averaging over eight thousand steps a day, so I'm
slowly getting my way up to that ideal figure of
around about ten thousand. But it feels really good to
actually see that it's working, it's paying off, and I
wouldn't have had any idea if I hadn't actually checked
my app So at the end of the day, you've
got to remember consistency over cost. A thirty minute walk
can do more for your body than say a sixty
(21:04):
dollars per week gym membership that you never even go to.
And of course, most importantly, remember that when you prioritize
your health, you're actually protecting your future finances for your
medical bills or energy. Better quality life, deeper sleep, deeper
restorative sleep. You tend to eat a lot healthier when
you're feeling fit and strong, you don't want undo all
(21:25):
that hard work. And also for me, I know personally,
I drink less. I don't feel like that champagne on
a Friday afternoon or on a Saturday afternoon. Because I've
prioritized my well being. It just doesn't taste nice and
doesn't give me the high that doing exercise does. Nonetheless,
what I'm trying to share with you is when you
prioritize your health, you invest in your health, you invest
(21:46):
in your fitness and your longevity. You've got far more
energy to work on your financial goals, to have that
required level of focus, dedication, and commitment, and you have
that mental strength to persevere and to be patient and
to enjoy living in the moment and of course seeing
that valuable progress flourish, which is then giving you the
(22:09):
biggest and best opportunity to flourish, to thrive, to fly
financially when it comes to your goals and dreams. Wow,
after getting all of this passion and excitement about finance
and fitness, I almost feel like I needed to go
and take a nap, which is also a great investment
for your body and of course costs absolutely nothing. All Right,
(22:31):
That is it for today's episode on Sugar Mama's Fireplay,
I really hope you've actually enjoyed this episode and I've
inspired you to rethink about how you look at the
way you spend money on your own health and fitness,
because deep down, we all know that true authentic wealth
isn't just about your bank balance or your even your budget.
It's about your overall fitness, which includes your financial fitness.
(22:56):
And upon that financial fitness is your share portfolio, your superannu,
and of course your wealth protection. Now, if I could
ask a really small favor, if you could please leave
me a rating and review, I would greatly appreciate it,
And until next Monday, please keep that financial fire burning
bright within. This is Sugar Mamma's Fireplay.
Welcome to Sugar Mamma's Fireplay, the podcast where we ignite
your financial independence, retire early goals and dreams, and empower
you to live a richer, more intentional life on your
own terms. I am your host, financial planner, Cannah Campbell,
and I'm someone who firmly believes you do not need
to spend a fortune to feel strong, confident, and in control,
(00:24):
both financially and physically. And this is what I want
to break down with you right now together today. So
today I want to talk to you about the cost
of a gym membership and see if it's maybe burning
(00:46):
a hole in your budget, and if it is, what
are the alternatives out there to help fix that. Now
you've probably seen in the headlines there is a viral
story going around about a supposedly broke Street the influencer
who proudly spends sixty dollars per week on her gym membership.
Now that's over three thousand dollars a year. Now. The
(01:09):
Internet was somewhat divided when they saw this video. Some
people applauded her investment in her health and well being,
and others judged, saying that it was a financial disaster
and that she was a product of her own destruction,
and she leaned to learn how to make some sacrifices
in her life, as everyone needs to do when things
do get tight. Now, on this podcast, we are not
(01:32):
here to judge or to form an opinion, because we
are here to respect. Everyone is different, and everyone is
in different situations, has very different values, different goals, and
different dreams. So we take a moment to step back,
ignore the opinions and the judgment and the noise, but
respect each other's values and where they are on their
(01:53):
individual financial journey. However, what I do want to discuss
today is some practical, helpful and financially friendly ideas and
solutions obviously to help you get fit stay fit without
going broke, so that you never need to jeopardize your
own financial fitness. And of course you always get the
(02:14):
best return on your investment, whether it be five dollars
per month or five hundred dollars per month when it
comes to your physical health and wellbeing. And at the
end of the day, as they say, health is wealth.
So first of all, let's just uncover or explore how
much do people really spend on a gym membership. So,
according to the research that I did. On average, Australians
(02:36):
are spending between twenty dollars per week and forty dollars
per week or one thousand dollars a year to two
thousand dollars a year just on gym memberships. And if
I look at my own gym membership, it's actually just
under that two thousand dollar mark. Now when it comes
to those boutique, bougie gyms and studios, that number really
does start to climb up to sixty dollars per week.
(02:56):
But I actually do know of gyms that have gym
but you'll I've got a whole range of other activities
like ice baths and infrared saunas that can go up
to one hundred and fifty dollars per week. So yes,
it is a significant investment whichever way you look at it.
But regardless of what you're really paying, at the end
of the day, the crucial thing here is am I
getting good value for money? Am I actually using this membership?
(03:20):
Am I making the most of what they're offering? And
is this membership actually adding value to my life? Now,
if you were to ask me, Canna, do you think
your memberships are really worth it? My answer would be yes,
but only yes if you are consistently going and genuinely
benefiting from your membership physically, mentally, and emotionally. Think of
(03:44):
it like any other investment. You want to see a return,
but a decent return on your money. But this is
actually the way that I like to view any exercise expense,
which for me, is where it gets even more powerful.
So bear with me for a second. I want you
to think about it. When we are feeling fit and strong.
(04:04):
We've gone to the gym, we've gone for a job,
we've worked up a sweat, we've been on the bike,
we've pushed those weights, we've done those berbies or planks
or star jups, whatever it may be. When we are
feeling physically fit and strong and resilient, and we're standing
up strong and tall, we are actually less likely to
fall sick, which then in turn means fewer visits to
(04:27):
the doctor, having to spend less money on trips to
the chemist, buying medication, getting various tests done like blood tests,
and of course seeing specialists, which we all know can
be very expensive. But it also means we have less
days off away from work. And anyone who can tell
you who's taken time off away from work because they've
(04:47):
been sick. There is the additional stress of thinking, oh,
my gosh, I've been away from my desk, away from
my emails for the last two days because I've had
the flu, the stress and anxiety of going back to
work and thinking I've got a mountain of emails and
deadlines to catch up on. This doesn't happens often when
we're feeling fit and strong and prioritizing our physical, mental,
and emotional wellbeing. So the way I look at it
(05:07):
is staying fit and strong and resilient can actually save
you money in the long run, not just today. Having
said that, though, there are of course loads of smarter ways,
more cost effective ways to help you take care of
your health without actually draining your bank account or damaging
your budget. And this is what I really want to
explore with you today. Forget the creative juices flowing as
(05:30):
to what alternative options are there out there that if
you are looking at a tight budget, and you're looking
at making changes such as maybe cutting out your membership
or cutting down your membership or your overall budget, let's
look at some different ideas that might help you take
off the financial stress and pressure, but also make sure
that you are able to stay physically fit, strong and healthy.
So the first point of call is how do actually
(05:53):
save money on those memberships? Now, this is where I
would probably start, And of course this is for me
who do love going to the gym and they're not
ready to cut their gym memberships from their budget. And
for the record, I would never necessarily recommend someone does
that because I believe investing in your health is definitely
worth it. But here are small ideas. One great idea
is to start with a trial. So many gym, so
(06:15):
many yoga studios, so many polarate studios, like so many
fitness outlets offer free seven, fourteen or even thirty day
free trials. Another great idea and a lot of my
friends do this is called class pass. So it's like
an aggregator app. It is one app that allows you
to actually access multiple gyms and studios at a fraction
(06:38):
of the cost. My friends are addicted to class Pass.
They always go to these. They have a wide range
of different exercise routines and they get to mix things up.
Whenever they get bored doing yoga, they can jump into
like a f forty five kind of style class and
then they're back into a polarates lesson, then they're doing
something completely different. It keeps things fresh. And apparently with
class Pass you can get great referral discounts. So if
(07:01):
you send the referral to your friends to tell them
about class Pass and they join up or they go
to some classes, you can also get some free classes
or some discounts on your classes. So definitely worth looking
into class Pass or other aggregator apps just like that one.
Then of course you can speak to your gym about
seeing whether they offer any off peak memberships. Now what
they do is they look at particular times during the
(07:23):
day where the gyms are really quiet, they don't have
many people, and often gyms will actually create a discount
for those quiet periods, which maybe just before lunchtime rush,
or maybe in the late afternoon when people are back
at their desks, or even late at night where most
people are you know, at home relaxing watching TV. For
people who are shift workers, this can be really cost effective.
(07:44):
Or for people who are perhaps maybe studying and you
know they're studying at night time perhaps and they want
to go during the quiet periods during the day, or
even parents who are perhaps working part time and on
their days where they're not with their kids and they're
not at work, perhaps they want to go, you know,
say ten o'clock after the early morning madness rush that
goes through the gym. So ask good gym if they
(08:04):
offer off peak memberships. It may be significantly cheaper and
actually better for your budget. Another great idea is to
actually speak to your gym about your rate. If you've
been really loyal and you are seriously considering canceling, ask
them what they can do about it. Sometimes they can
give you a free month membership. Sometimes they can put
you on a discounted rate. You never know. I do
(08:25):
this every single year with my gas and energy bill,
and every single year they drop my fee, my monthly fee,
and I'm always amazed as to how much it comes
down by and I do the same actually with Foxtel
as well. So don't be afraid to ask. And again,
if you're really serious about canceling, you'll be surprised what
they'll be able to create and do for you to
keep you as a paying, loyal customer. Then of course
(08:47):
it's about asking other questions like do they offer corporate membership?
You know, if you work for a big one organization,
they may have a partnership program in place where you
get to access those gyms at a significant discount. A
really good friend of mine just started working with a
big corporate and she gets to access the gym for
eight dollars per week and it gets taken out of
her pay, and she did the gym is absolutely amazing
(09:09):
state of art, and it actually evencludes working with a
personal trainer. If you're a student, let them know that
you're a student. Quite often significant discounts apply to students,
which is great. And of course, speak to your health
fund see whether they offer any rebates or perhaps they
have any partnership discounts with that particular gym. A lot
of people don't realize that they exist until they ask.
(09:30):
You must get on the phone, you must go in
and see them and see what they can do for you.
And of course, if you are struggling right now and
you're looking at what you can cut from your budget,
consider not canceling your membership, but perhaps pausing it. And
this may create the perfect opportunity for you to go
and try all these other ideas like doing a trial
for a month or doing testing out class bars or
(09:52):
making some phone causes to what you can do elsewhere
that it's better value for money, and now she suits
your lifestyle, so don't be afraid to ask, and of
course put it on hold when in doubt. You can
always come back to it. And perhaps you never know.
By putting your membership on hold, you may actually discover
more fun, different exciting exercise routines and outlets that you
never knew existed before because you never got to that
(10:14):
point where you questioned and asked and explored. Next time,
want I talk to you about your alternative to traditional gems. Now,
of course, you do not need a gym to get fit.
There are so many low cost options or even free
options out there, so starting with like online fitness programs
like twenty eight by Sam would. Now this isn't free,
(10:34):
It costs a flat fee per month. However, what it
includes in that fee is not just a wide range
of different workouts from dance classes to ballet to pilates
to yoga to hit training and cardio. It also includes
nutritional advice and recipes. And I've had a look into
the Sam Word program because I actually have it myself,
(10:55):
and there's also some great meditation sessions, and there's also
some great video clips to help improve your mindset when
it comes to thinking about your own physical, mental, and
emotional fitness, which I love, but of course that's one
of many. There is things like Sweat. Of course, you've
got all those amazing fitness apps. Some of these costs
less than ten dollars per month. Someone recently told me
about couch to five K, and I have admit I've
(11:17):
downloaded this, but I haven't actually personally tried it yet.
But couch to five K is basically an app that
teaches you and trains you to start running, and you
slowly build up your running ability each day, and it
aims to get you to start about running maybe three
times per week, and you can set it up with
you all the details about your sex, your height, your weight,
(11:39):
your goals, your lifestyle, and it talks you and trains you,
and it sends you're a reminder to get off the
couch and start moving, start running, And it starts with
steps and walking, walking faster, and then doing some jogging
light jogging, getting faster and faster, but ultimately getting to
use the stage where you can actually run five k. Now,
of course there are lots of free apps Apple Jymvers,
(12:02):
and of course they have various levels you can pay
for upfront or on a monthly basis. Another great free
idea is basically YouTube YouTube workouts. They are high quality.
There are thousands upon thousands to choose from. And what
I really like about the YouTube workouts is they have
some that go for five minutes and some that go
for fifty minutes, and they have so many different styles
(12:23):
and types for everyone's different fitness and strength levels. So
it's free, and again you're doing it from the privacy
and comfort of your own home. Another great idea, and
I do this myself and I love it, that is
I use my local gym outdoor gym areas. Now, of
course it's free, and I jumped online because I'm quite
(12:44):
fortunate and there's actually three outdoor gyms within about two
hundred meters from my house, and I thought I was
just lucky, but I jumped online and I found a
brilliant website called Free Outdoor Fitness dot Net and it's
said that within twenty five kilometers of the city there
are over two hundred and thirty nine outdoor gyms. So
(13:05):
of course these outdoor gyms are free, and even if
you reach out to your local council, a lot of
the councils actually offer really affordable fitness classes from yoga, taichi,
even bowling. These options are out there. You've just got
to pick up the phone or jump online and have
a look for them. There are really no excuses not
to be fit and strong and healthy these days. There's
(13:27):
nothing holding you back. And then finally, which I think
is something I'm really excited to share with you, and
that is looking for free thirty day challenge groups. Now
these are all over social media Instagram, Facebook, TikTok. But
these thirty day challenges or various different versions of them
ten day, five days, seven day, seventy five days, which
I'll tell you about in a second, there are all
(13:48):
for free. You join up, you sign up, or you
just follow along, oh if you like just watching on
the sidelines. But they're all focused around building consistent fitness habits.
Now I've actually been doing one, the seventy five challenge.
I think I'm up to day fifty one maybe, And
there are different levels hard, medium, soft. Now I'm doing
the soft version and I've kind of created my own version,
(14:10):
so it essentially for me doing this let's call it
soft seventy five. Every day, with the exception of one
day where I get a day of rest, I have
to do a minimum of thirty five minutes of consistent exercise.
I also have to do at least ten minutes worth
of nonfiction reading, and I have to journal every single day.
And I'm also working through my Jamie Ryder mindset program.
(14:33):
So I have been doing this. It cost me absolutely
nothing to do this, and I am loving it. I
have to say most of these habits I will be
taking on indefinitely was a hit Day seventy five, but
for most people who do the seventy five challenge, it
is free and there are different variations, and of course
is not necessarily entirely about losing weight or being fit
(14:54):
and strong. It incorporates your spiritual, emotional, and mental wellbeing
as well. And I have to say the one activity
or habit that I thought would be the least inspiring
one to do, which is journaling, has actually been the
one that's actually helped me the most with my mental
fitness because I just feel like I'm getting all the
noise and the clutter and the craziness in my head
(15:17):
down on paper, pen to paper, and it just starts
to quarantine my feelings and helps, I guess, put things
back into perspective. My point is is doing this seventy
five challenges actually costs me nothing whatsoever. And of course,
on that note of free or alternative expenses to gym memberships,
don't forget Facebook, Marketplace and of course gum Tree, which
(15:37):
are filled with secondhand fitness gear. Think weights, treadmills, exercise bikes,
resistant bands. These are often a fraction of the price.
Even Kmart has an amazing range of exercise equipment, and
I actually recently spent I think about one hundred and
fifty dollars on Amazon and I got an exercise circle
(15:58):
like it's like I think it's called a ring of fire,
which is a pilate's thing. I got three different bands,
I got some hand weights, and I got this contraption
that moves across the floor to help me do stomach
exercises and inner and out of thigh exercises as well.
Now I have been using these five or six pieces
of equipment a couple of times a week, and you
(16:19):
know what I love is as a busy working mom
of three kids, and three dogs. I'm time poor, but
this morning I just pulled my equipment out on the
lounge and lay down on the ground on the rug
and just exercise for thirty five minutes. And I'm actually,
you're already feeling a little bit sore. So again, yes,
it cost me up front of about one hundred and
fifty dollars, but there are now no excuses. I can't say, well,
(16:42):
it's too cold, or it's too dark, or I've got
no one to look after my kids. My kids were
safely in the house, probably laughing at me while I
was doing this exercise. But I had a lot of
fun and it felt so good to tick off my
exercise early in the day before the day really had begun.
So there are again no excuses here whatsoever. Now my
final tips for being and staying financially and physically fit
(17:05):
with my financial planning cap back on apologies, I did
deviate a little bit with what was going on in
my life, So to bring it back to the finances,
you should really think about your fitness like a financial goal.
Put that expense into your budget, have a fitness goal.
Run further, to move more weights, to sweat more, to
(17:27):
sleep better, which means you should track your fitness goal.
Make a note of how much further you're able to run,
or how much longer you can go on the treadmill
or on the exercise bike, or how many kgs are
you pushing this week compared to last month. Make sure
you're tracking it, reviewing it and monitoring it, and of
course reward yourself. You know, feel proud about sleeping better,
(17:47):
Feel proud about feeling stronger, Feel empowered that you can
stand up tall and strong, and that you seem to
be handling emotional challenges with the greater sense of resilience
because you're feeling fit and strong yourself physically meant to
spiritually in emotion. And of course, like every single financial goal,
no matter how big or small it is, the key
is consistency. Be consistent. If you've said you want to
(18:09):
go to the gym four times a week, make sure
you prioritize, put it in your diary, and try and
create that habit where automatically, without even thinking, because it's
a Monday, you go to the gym on Monday. Because
it's a Wednesday, you go to the gym on a Wednesday.
And of course you've got to also be patient with
that consistency and the hard work will most definitely pay
off when you combine those two things, I personally promise
(18:32):
now with my financial planning cap still on. My other
tip is to avoid silly trends, like when you see
people talking about this get rich quick scheme or some
sort of slick investment like you do not need to
follow the trends. You're smarter than that. Stick with what
actually works for you and your lifestyle. Just like you
would invest according to your risk profile and your investment
(18:53):
time frame and your deadline for those goals. The same
when it comes to looking at your fitness and where
you want to spend money on your fitness, look at
actually what works for your lifestyle. Now. For me, I
would absolutely love to go and do a polarates class
every single day, but I know that it's not appropriate
for my lifestyle. Number one, it doesn't fit within my budget.
(19:13):
Number two, I actually don't physically have the time to
get to a Polartes studio every single day. Number Three,
my knees would be so sore and aching if I
was to do a polarities class every single day, that
is going to be a waste of money. If I
was to sign up to something like that. However, I
do know that my body likes a mix of things,
a mix of different activities hardio, weight training, hit training,
(19:36):
and of course doing stretches on the ground. So we
know what is actually realistic for you and your lifestyle
and of course your budget. Then, of course, never underestimate
the power of walking. Walking is a great fat burning tool,
and even simple things like you park a little bit
further away from where you need to go to make
sure you get those steps up. If you have an
Apple phone, I'm sure it's the same with androids as well.
(19:58):
You can see how many steps you do per day.
Obviously we're going to try and aim for around about
ten thousand. Now. Some of my friends and I are
obsessed with our steps, and we have this running joke
where we check each other's steps and we have a
bit of an unspoken competition to see who's done the
most amount of steps this week, or this fortnight or
even this month. And I have to say it's really addictive.
(20:20):
It gives me immense satisfaction at the end of the
day when I jump into my health app within my
iPhone and see how many steps it actually allows me
to compare what I was doing at this point last year,
and I'm proud to say it's also a little bit
embarrassed to share this as well. But this time last year,
I was only averaging about six and a half thousand
steps per day. Thank goodness, because I'm now aware of it.
I'm tracking it, I'm reviewing it, i'm monitoring it. I'm
(20:42):
actually averaging over eight thousand steps a day, so I'm
slowly getting my way up to that ideal figure of
around about ten thousand. But it feels really good to
actually see that it's working, it's paying off, and I
wouldn't have had any idea if I hadn't actually checked
my app So at the end of the day, you've
got to remember consistency over cost. A thirty minute walk
can do more for your body than say a sixty
(21:04):
dollars per week gym membership that you never even go to.
And of course, most importantly, remember that when you prioritize
your health, you're actually protecting your future finances for your
medical bills or energy. Better quality life, deeper sleep, deeper
restorative sleep. You tend to eat a lot healthier when
you're feeling fit and strong, you don't want undo all
(21:25):
that hard work. And also for me, I know personally,
I drink less. I don't feel like that champagne on
a Friday afternoon or on a Saturday afternoon. Because I've
prioritized my well being. It just doesn't taste nice and
doesn't give me the high that doing exercise does. Nonetheless,
what I'm trying to share with you is when you
prioritize your health, you invest in your health, you invest
(21:46):
in your fitness and your longevity. You've got far more
energy to work on your financial goals, to have that
required level of focus, dedication, and commitment, and you have
that mental strength to persevere and to be patient and
to enjoy living in the moment and of course seeing
that valuable progress flourish, which is then giving you the
(22:09):
biggest and best opportunity to flourish, to thrive, to fly
financially when it comes to your goals and dreams. Wow,
after getting all of this passion and excitement about finance
and fitness, I almost feel like I needed to go
and take a nap, which is also a great investment
for your body and of course costs absolutely nothing. All Right,
(22:31):
That is it for today's episode on Sugar Mama's Fireplay,
I really hope you've actually enjoyed this episode and I've
inspired you to rethink about how you look at the
way you spend money on your own health and fitness,
because deep down, we all know that true authentic wealth
isn't just about your bank balance or your even your budget.
It's about your overall fitness, which includes your financial fitness.
(22:56):
And upon that financial fitness is your share portfolio, your superannu,
and of course your wealth protection. Now, if I could
ask a really small favor, if you could please leave
me a rating and review, I would greatly appreciate it,
And until next Monday, please keep that financial fire burning
bright within. This is Sugar Mamma's Fireplay.
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