Your Money

This is the third in a series of M.A.D. Moments based on different areas of your life to inspire you and motivate you into action.

What does Money mean to you?

• Do you spend more than you earn, less than you earn, about the same?
• Are money worries a source of stress?
• Is your credit card debt more than you can handle (be honest)?
• Do you manage to save on a regular basis.
• Do you spend for the long-term or short-term.

We could all benefit from improving our finances – unless we’re in the fortunate position of having more money than we know what to do with and have wisely invested for our future and old age, so have nothing to worry about.

Overspending may be something you do every now and then or it may be a pattern of behaviour that you need or would like to change.

What beliefs do you hold about money that affect your current money behaviours and habits? Our beliefs and spending habits develop in our childhood from our parents, society and religion and what they teach us about money. We may either take on the same behaviours or they may be totally different.

Action:

Here are three ideas to help you make a difference to your Money this week:

• Start a money diary. Write down everything that you spend this week, from the smallest amount to the biggest bill – every newspaper, coffee, snack bar, bus fare, car park fee. At the end of the week see how much you’ve spent and where.

• If you don’t know the numbers already, work out your monthly expenditure. Gather all your bank statements, credit card bills, household bills – everything that goes out and payslips, dividends, interest statement – anything that comes in.

• Reduce your outgoings. Are you getting the best rate on your car and house insurance? Check your bank statements – are you paying for things you no longer need.

If you’d like to check your current Money Habits, get a copy of my free checklist by simply sending a blank email to mmtmintro@aweber.com and you'll get the first chapter of my More Money e-book.

See how much you can save this week.

Your Health - Nutrition

This is the second in a series of M.A.D. Moments based on different areas of your life to inspire you or give you that boost at the start of the year.

What does healthy eating mean to you?

• Do you have a healthy diet?
• How much water do you drink each day?
• Do you rely on caffeine to get you going?
• How often do you drink alcohol?
• Do you regularly have your five a day?

Take a look at your diet and think about what you’re actually eating. In Gillian McKeith terms … you are what you eat.

Do you ever read the labels on the food you buy, to see just how much sugar, fat and salt is in the food you eat? Labelling is improving, as we become more health conscious. Low fat foods can contain a lot of sugar, sugar-free foods have added artificial sweeteners and chemical flavouring.

Always buy food that is as fresh and unprocessed as possible. Many labels can be misleading – giving the impression of being fresh, natural and good for you but they’re not necessarily. Educate yourself about what you’re really eating.

Action:

What difference could you make to your nutrition this week?

• Start a food diary to monitor what you’re eating?
• Drink less tea, coffee and alcohol.
• Cut out biscuits, crisps and snacks.
• Drink more water.
• Eat your five portions of fruit and veg each day.

See if you feel better after a week of healthier eating. Think about the 80/20 rule. Eat healthily 80% of the time and enjoy yourself the other 20%!

Have a great week.

Your Health - Exercise

This is the first in a series of M.A.D. Moments based on different areas of your life to inspire you or give you that boost with those New Year Resolutions.

What does being healthy mean to you? Is it about being the correct weight for your height and feeling good? Is it about being able to run for the bus or climb a flight of stairs without getting out of breath?

Here are a few questions for you.

• Are you a healthy weight?
• Have you recently had your cholesterol and blood pressure checked?
• When was your last dental or eye check-up?
• How many times do you exercise each week?
• When did you last have a full medical exam?

It's important to look after yourself physically to better enable you to deal with the mental and emotional side of things and your body will recover better from illness and stress. Know your limits and work within your own physical capabilities while building up your strength and stamina. It’s well known that fit and active people have stronger immune systems, live longer and are less prone to illness in later life and don’t get sick so often.


Action:

What difference could you make to your health this week?

• Exercise at least three times this week – go for a walk, cycle, swim or take an exercise class.
  
• Take the stairs instead of the lift/elevator.
• Walk instead of taking the car.
• Don’t forget about your mind too. Quizzes, crosswords, memory tests and puzzles all help to exercise your mind.
  

Exercise at your own pace and get your heart rate up for at least 20 minutes each time. If you're overweight check with your doctor before taking any strenuous exercise.

Have a healthy week and pick one thing to improve your fitness this week.

New Year Resolutions

I hope you had a good Christmas and New Year break and managed to take some time out to relax and unwind. I managed to leave my laptop alone for a whole two weeks and although it did twitch a bit – it was nice just to get away.

It’s that time of year when most of us will be making New Year resolutions, whether it’s to lose weight, get fit, stop smoking, drink less, eat more healthily, make more money etc.. There’s usually something that as the New Year starts we want to do differently – quite often as a result of over indulging over the holiday season. What are you planning to do that is going to make a difference to your year?

What one new thing could you learn this year. Whatever your age – don’t believe the ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks’. It may take a little longer but there’s no excuse not to learn something new. What have you always wanted to do? Whether it’s jumping out of a plane (with a parachute!), learning to scuba-dive, ride a bike, juggle (I’ve yet to master that one!), paint, take up bell-ringing … find something and take the next 12 months to master a new skill. Are there any new habits you’d like to adopt or old ones you’d like to drop?

As you know – most New Year Resolutions dwindled to nothing by about February. They usually tend to revolve around weight and fitness or giving up smoking. All those gym memberships that people start in January and then lose interest within a few months.

So whatever it is, this year – write down your ‘resolutions’ for the year. Create a plan for how you will achieve them and make yourself accountable by telling someone else about it. Keep yourself on track by putting up your goals where you will see them on a regular basis. Be flexible and adjust as you go – especially if it’s a large goal.

One of my goals is to run the Brighton half-marathon in February – if you’d like to sponsor me in aid of Cancer Research then you can visit my sponsorship page at http://www.justgiving.com/clarehalfmarathon

If you’d like a free Goals Report to get you started then just click here. http://www.freegoalsreport.com/cmd.asp?a=105065&id=1627