Your greatest asset (The Family Money)

In the chase for wealth our greatest asset is often overlooked. We each have an asset that all but a very few can improve the value of. Our greatest asset, in my belief, is our heath!


HEY!? What the heck does that have to do with money? I hear you ask. Let's start with the obvious stuff. If you are frequently unwell you lose money in several ways. Firstly a trip to the doctor, which costs about $55 (with a rebate of about $30 here in Australia) then there is often medication to be purchased. On top of this there is down time to recover often resulting in time off work as well as down time from home life. Even if you do manage to make it to work you often don't function at full capacity and mistakes cost you both time and stress. If you are self employed the loss of money that comes with down time for illness is even more extreme, no working, no money!


Being ill can "cost" you in other ways. It can be stressful; you often don't think as clearly as usual, exercise goes out the window. Your family may spend more on take out, as with a parent ill it can be easier. In turn this can slow your recovery and make the rest of the family sluggish. Being ill can also "cost" you home time. Washing, dishes, cleaning in general can fall behind, causing stress etc. Anyway- I am sure you get the idea.


So the first thing I would like everyone to look at doing to increase their wealth is to exercise. Take a walk, play with the kids, go for a swim, drag out the bikes and dust off the old exercise equipment you spent a fortune on!! There are plenty of free activities you can do alone or as a family. Encourage every member of your family to get at least 30 min of exercise a day. Obviously if you haven't exercised for some time or have other health issues see your doctor before starting any exercise program (this may seem like a contradiction but an injury, or worse, will cost you!)


With an increase in exercise you should see a reduction in stress, a possible reduction in weight and an increase in energy. Now lots of people complain that they don't have time to exercise, that there are too many other things that need to be done. Hopefully though with a new vision that exercise is an investment in your health and your future wealth you will find added motivation to get active.


My family and I are achieving this goal by adding exercise to our daily routine, but walking to kinder (my four year old now easily covers the almost 3 km walk) and walking to the shops. This is not only good for our health but is saving us on petrol!


Let me know your ideas or tips on adding exercise to your family life.