Alex Schutzenhofer Omaha Personal Trainer Interview - "Fitness Makes Financial Sense"

A special thanks to Alex Schutzenhofer, an in-home Personal Fitness Trainer in Omaha, NE. You may reach him at alex@thefinalrep.com or on his cell phone 402.880.3909 for a free private consultation just for readers of Terry Williams! (visit Alex's fitness and nutrition blog)


"Does Fitness Make Financial Sense?"

Of course it does!! The heather you are the longer you'll have to enjoy all the benefits of your hard work! Why buy a house with Terry only to let health issues limit your ultimate happiness?  Here are very 4 simple tips to get you back on the bandwagon a few weeks your new year's resolution to get fit. It's my profession to personalize these tips to your specific goals, but it all starts with your motivation to succeed - here's how to start:

1. GET MOVING!

Exercise is the easiest (for most people) to get started with on their journey for a healthy lifestyle. There are two forms of exercise – Anaerobic training (Lifting weights, Weight machines, etc…) and Aerobic training (Running, Bike riding, etc...). The amount of each of these to do is debatable. But know this, to physically change yourself you will need to put demands on your body that require it to adapt to the demand. That reaction accompanied with good nutrition will result in physical change.

2. THE “N” WORD – “NUTRITION”

This is the most important part of a healthy lifestyle. But it is the hardest to master. The best way to start changing your diet is with small manageable steps. Don’t go head on into a calorie counting low carb nutrition program if you have never participated in a program. This is setting yourself up for failure. Nutrition tends to be an “I CANT” mind set. “I can’t eat this, I can’t eat that….” Because of this you will need to make small changes and build upon them daily/weekly/monthly. By taking a long term approach you are more likely to stick with it for a lifetime versus just a short period of time.

3. DON’T BEAT YOURSELF UP!

You will fail! I know I know be positive right? But it is true, there are not many people out there that quit cold turkey and become 5 day a week exercisers and 100% compliant on their nutrition. So know this ahead a time and give yourself some built in rewards. Not all you can eat buffets or gallons of ice cream. Be reasonable, go out to eat one day on the weekend or have a desert one night. Notice I said “one” in both examples. NOT all weekend or every other night.

4. EDUCATE YOURSELF NOW...

I highly recommend you read Precision Nutrition Strategies for Success. I give this 48 pages document of nutrition awesomeness to all my clients - the practical nutrition knowledge it contains for busy professional will take your results to the highest level.

FOR YOUR FREE EBOOK, simply email me at alex@thefinalrep.com and I'll send the e-book your way - no strings attached. Now go get on that treadmill and start working out today!

Have a fitness, nutrition, exercise, or workout question? Leave a comment below and I'll answer if for you - free of charge...

4 Essential Steps to a Rewarding Financial Lifestyle

* A special thanks for David Carter for his time in our interview - visit his website at http://www.cartercounseling.org/

4 Essential Steps to a Rewarding Financial Lifestyle

David J. Carter and Patricia L. Carter

Imagine being able to approach your finances with a sense of optimism, clarity, and openness, instead of dread. Many avoid facing financial issues until they are at breaking point. Then there is often a sense of dread, hopelessness and helplessness. How does it get to this point? Regardless of the current financial stressor, we have found that individuals fail to manage their finances for one of three reasons:

1. They don’t know how.
2. They’re prevented from doing so in some way.
3. They lack incentive.

That’s where we ask the following key questions:

• What are the symptom’s that signify the existence of a financial problem?
• What is the relative value of solving your financial problem?
• What is your money management history and resulting financial deficiencies?

Once we have this information, we are able to help clients develop four steps to a healthier financial lifestyle: awareness, knowledge, skills and ownership.

Step One: Awareness

The hardest part of the financial process is accepting the existence of a problem. When we are forced to look at something uncomfortable we feel responsible and powerless. We try to avoid the experience by blaming others, external circumstances, or society. We can choose, however, to accept financial mismanagement as a behavior that is separate from who we are, as a caring and loving person. Once we begin to accept our behavior as something that is not a reflection of our identity as good or bad, but rather a behavior that we can change, we can open our minds to the possibility of financial success.

Step Two: Knowledge

We have to spend some time examining our relationship with money as well as how this relationship evolved. If your relationship with money were a personal one, how would you describe it? Do you love, hate, fear, depend upon, or feel generous with money? Most of us learned from observing our parents or other adult models, as we grew up. If we earned an allowance and learned to put the money away for something we needed versus wanted at the moment, then we started to increase our knowledge of valuing money as a means to attaining long-term goals, versus, satisfying immediate urges.

Step Three: Skills

Financial success favors the activist; however utilizing the appropriate financial management skills is required for achieving financial success. This is where assistance from a financial consultant provides an opportunity to communicate honestly about your personal financial situation, discuss financial goals, explore your feelings about money, discuss steps toward financial responsibility, and develop a plan for realizing your financial goals.

Step Four: Ownership

Once you take responsibility for your current financial situation, you will take ownership over meeting your future financial goals. Ownership provides motivation for change! Appropriate money management and financial assistance are the vehicles for that change. Many people view their money as a means to an end instead of as a key member of the family, to be taken care of and helped to grow into maturity. Ownership evokes reconciliation in your relationship with money, allowing you to view money as an investment in your future.

If you have any questions please call me at 402.301.4500 or email me twilliams@dundeebanking.com. You can also get a hold of David with Carter Counseling at www.cartercounseling.org.