Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash
Movement, like money, can be exchanged for getting the things we want. That item in the store we want requires us to purchase it. The item on the floor we want requires our body to bend over and get it.
Financial independence relies on our ability to earn money, save, invest, and live within our means. Staying independent relies on our ability to have strength, mobility, and endurance to do activities of daily living and the things we enjoy.
If we view physical ability as a currency then we can compare movement and physical training to managing money.
Earning
We earn money by spending time at a job and creating something of value that people will pay for.
We earn physical abilities by spending time moving and exercising. The time spent moving our bodies is rewarded by retaining and/or improving our body’s ability to function.
Saving
Savings accounts are created so we have money available for items we want or need in case of emergencies. They protect us from going into debt and living paycheck to paycheck. Savings also helps us build financial resiliency in case of an emergency or a job layoff.
Building physiological reserve is our body’s ability to recover from a stressful event. When we have a high degree of fitness (strength and cardio) we are resilient to physical stressors. We can perform a physically demanding task and still have energy to do activities of daily living.
Spending
Spending the money earned allows us to purchase items we need to be comfortable and gives us the freedom to do the things we enjoy.
We use our body and take advantage of our abilities by doing the activities that bring us joy and allow us to live independently.
Investing
Saving and investing for retirement. Putting away money and investing it for retirement allows us to use that money after we’ve stopped working to afford our lifestyle and participate in the activities we enjoy.
Training for longevity. Moving and training our bodies throughout our life pays us in dividends and allows us to do all things that we want in our later years. The movement and abilities we’ve earned from a lifetime of training and moving our bodies gets deposited into our physiological 401k account.
We accumulate physical debt when we constantly rely on machines to do physical work that our bodies are capable of doing. Elevators to go us upstairs, buttons to open doors, cars to move us around. We start to lose our abilities and that physical debt compounds itself when we get older. The years we spend not moving and challenging our bodies leads to the inability to open a jar, not having strength to lift a laundry basket, being unable to tie our shoes, and getting out of breath walking across a parking lot. Our independence relies on our body’s ability to move. It’s hard to fully appreciate the value of strength, endurance, and mobility until we lose it.
Let’s manage our finances and train our bodies so we are resilient and can fully experience and participate in the activities that bring us joy.
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