The Cooperative Extension System's "Small Steps to Health and Wealth" (SSHW) program encourages participants to set personal health and financial goals and implement strategies for behavior change to achieve them. Participants can attend SSHW classes and/or register online to describe their goals, report progress, and receive motivational messages. Below is a description of five of 25 SSHW behavior change strategies:
1. Put Your Mind to It ? Picture yourself achieving your goals and how good it will feel. State your goal without “weasel words.” For example, “I will save $100 monthly” or “I can exercise 30 minutes daily” instead of “Hopefully, I will” or “I’ll try to.” Experts advise describing intended behavior changes in the present tense (e.g., “I quit smoking”). It makes people accountable because, otherwise, they are basically telling a lie. Likewise, speak of negative behaviors in the past tense (e.g., “I used to live paycheck to paycheck”) as you strive to eliminate them from your life.
2. Defy Someone or Defy the Odds ? If others say you will never be able to change (e.g., lose weight, save money), defy them and prove them wrong. For added motivation, make a bet with a desired reward and time deadline. You can also use this strategy to “defy the odds” and not allow yourself to “become a statistic” such as “two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese” and “the average U.S. household carries a $9,300 credit card balance.”
3. Meet Yourself Halfway ? If you want to improve your health and increase your wealth, downsize your eating and spending. Decrease the portion sizes of your favorite foods by half, and do the same for “discretionary” expenses such as meals eaten away from home, clothing, and lottery tickets. Save at least half of all “windfalls” (e.g., tax refunds), or use them to repay debts. Another strategy is to save at least half of your raise by having that amount taken out of your paycheck before you get it.
4. Convert Consumption into Labor ? Figure out how much exercise is required to burn off a certain number of calories. If it takes two hours on a treadmill to work off a slice of apple pie, you might ask yourself if it is “worth the calories.” A comparable financial example is calculating how many hours of work are needed to earn the income to purchase something.
5. Compare Yourself with Recommended Benchmarks ? A frequently cited health benchmark, the body mass index (BMI), is based on a person’s height and weight and is used as an indicator of overweight and obesity. A financial benchmark is a person’s credit score, a three-digit number that can range from the 300s (lowest) to 800s (highest). Another is having at least three months of expenses set aside for emergencies.
When trying to change a health or financial behavior, remember the phrase “If it is to be, it is up to me.” Nobody else (e.g., other people or an employer) can make you healthy or financially secure, least of all the federal government (although they are certainly trying with obesity awareness campaigns and tax incentives designed to encourage workers to save for retirement). The actions you take (or do not take) today will influence your future health financial security. Set realistic goals, take small steps to get started, and believe in yourself and your ability to succeed.
For more information about relationships between health and personal finances, visit the "Small Steps to Health and Wealth" Web site at www.extension.org/pages/Small_Steps_to_Health_and_Wealth
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