I joined a gym! January 31, 2009

Well, I did it.  It was a bit of a guilt trip, and good salesmanship on their part, but I joined a gym.  I was tired of being all talk and (literally!) no action.

I actually still haven’t gone for my trial run of the place (that I mentioned last time), but today was the last day of waiving the joining fee.  And they promised I could cancel within 15 days if I decide it’s not for me.

The membership guy went over all the costs, and combining the discounted fees (thanks to my company) and the supposed $150 reimbursement I get from my health insurance company (according to the membership guy), I’m getting a really good deal.  Not including the reimbursement, I’m paying $27 per month.  Including the reimbursement, that rounds out to $14.50 per month.  I’m figuring that’s probably the best deal I’m going to get anywhere.  And now that I’ve signed up, the fact that I’m paying for membership will definitely get me going there (I’ve got to get my money’s worth!)

Most of the people at my company that work at other locations use gyms that are at their facility, and you only have to pay a small fee each month to use it.  But our specific facility doesn’t have one, so that’s part of the reason there’s a discount to go to a nearby gym (its a Boston Sports Club).  Luckily, there’s also a BSC near my house, so I can go there at non-peak hours (which, awesomely, includes weekends).  So I can work out near work during the week and near home on the weekends.

Have any of you used Boston Sports Club (or any of their related gyms in Washington D.C., NYC, or Philly)?  Do you like it there?  What do you recommend as good pieces of equipment/classes?  I’m hoping that when I go in for my trial run, they’ll show me what there is to do and how to use the equipment.  Because I’m pretty much hopeless when it comes to knowing how to use exercise equipment.

I’m excited.  It’s another step towards being healthier (one of my goals).  I’m not sure if I need to get special workout clothes or something like that (I’ve got a few sports bras, a techwick shirt, and some “yoga” pants), though I’m guessing I should download some podcasts or something to listen to while I’m working out.  Any recommended music or podcasts ideal for exercise?

And for my other goals:  still making progress on my networth, started changing my portfolio, and my sister helped me clean my room (though it’s already a horrible mess….)

Woo!  I also walked a lot yesterday and today, so I’m getting on track!

I may have found the health improvement plan that works January 26, 2009

So, like many companies, my company is interested in creating a healthier workforce.  And there are lots of good reasons:  it lowers health care costs, reduces absenteeism, and improves productivity.  The newest addition to their plethora of health promotion items (already including smoking cessation, weight watchers, and subsidized gym memberships) is something called Nutrisum.

It’s probably too early to tell, as today is the first official day of the program, but I think this is the type of system I’ve been looking for.  Basically, it helps me keep track of health-related accomplishments without making me go into too much detail.  I decided a while back to do a search for online food trackers.  I came across a few, and tried using FitDay, since it allows you to track what you’ve eaten throughout the day.  I figured I’d like it because I like using walletproof for tracking every single purchase I make.  I think the problem was that it was too difficult to find the exact food I ate, and determine the exact amount I ate.  Too much work!  Tracking expenses is much easier:  look at your receipt, and record that number!

So, with this Nutrisum system, you get to earn points.  And I like to earn points!  You earn points for things like eating breakfast (because that gets your metabolism going in the morning), having 3 servings of whole grains, 5 fruits/veggies, 5 glasses of water, and not eating within 3 hours before bedtime (or at least not eating after dinner).  You also get points for exercise.  I like the idea of it because it encourages you to do healthy things.  And now that I’m conscious of those important activities, I’m more likely to do them.

Oh, and reading over this, it sounds like I’m some sort of infomercial promoter or getting paid for this post.  Let me assure you, I’m not!  I’m just excited to try something that’s a bit easier.  Oh, and in other news, the gym near work (where work will subsidize a membership) is offering a free trial run and training session so I can see if I like it.  I know that it’s a bit of a trick, since they try to hook you with the free trial, but I’m looking forward to just trying out the gym before I fully commit to joining.

I’ll keep you updated on how well I stick with this new health kick!

Playing Monopoly January 18, 2009

I was playing a few different board games with some friends over the holidays. One that is always fun with groups is Visual Eyes.  We also played Monopoly, which I find to be a bit less fun.  Mostly because I play against people who are very determined.  I also realized that my Monopoly strategy is pretty much the opposite of my real life strategy.

I think a common strategy in Monopoly is to buy whatever properties you land on, so that you can make money off of them and prevent anyone else from doing the same (or worse, getting a monopoly and building up houses and hotels).  And that has been my Monopoly strategy.  But during the game, I started to get more and more anxious.

Because I had bought so many properties, I didn’t have a lot of cash on hand.  And so when I landed on a friend’s property that had a hotel on it, I started making deals and mortgaging all of my properties.  And I started dreading my next roll, hoping someone would land on my Monopoly of Monopolies (Park Place & Boardwalk), which would bring me quickly back into wealth.  Of course no one ever landed there, and I continued to live “paycheck to paycheck” (passing go!), in constant fear that I’d land on someone’s property and owe them a lot more money.

I realized just how different my life strategy is compared to my Monopoly strategy.  In Monopoly, I spend as much as possible, and hope that I’ll make money off those investments.  In real life, I try to save every cent and keep as much money on hand to pay any expenses.  I do have investments (retirement accounts, a car if you consider it an investment), but I don’t spend more than I can afford on these retirement accounts.

I know Monopoly is just a game.  But I still managed to get anxious with every roll of the dice!

How does your Monopoly (or other game) strategy compare to your life strategy?

Happy New Year! January 5, 2009

I hope everyone is enjoying 2009 so far!

New Years gives a chance to both look back and look forward.  I did a bit of a review of the past year in my blogoversary post (and what a year it was!).

And, while I tend to be crummy at these sorts of things, it’s time to set some goals for the coming year.

Financial goals:

• Attain positive net worth.  After analyzing my net worth changes using NetworthIQ, and assuming the trends will continue, I should hit a positive net worth by August.  To speed this up, I also intend to pay extra on my student loans every month.  I think I’ll pay an extra $500-1000 each month, or perhaps just change my monthly payment to what it used to be back when my rates were higher.
• Rebalance my retirement portfolio.   My Roth IRA, rollover IRA, and 401(k) are all run by the same financial company.  They’ve run some analysis of my overall portfolio, and there are some chances that could be made overall.  I set up my new 401(k) as balanced on its own, but when you include my IRAs, the percentages of assorted get thrown off from my ideally balanced portfolio.

Other life goals:

• Live more healthily.  I know that goals should be specific  if you’re hoping to accomplish them.  But I’m looking to you guys for some suggestions.  I know there’s exercising to be done, and healthier foods to be eaten, but other than that, I’m not sure what definite goals to make.  Well, one is to drop my BMI by 1.5.  That might sound extreme, but that means dropping less than a pound a month.  I like the idea of being a bit more in the middle of “normal” for my height than towards the top.
• Get and then keep my room clean and organized.  My sister is pretty good at this sort of thing, so she’s offered to come by and help me with the initial clean.  I’m also reading some organization books to get myself motivated.
• Blog more often! Let’s try at least once a week.  I’ve got some ideas in my head (including a post that further discusses the goal to be a healthier person).

So I think those are some good goals!  I’d love to hear what your goals are, and how you hope to attain them (especially if they’re health related goals, as that’s something I want to learn more about).  Are there any other goals I may have missed?