by Michael Plank
I remember finally figuring out that cars just DO cost money. I’m not talking about car payments. I’m not talking about cars that are run down and need work all the time. I’m talking about how even if you buy a brand new car off the lot, you are going to have to pay money to keep it running well.
You have to change fluids. You have to rotate tires. You have to replace parts. And you have to do this forever. Or at least as long as you want your car to be reliable. This is called scheduled maintenance.
So when I understood that, I started a sub savings account and every month, I’d put aside a little money so that when things came up on that maintenance schedule, I could call the mechanic, make an appointment, and get things taken care of so that my car would keep me going.
Understanding that I had to regularly invest in my car was a super helpful way for me to take care of this resource I had.
But if you don’t do it, and your car eventually breaks down and falls apart, it’s ok. Because there are millions of cars out there and, if you have the resources, you can go get a new one.
Why is any of this on a gym blog? Because for a lot of people, investing in scheduled maintenance for your car seems like a good and responsible idea, but investing in your health and fitness seems like a luxury.
But those two things are super closely related in my mind. You can put aside resources on a regular basis (like paying for access or coaching), follow a maintenance schedule (like exercising and paying attention to diet, sleep, and stress), and your body will keep serving you well for many years to come. Or you can choose not to invest in it and you can skip scheduled maintenance and it will start to make funny noises and have a hard time starting and will become less reliable at doing what you ask of it.
The difference is that while you can go buy a new car, you can’t buy a new body. You’ve got the one you’ve got.
Now if you’re reading this, chances are good that you’re on board with the importance of health and fitness anyway. But maybe you’ve got a friend or a family member who’s smart and wise and responsible but struggles when it comes to taking care of their physical body. This post is for those people. Life is better when your health is better. And at UPCF we get out of bed every morning to help as many people with that as possible.