What I Learned from Bethenny and Ramit this Week

Happy Friday!  It has been a great week in my world, thanks in part to two people: Bethenny Frankel and Ramit Sethi. 

No, I am not cool enough to be friends with either of these fabulous people in real life.  BUT, I am cool enough to read their blogs and take their advice seriously on two of most peoples biggest stresses: fitness and money.

What I learned from Bethenny Frankel this Week

I got to work on Monday and decided that my sedentary eat-whatever-you-want slump was OVER.  I stopped saying, “I need to go to the gym” and said “I am going to the gym today” instead.  Getting back on the wagon of healthy eating and going to the gym is the hardest part for me.  Once I get back on track, I’m easily hooked (albeit not always for long!).

Thankfully, Katie (roommate and best friend) sent me this great article by Bethenny Frankel on realistic exercise.  Bethenny recommends adopting health and fitness as a lifestyle, not as something you “have to do.”  Once you feel you “have to” go to the gym or “have to” eat salads, there is a negative association with the task and your motivation isn’t genuine.

In her article, Bethenny also recommended another simple adjustment: do exercise you enjoy.  If you hate spinning classes and running, then don’t do it!  You will never make it a lifestyle if you hate it.

I shifted my thinking this week and asked what I want my long-term lifestyle to look like.  I thought about what I’ve done in the past that doesn’t last long and I decided to go on a different track.  So far I’m loving it and craving fruit instead of fries- weird!

What I learned from Ramit Sethi this week

Ramit Sethi-in my opinion- is a true hero.  Ramit is another twentysomething Gen Y blogger who has blown it out of the water.  His blog (and book) I Will Teach You to be Richis way more than a personal finance blog.  Like Bethenny, Ramit focuses his teachings on lifestyle instead of  dramatic cuts. 

As part of his earn1k class emails this week (that class looks absolutely amazing, by the way) Ramit went on a rant.  He encouraged his readers to stop focusing on cutting costs and focus on making more money instead.  He says to “go for big wins” and to “stop wasting your time cutting out $3 lattes”.  Ramit believes in spending money on what you love- even if that is world travel, $200 jeans or spending $30,000 a year on going out.  Ramit’s advice is the opposite of what 99% of personal finance bloggers will tell you, but it is actually the smartest advice.  

Like Bethenny said, adapting a lifestyle means creating a system that works for YOU.  When you create a lifestyle that you want, your motivation is genuine and it is no longer something you “have to do”.  This means you will have a healthy relationship with fitness and finances.  It means you don’t beat yourself up if you eat an ice cream cone or splurge on something at Nordstrom once in a while.  If you’ve set up a system for yourself that supports your lifestyle, occasional splurges aren’t a huge deal. 

Lastly, Ramit makes one of my favorite points of all- people don’t get rich by cutting lattes, they get rich by cutting out what they don’t value and making more money.

I hope this post gives you some food for thought as you end this week and go into next.  Hopefully by Monday you will think of one or two things in your own life that you can adjust to fit your lifestyle instead of what you are “supposed to do”.

• How has making “cuts” financially or in your diet affected you?  Did it last? Why did you make the cuts initially and why did you stop?
• How do YOU motivate yourself to stay healthy both physically and financially?
• What systems do you put in place to account for “splurges”?