The one investment you’ll never regret

Making smart investments isn’t just about sacrificing today for a secure future. Invest in your health now and enjoy the benefits immediately, says Chris Judd.

Most people I know spend lots of time thinking about their budget. And that’s important. Financial security is just as necessary for owning a home or raising a family as it is to setting off on that dream holiday overseas.

But if there’s one investment I think we should all be paying more attention to, it’s our health. In the later years of life, you may not regret not investing in that one stock, or not working those extra hours at the office on a Monday night. What you might regret is not putting that same effort into your personal health now, while you’ve got the ability to do it.

Your personal health is one of the most important investments you can make. And committing to your wellbeing today isn’t just a down payment for the future. It’s the one investment that pays dividends straight away.

The first step to making a lasting investment in your health is to recognise it’s the foundation for all the other aspects in your life, including your family and your work. If you can’t get your health to at least a reasonable level, everything else can suffer. But when your health improves, your personal and professional life can thrive.

Once you’ve committed to this way of thinking, motivation is easy to find. Suddenly you’re more driven to work on your fitness four times a week, rather than just doing it because your personal trainer keeps texting you those friendly reminders.

In my experience, the biggest obstacle for people trying to get healthy is setting aside the time to do it. It can be all too easy to deprioritise your health goals when the same time could be spent working or making money elsewhere.

If your health is the investment, then time is the currency you spend on it. You need to accept that a healthy lifestyle doesn’t come for free, but it’s all the more rewarding when you’ve achieved it. Putting value on your health, and investing the time to get there, is a non-negotiable – much more than a new pair of runners or a gym membership. You don’t actually need all the latest equipment to improve your quality of life, but you do need the time.

During my time in the AFL, I’d often hear players talk about all the sacrifices they’d made for their fitness, their training and their team’s success. In the same way, people often think of making sacrifices for their fitness now, so they’ll be healthy enough to enjoy their family and their retirement later.

The truth is, working on your fitness isn’t a sacrifice. Not in the same way you make sacrifices to meet the rising cost of living and house prices. Your health is instant. The moment you finish exercising, you feel better immediately.

My family is the most important thing to me, but even they’d agree – if I haven’t done any exercise for a period of time, I get grumpy anyway. So the time I spend with them isn’t as a high-quality as it is when I’m feeling good and healthy.

So while spending time on your health now will absolutely set you up for the future, taking a positive approach to your physical and mental fitness will have instant benefits too. It’s the investment that keeps on giving.

And at the end of the day, there’s nobody who can invest in your personal health but you.

Former Australian Rules footballer Chris Judd is familiar with how to get your heart rate up and push yourself physically. Twice winner of the prestigious Brownlow Medal, Chris is an honoured sportsman and father to four children, Oscar, Billie, Tom and Darcy. The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances.