Invest in Your Health: Multitasking

Investing in your health takes time. It’s necessary, but sometimes fitting in that daily hour (or even thirty minutes) can seem taxing on your busy schedule. So how can you find time to put some of the work back in your work out?

Audiobooks

I run twice a day. Once in the morning to jump start my brain, and again in the evening to unwind and spend time with my puppies. Although I love the sound of nature, sometimes I can’t enjoy my runs because I have so much else going on: I want to learn about this; I’d love to read that.

However, I sit at a computer practically the whole day, so I can’t bypass my runs...or the only things that will need to be bypassed in the future are the arteries in my heart. Thankfully, about a month ago, a thought occurred to me: audiobooks for my runs! Instead of trying to find a book I wanted as an eBook or in print form, I went to an online audiobook store. I was able to find the book and download it. Then I just uploaded it to my MP3 player like I do my songs.

Motivation and Education

Once I purchased my books, I made two strict self-management rules: I cannot move on to the next book until I’ve finished the last, and I cannot listen to the audiobook unless I am up on my feet moving. If I don’t feel like listening to words, then I switch over and play music. However, that just prolongs the book that much more, which means more exercise!

Now I’m motivated to run more because I want to get through the book. I already downloaded the next book, but I have three hours of audio on this one to go. So I know I’ll be running at least three hours in the next couple of days. The next book is even bigger.

I now rotate between fiction and non-fiction books, and I rarely listen to songs on my runs anymore. If it’s a very pretty day, I’ll throw on my hiking pack, hook my iPad up with a set of ear buds, load it and my laptop in the hiking pack and take off on a four hour excursion. This hike brings me on many loops around the same creek, and I had never been able to keep myself entertained for such a long continuous loop before.

Dictation

Another way to stay fit while multitasking is to invest in a cheap hand-held dictation device. Everyone has heard that going for a walk can help open up your mind, right? If that’s true for you as well, then capitalize on the opportunity and record those thoughts as they come.

You can get a low-cost hand-held dictation machine at your local Walmart (or other local store). Then, as thoughts flow for your next book or for that big project that’s hanging over your head, you can simply talk as you walk.

So if you’re time-pressed, try multitasking your workout. Also, the next time you find a great book about investing, check and see if you can find it as an audiobook. You can super-multitask: invest in your health while you learn to invest in your finances. I guarantee, the dividends will be great from both investments!

What about you? How do you multitask your investments in yourself and your health?

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