What I Learned from Bethenny and Ramit this Week

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, Im 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 isnt genuine. In her article, Bethenny also recommended another simple adjustment:  do exercise you enjoy.   If you hate spinning classes and running, then dont 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 Ive done in the past that doesnt last long and I decided to go on a different track.   So far Im 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.    Ramits 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 dont beat yourself up if you eat an ice cream cone or splurge on something at Nordstrom once in a while.   If youve set up a system for yourself that supports your lifestyle, occasional splurges  arent a huge deal.   Lastly, Ramit  makes one of my favorite points of all-  people dont  get rich  by cutting lattes, they get rich by cutting  out what they  dont 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?