Guest Post: “Health is Wealth” by Pat Barone, MCC, BCC, CPCC

My younger sister was dying of lung cancer at the age of 37, when I first conceived of my mantra, Health IS Wealth.

My sister was a funny, sassy little thing who had spent a tremendous part of her energy pursuing wealth in life.

The only problem was, it was at the expense of her health. This is, sadly, a common story. Most of my clients are so attached to the idea of their money, career, or income, they cannot take proper care of themselves nutritionally.

My sister and I grew up in a multi-addicted family. My father was an alcoholic. My mother was a food addict. Since Dad was absent from our lives most of the time, we learned mom’s form of self-medication. All children pick up on their parents’ addictions, even when the parents attempt to hide it.
My mother put us on our first diet when I was 10 years old and my sister was eight years old.

Think about that for a moment. You’re a kid… and I might add, not overweight… but Mom needs to lose weight, so – WHAM! – you are on a diet. Looking back, it was the worst possible thing to do to a kid.
From that moment on, we knew there was something wrong with us and we needed to be fixed.

My sister was the only one who was able to control her weight somewhat. She did this the way many actresses and models do it:  she drank diet cokes and smoked cigarettes all day long. She used these two items to avoid eating.

As she grew up, she began dating a man who insisted on having a thin wife. In fact he insisted she lose some weight before they got married (you know, just as a safety margin!).

Because of the way we grew up – not valuing ourselves – she did not slap him in the face and tell him to pound sand (sorry, my suggestion)… she married him.

Three years later, as she was dying, her doctor told me she was actually too young to die from “smoking-induced” lung cancer (22 years of smoking is not ENOUGH?) and the artificial sweeteners in the diet cokes was probably the culprit. (If you look at the rise in lung cancer in young women and the rise in use of artificial sweeteners during this time, the lines match.)

Now, my sister was a banker, and she had spent a great deal of her efforts in life at making money. But all the money in the world can’t buy health after it is gone.

It wasn’t until I was standing by her hospital bed, witnessing her last breath, I saw this truth.

I learned health should always come first. And I reprioritized my life, and lost over 90 lbs.

As you can imagine, the diet cokes were the first to feel my savage rejection!

If you are healthy, you can always work and make money. Without health, your money, no matter how much you possess, goes away fast.

It’s quite common for someone to come to me for weight loss coaching, and say, “I can’t afford it,” which is actually saying “I’d rather give my money to doctors and suffer from a horrible, deadly disease in the future, but I’ll pretend it’s not my responsibility.”

But think about how much money is spent on all that extra food we eat, the diet books we read and never execute, and even the diet products they call “food.”

Money is an excuse.

Money is the biggest excuse we have for not getting the life we want.

Recently, I had another revelation about money and health.

When we don’t take care of money, we become stressed. We worry about bills, savings, future monetary needs, and other financial concerns. We worry about health and healthcare expenses!

But, here’s the catch. Worry is stress and stress destroys health!

NOT taking care of money gets in the way of health.

NOT taking care of health gets in the way of money.

They really are the same, because they are two of our greatest resources.

 Health IS Wealth.

Seventy-five to ninety percent of all doctor visits are related to stress. Five out of the six leading causes of death are stress related (heart disease, cancer, stroke, respiratory disease and accidents).

We can grow and develop anything – including wealth and health – if we are willing to pay the price. And the price for growth or betterment is always the same:  attention.

So, how can you pay attention to both, equally and lovingly?

That’s the key to success!

Get a free gift at this link: http://patbarone.com/dangerzones/

Who is Pat Barone? Pat is one of .005% of people who lose substantial weight and keep it off long term. Her 90+ lb. weight loss has been sustained since the year 2000. She’s a certified personal trainer, certified weight management counselor and certified yoga instructor. In addition, her Master Certified Coach credential through the International Coach Federation (ICF) is the highest certification in the coaching profession and is held by less than 700 coaches worldwide. She is a known expert on health, fitness and weight loss. She has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, Shape, Health and dozens of other media outlets and is Channel NBC15’s life coach, seen on-air twice monthly in Madison, WI.

Contact Pat Barone, MCC, at patbarone@earthlink.net and “like” her Facebook fan page at AmericasWeightLossCatalyst to get daily inspiration. Discover an array of educational products at http://patbarone.com!

Bonnie S. Gortler

Bonnie Gortler, Consultant, Coach, and Author specializing in Wealth and Well-Being, is a successful stock market expert who has been instrumental in managing multi-million-dollar client portfolios within a top-rated investment firm during her over 35-year corporate career. As the author of “Journey to Wealth,” Bonnie has made it her mission to share the importance of risk management and how to enjoy real financial well-being by applying the technical and mental sides of investing. Bonnie has an M.B.A. and is a certified life coach. It is through her love of coaching, consulting, blogging, and social media that she creates change in the lives of many and inspires people from around the world. Bonnie is fully committed to your personal growth and development as she shares her winning spirit and powerful techniques with you. Visit BonnieGortler.com to gain tips and insights about investing, personal development, and inspiration through her articles on Wealth and Well-Being.
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