The Investment Paradox

I find life to be full of paradoxes, big and small. One of the paradoxes I find in the search for personal change is that to get more of something you want, you often have to give up some of what you have of that thing.

I find it useful to think of financial investments as an analogy. For most of us, part of increasing our financial stability is finding ways to build some savings, even if just a little bit, to get us through a rough patch or to secure a more comfortable retirement. But, few of us make the kind of income that allows us to save money without any pain. So, if we can't increase our income, we have to make the choices that allow us to cut our spending.

Exercise is a lot like that. Most of us know that exercise is good for everybody, and it's especially good for diabetics. It's most especially good for those of us with Type 2 (and many type 1 folks as well) because it reduces insulin resistance, sometimes dramatically. When I'm exercising regularly, my fasting numbers improve, I don't seem to spike as high after a meal, AND I seem to recover from the spike more rapidly.

I've been off the regular exercise pattern for a few months now. I'd recently been making some headway, but was derailed by the heat wave we've had here: the highs have been above 95 just about every day for a couple of weeks, and more exercise has just been out of the question for me. Perhaps as a result of the non-exercise, I'm just not feeling as well as I could be.

So, here's the paradox: in order to feel better, I have to "invest" some of my dwindling energy store into some aerobic movement. I can't buy exercise in a store, and I can't borrow some from a friend - I have to make that investment myself. Bummer, huh?

I suspect that sleep works the same way. I often have trouble sleeping, especially on Friday and Saturday nights. So, I sleep late on Saturdays and Sundays. But, I've often read that one of the best ways to improve one's sleep is to have a regular sleep schedule - that DOESN'T include sleeping until 10 on weekends. To improve, I'm probably going to have to give up sleeping in, even though it feels desperately needed, as an investment in better sleep.

What investments do you need to make?