We’re all familiar with ways to invest. Whether through stocks and bonds, real estate, collectibles, or antiques, the point of investing is to do something now that will bring rewards in the future. While it’s pretty common to make some type of external investment – such as buying stocks in the new “it” company – for many people, investing in their health is lower on the list of priorities.

Investing in your health and wellness doesn’t need to be hard or complicated.  It just takes a bit of planning and shifting your mindset to acknowledge how important this investment is.

An easy way to invest in yourself is to make more of your own food.  This means decreasing the times you order out and instead pouring some love into the meals that you create.  It also means dumping the fast-food runs, because we all know how toxic that is for your health.

You can bump up the homecooked food aspect a bit by buying organic and non-GMO whenever possible.  And if you really want to go for it, the next step is to grow some of your own fruits and veggies.  While this action takes more effort, if you have the time, the payoffs are huge.

Getting more sleep is another way to invest in yourself.  We all know how it feels to be running on fumes.  Your productivity goes down, your mood tanks, and your brain just doesn’t work in the ways that it needs to so that you can be a fully-functioning human.  Check out this post I wrote that’s filled with all sorts of helpful tips and tricks to getting a good night’s sleep.

To add to the sleep investment, it’s essential to sleep on a good-quality mattress.  This one can come with a high price tag, as you might already know.  But the rewards of this financial investment are huge.  I can tell you that, when I used to sleep on an old, crappy mattress, my body was exceptionally cranky.  And cranky all the time. 

Since I’ve upgraded my mattress (hello, my sweet Sleep Number bed of happiness), my body feels a million times better.  Are there still times when it’s unhappy?  Sure.  I have chronic pain issues that sometimes just don’t disappear no matter what I try.  But I know that I’d feel so much worse if I were still sleeping on that trashy mattress.  If you’re able to upgrade, this is a good place to invest in yourself.

Learning new things is another way to invest in yourself.  In this digital age, there are ample ways to learn the things that you’ve always wanted to.  From a new language to computer skills, money mindset to how to repair your kitchen faucet, all can be found online, in a podcast, a course, or in a book.   

In looking back at my Ayurveda coursework, I can tell you how glad I am that I enrolled in the program several years ago.  I’d wanted to take this program for over 10 years, and I’m so happy that I finally did it – and looking back I wish I would have done it sooner!  Now is the perfect time for you to learn something that you’ve wanted to.

Tying into learning new things, hiring a coach is a great investment in your health and wellness.  Sometimes we just can’t get to the next level unless we have help from someone else.  Even the greats like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant had coaches.  All of my business mentors have coaches themselves.  If you want to go further in an area of your life, hiring a coach is a fantastic investment and worth every penny.

Having fun is another simple investment in your health.  When was the last time you had fun?  Like actual fun.  Whether it’s with other people or by yourself, having fun is vital to your well-being.  

The possibilities are endless here.  If something brings a smile to your face – and, better yet, an actual laugh-out-loud moment – go for it!  Take the time to enjoy your life more and watch how it has a delightful ripple effect on every aspect of your life.

One final way to invest in yourself is to cut the crap out of your life.  Whether it’s junk food, the news, or removing toxic people from your life, getting rid of the yuck will help your body, mind, and spirit uplevel.

You can see that most of these investments don’t cost a dime.  But they do cost us our most valuable resource, and that’s time.  It takes time to read a book, cook your own dinner, and hang out with a friend for some good ol’ laughing.  You can continue on, doing the same old things every day on autopilot, or you can make subtle yet impactful shifts in your life and choose to invest in yourself daily.  The dividends are more than you could put a price tag on.