While I’m technically back at home, I’m still on vacation this week. Some of these posts may be a bit short, but they were written to give you something to read while I’m traveling as well as to continue on our ongoing themes:

There’s no question there’s a cost to working out. In some cases it’s a cost for materials or equipment–a bicycle, for instance. A helmet. Cycling cleats. Pedals. Running shoes. Sunglasses. Headbands. Even the lowest cost sport I participate in–swimming–costs me money in terms of goggles, towels, and shorts (not that I didn’t have the last two, but they are still expenses). When I enter an organized event like the marathon or century or Great Aloha Run, I pay money for that as well.

There’s also a substantial time cost to working out. Time is money, and time is not a commodity that can be replaced–it’s precious. So any time I spend on a workout is time that I spend away from this blog, for instance, or with my aging mother, or my nine year old niece, or from any of a million other projects that are calling to me. It can get expensive both in time and dollars, and as a guy who also runs a personal finance blog, I can certainly appreciate that.

But perhaps the way to look at my investment here is not what it costs me to work out–but what it would cost me not to work out.

In my eyes, exercise is one of the three sections of the triangle of health: diet, exercise, medical care. If I stopped, I would be okay–for awhile. But I’d be much more likely to have issues with my weight and strength, for instance, and maybe need more medication as well. I could compensate some with diet–but not entirely, because no amount of diet management is going to make me markedly stronger, more flexible, or have better lung capacity.

Interestingly, a recent CNN Money story states that prevention won’t save health care (I have to look at this very closely), but that instead, prevention–which includes weight management, exercise, proper diet, and other tasks to try to maintain your health–increases your quality of life.

Having worked for years with folks who were reaching the end of their time on earth–even those who are very young–I can tell you that quality of life matters. Even if I’m not gaining any time in terms of the length of my life, if I can go longer with my vision, my kidneys, and my limbs intact, I think the investment I’m making is well worth it.