Best Investment of 2024

We often hear in the news or at social gatherings about the “best investment I ever made,” which usually highlights lucky bets in the stock market. However, these conversations typically fail to mention other bets that went sour. In 2024, I made an investment that didn’t have much potential downside. It wasn’t a stock, bond, or mutual fund.  It wasn’t an investment in knowledge or a product.  It was an investment in my personal health.  I finally bit the bullet and hired a one-on-one personal trainer.  I was experiencing knee and back pain, and I was finally ready to combat it by hiring an expert, writing a check, and being held accountable.  I didn’t want to fast forward 5 or 10 years and have this pain linger or increase.  

I have always been disciplined about watching my diet, working out, and getting proper rest. At the same time, it took me a long time to come to the realization that outside help was worth the cost.  Part of my hesitation and delay stemmed from being very picky about who I would work with. I am pretty knowledgeable about fitness, but like most things in life, I wanted to work with someone who was a specialist.  I finally found what I was looking for with a sports performance-based gym in Syracuse that caters to athletes.  In addition, the trainer that I work with, Cory, concentrates on working with adults instead of the traditional high school/college-age individual.  He has the educational and personal background of someone I was searching for and takes a personalized approach to helping me with my areas of weakness.

This wasn’t a New Year’s resolution that I began on December 31st, 2024 (although I applaud anyone who has made resolutions and is still keeping true to them!). I began working with a trainer in April of 2024. Now that I’m 9+ months into a much longer journey, I’m thrilled I started this process. I have corrected a significant amount of exercise form that may have been causing my discomfort. My knee pain is now gone, my back pain is improving, and I’m slowly building a more robust, balanced body. 

Committing to personal fitness is a lot like investing in the markets. You should not expect overnight success, but by using a disciplined, committed approach, you should be rewarded over time. If you have been thinking of making a change to improve your balance, strength, or fitness, let this article encourage you to find someone who will help you stay committed to that journey.  Very few things are more important than investing in your health and having a pain-free quality of life.