When you are stressed about money, exercise seems like the last thing you have time or money for. A gym membership costs money, and an evening out running feels like a luxury when there are bills on the table. Yet exercise is one of the best-supported ways to reduce stress. And one of the most accessible forms costs nothing: walking.
What exercise does to stress
Stress is first and foremost a physical reaction. Your heart beats faster, your muscles tense, your body gets ready to fight or flee. That system is useful in acute danger, but money worries are not a danger you can run away from. The tension lingers.
Exercise gives that tension an outlet. A large umbrella review by Ben Singh and colleagues in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (2023) brought together almost a hundred systematic reviews and concluded that physical activity has a clearly beneficial effect on symptoms of depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adults. Notably, all types of activity had an effect, including walking. So you do not need to run a marathon to benefit.
How much is enough?
In its 2020 guidelines, the WHO recommends that adults do 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity, plus muscle-strengthening exercises at least twice a week. Moderate intensity means you breathe faster but can still talk. So a brisk walk counts.
At least as important is the message with which the WHO launched those guidelines: every move counts. If you hardly move at the moment, you already gain by doing a little more. Fifteen minutes of walking during your lunch break is not a failure because it is not 300 minutes a week. It is a start.
Why it is a buffer, for your wallet too
At FWBA we often talk about a financial buffer: a reserve that protects you when something unexpected happens. Exercise works in a similar way for your body and your mind. If you move regularly, you build up a reserve that helps you cope better with tension and setbacks.
There is also a direct link with your money, although you should not exaggerate it:
- Fewer comfort purchases. Many people buy something to feel better for a moment after a hard day. A walk can meet that same need for relaxation, without a receipt.
- Clearer thinking. Many people feel calmer after exercise. That is a better moment to look at your budget or make a difficult phone call than when you are tense.
- Long-term health. According to the WHO, enough physical activity lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and some forms of cancer, among other conditions. That is first and foremost a gain for your quality of life, but your health is also the basis of your ability to work and earn an income.
Exercising without spending much
You do not need expensive equipment or a membership. A few ideas:
- Walk or cycle to work or to the shops, or get off the bus or tram one stop early.
- See what your local council’s sports department organises, such as beginners’ classes, walking clubs or outdoor sessions. These are often free or cost only a small amount.
- Ask your health insurer or your employer. Some insurers and employers contribute to the membership fee of a sports club. Check the conditions that apply to you.
- Do you have a gym membership you hardly use? Then it costs you money without taking away any stress. With the subscription audit you can quickly see what you really use.
- Bodyweight exercises, such as squats or press-ups against a wall, can be done at home for your muscle-strengthening minutes.
Nadia walks away from worrying
Nadia (51) works as an administrative assistant. Since her husband retired and their household income fell, she has been worrying a lot about money. She had a gym membership costing a few tens of euros a month, but had not been for months. Every direct debit felt like a reproach.
She cancels the membership and arranges with a colleague to walk along the Scheldt for half an hour during their lunch break three times a week. It costs nothing and she immediately has someone counting on her. After a few weeks she notices that she takes fewer sweets from the vending machine in the afternoon and that she can look at her bills more calmly in the evening. ‘There isn’t any more money,’ she says, ‘but it makes me feel less small.’
Exercise can ease stress and low mood, but on its own it is not a treatment for depression or an anxiety disorder. If you have physical complaints or a chronic condition, talk to your GP before you start exercising more intensively. If you are dealing with serious worries, you can also turn to the social services of your local authority or to a helpline in your country.
A small exercise for this week
- Choose three moments in your diary for a twenty-minute walk. Put them in as if they were appointments.
- Give yourself a stress score from 1 to 10 before and after each walk.
- After the walk, note one money matter that you can now think about more calmly, and the very next step you will take.
- At the end of the week, look at your scores. Do you notice a difference between before and after?
Self-care for body and money
Exercise and financial self-care have more in common than you might think. Both work best in small, regular steps. Both build up a reserve you can fall back on later. And for both, you do not have to wait until everything is perfect to start. A walk after a stressful day is not running away from your money worries, but a way of coming back to them with a clearer head.
Would you like to discover what gives you energy and what drains it, in your body and in your wallet? Try the energy givers and energy drainers tool.