Getting your finances in order doesn't seem like it would be a lifestyle change for fitness benefits, but it really can be. Just think of the role that money plays in your everyday life. You worry about money and end up facing financial hardships that move into your work life, your home life, your marriage, and even your physical health.

Financial fitness isn't something that we'll stress for too long here, but it is something to make part of your overall guide to living a long, healthy lifestyle.

As you know, stress causes a wide range of health concerns for your body. Money is one of the largest causes of stress in people every single day.

Therefore, when you want to improve your well being and health you need to take into account the fitness of your overall financial life. In the perfect world you would have plenty of money to do what you want to do. But, that's not always possible.

So, to help you, we've put together some things that can offer you success when managing your financial outlook even when you are struggling to make ends meet.

• Live within your means. While it's nice to have what everyone else has, its not going to make your life better to have them. For example, if your neighbors just purchased a new car, you may feel like you need to have one too. But, will having a new car really improve your life? Then it may not be worth the financial risk and cost to own one.

• Don't use credit. Credit today is used for everything from buying a house or car to buying lunch at McDonald's. While you may need to use credit for the larger, more expensive purchases, keep as many of your other purchases credit free. This may be hard, but if you stop using credit today and start using cash, you may find yourself with more cash to spend then credit!

• Make a budget with your entire family. It goes without saying that you can't spend what you have if you don't know what you have. Each month make a goal of tackling one extra bill to pay it down as much as possible. Give yourself some money to use as you want for entertainment each month too, so that you don't feel deprived. You are more likely to stick with your budget this way. Include each family member in the making and keeping of the budget!

• Don't eat out. This isn't good for your waistline anyway! You can save thousands of dollars each year by eating at home! You'll cut the pounds off, eat better quality foods and better recipes!

Getting your finances in check may mean talking with various people including your lenders and financial planners. But, if you didn't have to pay all of those credit cards each month, how much money would you have in cash to spend? Get to that point and you'll have immeasurable success throughout all areas of your life, too.