🦷 Sound Advice from an Underrated Podcast (That I Ignored)

Sometimes, you don’t have to look far for good advice — you just have to take your own.

A few years back, Peter, our friend Sarah, and I hosted a podcast called The Fat and Broke Podcast. It’s still out there on all the platforms — Apple, Spotify, you name it. In Episode 15: “Our Biggest Money Mistakes,” we each shared a few lessons we learned the hard way.

One of mine?

👉 Being penny wise and pound foolish when it came to my teeth.

Yep. The dentist story.

💸 The Mistake I Promised I’d Never Make Again

During that episode, I confessed to putting off simple dental things — cleanings, small fillings, etc. I’d delay them to “save” time or money… and every single time, it backfired. A small cavity would turn into a crown, a crown into a root canal — and the bill (and pain) would skyrocket.

At the time, I said something like, “Never again. Lesson learned.”

Spoiler: I didn’t learn.

⛽ The Gas Station Epiphany

Fast forward to this year. I’m at a gas station in Connecticut during one of my son’s hockey tournaments. My tooth had been bothering me for weeks, but I kept putting it off.

While my wife was inside grabbing snacks (don’t tell Peter), I decided to give flossing another shot between two teeth that had been bugging me. I wedged the floss in, forced it past the obstruction, and pulled down.

Out popped something hard.

I was hoping it was a seed.
It was not a seed.
It was part of my tooth.

That’s when it hit me: not just the pain, but the realization that I’d done exactly what I warned people not to do — again.

🦷 The Aftermath (and the Bill)

A quick trip to the dentist confirmed it: antibiotics, referral for a root canal.
But when I got there, the specialist told me there wasn’t enough tooth left to save.
Now, I’m looking at an extraction, an implant, and several follow-up visits.

The irony?

The same thing I was avoiding — time and money — is now the price I’ll pay, multiplied by ten.

🧩 What This Has to Do with Health and Fitness

This isn’t just about teeth. It’s about everything we put off.

We all do it — wait until the pain is bad enough, the problem big enough, or the motivation high enough to act. But when it comes to our health, waiting rarely makes things easier.

That lingering shoulder pain you ignore?
That “tight hip” you’ve had for months?
That fatigue you brush off as “just getting older”?

Each small thing is your body’s version of a tiny cavity — a warning sign. And the earlier you address it, the simpler (and cheaper) the solution.

💪 The Lesson (Again)

If something feels off — in your body, your training, your energy — deal with it now.
Don’t wait for it to become the root canal version of your health.

At Whole Health Solutions and Sports Performance, we see this all the time: people finally coming in after months (or years) of putting things off, when a few early visits could have saved them a lot of pain, frustration, and money.

So consider this your friendly reminder from someone who should have known better:

👉 Don’t delay your health. Address it today.

Your future self — and your wallet — will thank you.

🎧 If You Want to Hear the Original Episode

Check out Episode 15: “Our Biggest Money Mistakes” on The Fat and Broke Podcast.
It’s available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other major platforms.