Habit #2: Make Your Health a Priority
We talked about why it’s important to feed your brain by reading good information everyday. But you also need to feed your body with real good food and exercise as well.
Again, the good habit of making your health a priority is obvious.
You know you should drink more water, eat more fruits and veggies, and exercise more.
But it’s not that simple. Because everyone’s life comes with certain implications and variables that don’t always allow for healthy living.
We also have other obligations that include:
- Family
- Work
- Relationships
- Daily chores
- Unexpected emergencies
We have so many things to do on top of things distracting us from what we are supposed to do.
And that’s the problem.
The Problem with Making Healthy Living a Habit
Not enough people make their health a priority because they are:
- Lazy
- Restricted due to their environment
- Mislead by unethical doctors and corporate pharmacies
- Struggling with depression
Even yet, some doctors are not in the business of prevention but treatment. If we could never get sick or have bad health we’d never need doctors or pharmacies, and that’d be bad for Big Pharma.
According to the CDC:
- 42.4% of the US adult population was obese in 2017-2018
- 13.7 of adults in the U.S. smoke cigarettes in 2018
- 3 in 4 adults do not exercise daily
- Adults and children consume too many processed, sugary foods and not enough micronutrients or water
Now, the question you need to ask yourself is, “Do I fall into any of these statistics?”
If so, then look at your life and remove any obstacles within your control.
Make it Make Sense
You only get one body. One vessel. One machine. So why would you fill your body up with garbage like it’s a trash can?
Why would you sit around on the couch… knowing your ancestors had to forage for food and survive dangerous animals in the wild?
…so you could be here today.
Your body is the one vessel that takes you wherever you want to go and is linked to every aspect of your life.
You can’t make money without a healthy body, you can’t be there for your family without your health. You can’t enjoy sex if you don’t feel confident naked.
Unless you want to spend time visiting the doctor constantly, getting pumped with meds, and missing out on time with your family…
You must make your health a priority.
We live in a world where some people don’t have the tools they need to take care of themselves.
But if you know the only obstacle to good health is you, then you have no excuse.
And you must figure out how to make good health a habit.
How To Make Your Health a Priority
If you want to make your health a priority, you must decide what you’re trying to live for. It could be as obvious as wanting a better life. Maybe, you want to be around for your future grandchildren.
Then decide how you are going to carve out your own path to your health. Start by making mental shifts and changing your environment.
You are a trader. And a trader takes their health very seriously so they stay alert and concentrate on making money. You are a person who exercises and eats real, good food. You are a person who keeps their space and environment clean.
You are disciplined.
You don’t gorge on fast food and unhealthy snacks in excessive amounts and lay on the couch all day. Those are not your values.
That’s not who you are.
Remember you have 24 hours. But consider your 24 hours and what that means. Since you’re going to be a trader sitting behind screens for a lengthy amount of time, you can just focus on taking walks and taking supplements with a healthy balanced diet.
No one’s meal plan or workout regimen is going to be the same. So make your routine for you. If you hate jogging…
Don’t jog.
Maybe jump-rope is more your speed. The good thing with exercise is that you can always map it to the intensity and lifestyle that fits your health goals best.
Too many people think being healthy means they have to have the body of Lebron James or Scarlett Johanssen. Don’t let the media and gossip magazines trick you by conflating being athletic or sexy with being healthy.
Being healthy is just making sure you can move and go about your day every day without complications.
As long as you’re not falling apart like a run down Camry then you’re on the right track.
If you’re not a professional athlete or a movie star, you don’t have to train and eat like one. They get paid to look like that.
You don’t.
If you hate cooking, maybe you can look into a personal chef. And if you don’t have the luxury of a personal chef, there are meal plan subscriptions made just for you.
Or you can cook the same meals for a week to get down a routine and then switch it up when you get bored.
How you go about it is up to you and there are plenty of expert resources that can help.
Remember, don’t try to change too many things at once or set unrealistic goals such as “losing 30 pounds by next summer”
Improving your health should be a process with small steps that you can manage.
Workout and eat healthy just for you.
Again you can use the following metrics that fit within your 24 hours:
- 30 minutes of movement or any activity for 4 days a week
- Play flag football every Sunday
- No meat, sugar or processed food during the week
- Go for a swim before or after work
- Ditch elevators for the steps
- 20 pushups first thing in the morning
- Incorporate side salads and supplements with every meal
- Get a personal trainer (if you have no clue where to start)
Jamie Foxx for example does 15 pull ups and 50 pushups every morning. If that seems excessive you can modify it for you.
The most important thing is to set a reasonable goal and that you commit to it.
The Benefits of Making Your Health a Priority
If making your health a priority is still a struggle for you. Just think of the benefits as incentive. A good trick is to read about the benefits of a particular exercise, fruit or vegetable you are going to eat.
That can always give you some incentive. Plus there are all these awesome benefits of being healthy:
- Make more money
- Live longer
- Better self-esteem and better sex life
- Become more disciplined and focus
- Enhances the amazing things your body can do
Plus, you can’t focus on trading if you’re dealing with high blood pressure all the time or just mentally stressed all the time.
Why Wouldn’t You If You Can?
It’s quite maddening that most people that have no excuse don’t realize that they don’t get one body. Making your health a priority as a habit is simply not an option.
It’s just plain common sense. The human body is simply designed to move and must be well cared for with good, clean food for energy.
It can’t get any simpler than that.
Yes, life can get in the way with its challenges and obstacles but as long as these obstacles are within your control.
Then you have no excuse. All traders need to be at their best in body and mind. That’s what you deserve.
Because you’re worth it.