You are already wealthy.
Chances are, you just don’t know it.
During the summer of 2007, I discovered wealth’s mortal enemy — poor health. Despite a healthy diet, I was struck by a debilitating illness and my freedom was pledged as the price; my early retirement was remanded to three escapes: The bed, the bathtub, and the toilet.
While a wealth/entrepreneur website might seem to be “off-topic” for discussions of health and fitness, I can assure you it isn’t because without health, you will find that wealth is elusive.
On your roadtrip to wealth, your health represents your engine. It is the core to your vehicle. Without a healthy core, you can’t function, you can’t pursue goals, and you can’t enjoy your freedom.
Yes, wealth disintegrates.
If you can’t walk up a flight of stairs without clamoring for breath, are you going to be happy? If you spend your days locked up in the dark-hallows of your bedroom because you have zero energy, are you going to be happy?
In my book, I discuss the 3 F’s which constitutes the wealth trinity — Family (relationships/family/community) Freedom (Our ability to do what we desire) and Fitness (Health and Vitality) — and how these elements can be impacted by money, or lack of money.
It is unsettling to know that all the money in the world can’t change a cancer diagnosis or a life threatening disease. Health is primordial which makes it a prerequisite to wealth. Health is immune to bribery! Ask any rich person with a terminal cancer diagnosis, which would you rather have? Your millions? Or you health?
Health always wins.
While you might understand this concept in theory, it never shatters into your consciousness until you have to live it. Trust me, you’d rather be healthy and poor, than terminal and rich.
25 Mindsets to Better Health
How can you ensure that good health accelerates your roadtrip while disease doesn’t steamroll it? I’ve accumulated 25 timeless guidelines that I follow… most of the time.
Yes, I’d be a hypocrite if I told you I followed all of the 25 vital guidelines religiously. I’ve been known to binge into a bag of cookies and smoke a cigar once in awhile. Be mindful of the guidelines, but not imprisoned by them; life is no fun constrained by a smattering of mandates. And the disclaimer: Don’t take these suggestions as “medical advice” but my opinion. I’m not a doctor and I don’t play one on the internet either.
1) Diets don’t work.
Real, permanent body change comes from lifestyle changes, not temporary fixes or diets. Better health is found through permanent lifestyle changes that transcend years, not months. Ironically, The Millionaire Fastlane falls under the same construct: It’s a lifestyle, not a weekly whim.
2) The best food is food in its natural, unaltered state.
Raw, natural food found free of processing will always be best for your health. If it’s legal and grows in the ground or lives in an ocean, it’s probably positive to your diet.
3) Read labels.
The food industry is a $5 trillion a year business where profit is the motive. If it’s cheaper to use a chemical ingredient over a natural one, they will use it regardless of the health consequences. If the list of ingredients in that granola bar is over 2 pages long, do you think it is healthy? Avoid foods with ingredient laundry lists that sound like a foreign language.
4) Avoid prescription drugs.
The drug industry is another behemoth trillion dollar business constructed for profit. Drugs suck because they address symptoms, not problems. I refuse to take drugs unless absolutely necessary. When a doctor pushes some drug, I pass and seek the source of the problem. Drugs are chemicals which often have greater adverse effects than the symptom they seek to fix. Yes, with this drug your restless leg syndrome will be alleviated, but be weary of anal leakage, diarrhea, heart attacks, liver complications, and kidney failure. Really? Ill take the twitching leg. Instead of drugs, seek natural alternatives or lifestyle changes.
5) Doctors are human.
They aren’t the messiahs of health and truth. They don’t know everything. Question everything they say. Seek second opinions. Third and fourth. Unfortunately, some doctors aren’t concerned with your well-being but more concerned about getting you in and out of their office with the “diagnosis of the day”. Lost gone are the days of your medical mystery being solved “House” style. Medical practitioners make money if they see more patients, not less. This “conflict” does not ensure you will get the attention you need.
6) Elevate Your Heart Rate At Least Once Per Day.
Yes, exercise. Get the blood moving. Just once a day. The great thing about getting your heart rate elevated is it doesn’t care what you are doing. Your heart doesn’t care, nor know, what’s going on outside of the body. You could be running to the mail box, digging a ditch, chasing your kids in the yard, or playing tennis — your heart is indifferent. Get your heart rate elevated once per day.
7) The Internet is your friend.
The greatest power of the Internet is to help diagnose your own health issues and formulate solutions for them. Some of my great health challenges I’ve solved on my own without the help of a doctor. Along side your doctor, the Internet is a valuable weapon in your health-before-wealth toolbox.
8) Consume Sugar In Moderation.
Sugar reeks havoc over your metabolism and is the leading cause of diabetes. When you fuel your day on sugar, your energy levels ride a roller coaster as your body struggles to control insulin levels. The greatest energy burst I felt was when I quit drinking sugary soda. Limit your sugar intake and your energy levels will stabilize and be more consistent.
9) Artificial Sweeteners Are Your Enemy.
Artificial sweetener is euphemism. It should read “Chemical Sweetener”. Chemicals are bad for your body and when your body ingests them, it reacts in unnatural ways and runs roughshot on your metabolism. When your body digests a chemical it says “What the hell is this?” and reacts accordingly. I’d rather drink a 150 calorie natural sugar drink than a 0 calorie chemical drink.
10) Water. Water. Water.
Since your body is 78% water, doesn’t it make sense to drink water more than a few times a day? Water is the life of the universe and is the purifier of toxicity in your body. Drink at least 10 glasses of water per day.
11) Avoid HFCS — High Fructose Corn Syrup.
HFSC is a super-sugar created by the food industry to guess what? Of course, cut costs and increase profits. Problem is, HFCS is sweeter than natural sugar and more addictive. When you start reading labels, you will be shocked how many foods have this sugar substitute. Opt for natural cane sugar if at all.
12) Diet Anything = Chemical Additives.
Diet ice cream. Diet cookies. Diet soda. Blah blah blah. Anything that is ZERO calorie or REDUCED calorie usually means “We’ve added chemicals to this food to make it taste better.” Reread tip #9. Don’t “What the hell is this?” your body. Diet anything = chemical factory. Frankly, I’d rather eat more natural calories than less chemical calories.
13) Keep Perspective.
Oh quit crying, your life isn’t so bad. There’s always someone worse off and in a far worse situation. Anytime I want to cry poor me, I regain focus. I live in a free country; that alone is worth a jump-for-joy. I have my health. I can walk, talk, breath, and taste the glorious wonders of food. I can smell the ocean, hear the birds chirp, see the sunset. Wow, life isn’t so bad.
14) Garbage In, Garbage Out.
Guard your mind with things that seek to do it harm. If politics piss you off, avoid mediums that pour politics into your life. If a friend steals your energy and always complains about life, remove them. Misery loves company so don’t allow misery to be your friend.
15) Minimize red meat and dairy consumption.
I’m not sure if we were meant to eat meat. Think about it. When you see a cow, is your natural instinct to kill it? To run over and suck on its udder? Do you salivate at a cow grazing in the pasture and think “Mmmm tasty.” I don’t. However, when I look at a salad bar it looks appetizing. Red meat and dairy products are destructive to your heart. And your heart? Yes, you’re gonna need that.
16) Moderation Moderation Moderation.
Did you know you could overdose on water? Hyponatremia occurs when your blood has reduced sodium caused by consumption of too much water which can cause death. Water is liquid life yet if you drink too much water, you could die. Moderate your consumption of anything. Too much of anything is never good.
17) Eat All Day.
Six meals a day is better than two. Studies show that people who eat small meals frequently throughout the day maintain a higher metabolism. Infrequent, big meals have the power to put the brakes on your metabolism. Big meals equals big butts, big stomachs… you get the picture.
19) Cardiovascular + Resistance Training.
The best exercise consists of a mix of cardiovascular training and resistance training with weights. For maximum health, workout a minimum of three days cardiovascular, and three days weight resistance. A huge walking muscle is as unattractive as a skinny noodle.
20) Confuse Muscles.
Muscles grow when they are confused. If you are doing the same weight workout that you’ve been doing the last 12 years your muscles will not grow and get stronger. To build significant muscle, you must continually confuse the muscle by adapting new resistance exercises and in new positions.
21) Exercise is boring. Competition is fun.
I hate exercise. I’d rather sit in a cold rain and watch the grass grow than climb aboard a treadmill for 50 minutes. Yes, exercise is boring, however, competition is fun. If you hate to exercise, get competitive. Join a competitive sport that forces your heart rate to elevate. Basketball, tennis, swimming, dodge-ball, softball; your options for competitive play are limitless and does the service of exercise.
22) Supplement Your Diet.
Food manufacturers have done a great job in stripping your food of its nutrient value all in the name of a buck. To get all your daily nutrients you need to add supplements to your diet. While this articlecan’t detail which, I suggest a simple multi-vitamin and an antioxidant formula.
23) Educate yourself.
Your body is a complicated machine. To keep it running optimally, you need to educate yourself on how it works. The more you know how your body works, the more apt you will be at keeping it running efficiently. When you realize the exact physiological response your body has to alcohol or sugar, you are less inclined to ingest it.
24) Wash Your Hands.
I once stood in a Las Vegas airport bathroom and observed how many men didn’t wash their hands after urinating … 5 of 11. You’d be surprised at all the crap that lives on your hands. Wash your hands ten times a day. Your hands are Grand Central Station to disease, sickness and infection. Any time you immerse yourself in a public area (airports, gyms, shopping carts, offices) you should make a habit of washing your hands thoroughly after any shared engagement. You can recover from the flu; you can’t recover the 6 days you lose while in recovery.
25) Stop or Minimize Smoking.
Geez, if you’re still smoking cigarettes, haven’t you read the freaking label? Here let me help ya … it says “Smoking Kills”. If you’re going to smoke, do it as a reward for your accomplishments. For example, every so often I’ll smoke a cigar to celebrate some event or achievement in my life, but I’m not chain smoking them daily.
After I laid to rest my pre-teen sedentary lifestyle, fitness and health became a priority. In fact, my failed entrepreneurial origins started in the bodybuilding and fitness industry. While you might not be able to avoid cancer, you can avoid the deprioritization of your health where it becomes a danger to wealth.
Anoint health to royalty.
Wealth’s arch nemesis is poor health — you can’t defend yourself from a traitorous mole after he’s stabbed you in the heart.
When your health is teetering on the mortal precipice of deliverance, it’s usually too late to switch course.
Make changes today so health and wealth is a lifestyle.
What guidelines do you follow? What would you add?
And Stop The Prostitution of Monday Through Friday!
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