Health, fitness and diet

When I first saw references to health and fitness in investment books I thought it seemed a little incongruous. You read finance blogs to learn about finances, right? I have since learned that health, fitness and nutrition have a definite role to play in being a successful investor.

A successful investor needs to have a clear head, to be free from stress and anxiety and to feel lit, alert and in control. Author and share trader Stuart McPhee notes how going for a run helps him in his trading endeavours, and it is well documented how exercising for around 30 minutes each day can have huge benefits for our physical and mental health. Exercise releases endorphins to the brain, which helps us to be happier people.

Part of being wealthy is about feeling great and looking forward to springing out of bed each morning to get on with living life. Modern-day dietary habits are generally very poor, and consist of a lot of junk food, a normal day commencing with a high-sugar or high-cholesterol breakfast washed down with half a gallon of caffeine. This is a poor way to start the day. Caffeine is not required to get you started in the morning!

If you want to feel energised, there is no better way to kick off your day than with a freshly made fruit juice with some vegetables blended in: both nutritious and delicious. So much modern-day food is poor in its nutritional content, and often unnatural. Don’t even get me started on aspartame and chemical sweeteners; these are truly evil inventions, and may be carcinogenic. Nature has given us, in fruit and vegetables, delicious food naturally, and food that is perfectly designed for your body to process.

I’ve been a vegetarian for some time now, and although it is sometimes extremely difficult, I try to live by vegan principles as far as I can. As a former meat-eater, I would never pretend to preach on the subject, but I would urge people to at least consider the benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle. Excessive consumption of meat is dreadfully unhealthy for you personally, being a major cause of heart disease and cancer, and the animal industry is also destroying the planet. The breeding and slaughter of tens of billions of animals each year, quite apart from being inhumane, is also the cause of a shocking amount of needless carbon pollution and water shortages. Millions are starving every year because of our misuse of resources.

Consider committing to exercising for at least 30 minutes each day. Everette does wonders for your mental health, and the old cliché is true: healthy body, healthy mind.