The Habits of Successful People: What 10 Years of Studying Them Taught Me About Health

I've lost track of how many years I've spent studying highly successful people. It's almost ten. It's always been an obsession of mine. I want to read the book. Why are you so different? Why does your life seem so nice? What are you doing differently? Let me learn.

And here's what I noticed: almost everyone at that level is healthy. They look good, they feel good, they keep their bodies. Not all of them, but most. Which tells me something: you get to choose.

You don't need the 17 steps. You need something easy you can come back to every time.

Make the trade

You only have so many hours in a day, so why not have all of it? For me, the trade is TV, Netflix, games and sports. I don't care about them, because that's what I give up to have my health. That time goes to being dialled in on my food, to the gym, to reading, to growing.

It's what lets me push when I don't feel like it, when I have no motivation, when I've had a rough day, even when I'm sick and I tell that cold, “You're coming with me, we're going to the gym today.”

Simple beats 17 steps

If you want to keep something for a long time, it has to be simple. I can't stand the 17-step morning routines. Honestly, I'm a little jealous anyone can keep one up, because it's not my vibe at all.

You need something easy and repeatable, something you can come back to every single time. Once you've built that “I always come back” muscle, then go ahead and build your 17 steps to fame, if you still want them.

Do only what only you can do

Successful people are simple people. The busier they get, the simpler things get for them. They delegate, they hand things off, and the things they still do themselves are the things only they can do.

Keep it close to home

They also make the healthy thing easy to reach. Chris Bumstead, who won the Olympia, used a freezer in his garage as his cold plunge. Tony Robbins has a cold plunge and a sauna at his house. These people aren't travelling far for the things they want. Some of them have a whole gym at home, so they never even leave the house.

No home gym? Use what you have

I know: you live in an apartment, you don't have money for a home gym. Let's deal with that before it turns into a reason. Do you have a water bottle? A cup? Something with weight to it? I've been down bad before, and I figured it out. Use whatever you have.

If you walk in believing you don't have what you need, you'll be blind to what's right in front of you. Here's what I want you to believe instead: if God gave me the challenge, God gave me the tools. Go out and find them, because they're there.

I'm pulling the mom card on this one. It's in the fridge. I know it's on the top shelf, and I'm not going to tell you that part, because I already told you seven times. The tools are there. Look again.

Protect your energy and your time

Successful people protect their energy and their time, and it keeps coming back to simple systems. They're not better than you. Imagine waking up and someone hands you your vitamin. Easy, right?

No personal assistant? Do you have a counter? Put your vitamins where you'll see them. I've kept all my supplements in one bag before, just so I stayed consistent. Micronutrients matter. There's a way around almost everything when you set it up once.

Treat your body like a business

The last thing highly successful people do: they treat their body like a business. There's a little coldness that comes with that, and I don't say it to take away your intuition or your flow. I love that, and there's a time and a place for it.

But if that “how do I feel today” flow keeps pulling you off your goals, you get to say, “Not right now. I'm doing this first, and we'll come back to that later.” Like a friend who swears she's fine but clearly just needs a snack: she can have it, on her own time. Right now, it's business time.

Act first. The feelings come after.

Plant the seed, water the plant

When you treat your body like the business it is, the emotions that stop you from acting lose their grip. And here's the fun part: once you're in action, you create the feelings. They show up after.

See the life cycle of it. You have a seed but no plant yet, and that's not scary. You water it. You don't have to feel any type of way before you water it. You show up regularly, you plant more seeds, you water all of them, and eventually they grow. First things first, then the results.

Bicycle or private jet

Health is an infinite game, and I see it like vehicles. You can ride a bicycle, or you can fly private. You decide how fast you go and how you want to be served.

There's nothing wrong with a bicycle. I remember my bicycle days. You can start on your own with the guides and the 90 Day Level Up planner. You can have a plan built for your body. Or, for the full experience, there's one-on-one coaching, by application. Even if you feel like you're starting with nothing, you can still come in. No matter where you're starting, you can make progress.