Why you should focus on your health
I have spent the last couple of years thinking quite a bit about health. Experimenting with myself and our team, and supporting startups that are trying to help Indians make healthier choices.
A few thoughts on how and why you should focus on your health.
In chasing money goals, it is easy to forget that all the money in the world can’t buy good health. As we grow older, our health determines the quality of life, not money. Good health also means the ability to bounce back faster if unforeseen incidents occur.
Health goals should be about how you feel, not how you look. Wanting to look a certain way, influenced by celebs and influencers who fake it with lights and photography, use performance-enhancing drugs, or hit the genetic lottery, is a recipe for unhappiness.
Sitting is the new smoking. Setting simple activity goals in terms of how much I move (calories burnt) and reminders to stand up every 45 mins has had the most impact on me. The current health challenge in Zerodha is to set a daily activity goal & try reaching 90% of the time.
Sleeping by 9 pm & getting a workout at 5 am has been helpful. Sleeping early reduces the chances of bingeing when we are drained and have low self-control at the end of the day. A workout in the morning also increases the odds of making healthier choices throughout the day.
Sleep has to be, by far, the most underrated aspect of good health. I think sleeping less & working more is glorified. Life is like a marathon; if you run too fast and don’t pace yourself, you can burn out, and you probably won’t be able to finish strong.
Keeping all devices aside 1 hour before sleep, stopping all work chats at Zerodha unless critical after 6pm, and spending time doing what is most relaxing just before sleep (spending time with my son & hobbies) and on weekends has helped me the most with sleep.
I have always struggled with nutrition. I love good food, sweets, & booze. Having dinner early, having some form of protein before a drink, & picking sweets that don’t have refined sugar but from Fruits, Dates, Stevia, etc. have helped me not feel like I am missing out.
Each one of us is different. Finding what works for you is a process of self-discovery—this is what will help you stay consistent, rather than just getting motivated during birthdays & new years.
I recently had a chat about all of this with Dilip Kumar