10 Health Secrets of Successful People

10 Health Secrets of Truly Successful People – the hidden list.

You may be surprised to find out that successful people (SP) have very specific health habits. They take the time to educate themselves about what is good for them, and adjust their diet accordingly. Successful people know that they must prioritize their health as number one, because if they are unsuccessful at maintaining their health, they won’t be able to succeed in other areas. How do they know what is good for their health? They search the internet, read books, and come to their own conclusions by developing the skills to determine good information from bogus information. SP know that the key benefits to optimum health are improved performance and higher productivity. They know that through good health choices they become more efficient and effective. Here is the top 10 list of health habits practiced by successful people. Enjoy!

1) SP don’t drink alcohol or take drugs (not even medicinal ones)

To be successful, one must take care of their health, and one of the best ways to take care of your health is to stop drinking alcohol and taking drugs!!! While studies for years have been suggesting that it is good for your heart to drink a moderate amount of alcohol, a comprehensive recent “million women study” suggests otherwise. As it turns out, alcohol consumption may result in many types of cancer.

Aside from this obvious health effect, successful folks don’t like alcohol for two other major reasons. The problem with having a drink or two at the company function or sales outing with potential customers is the classic one drink leads to two, three, etc.. Inevitably alcohol plays tricks on your mind, reduces your inhibitions, and causes you to say whatever comes to mind, which may not be in line with what you should be saying.

Excessive drinking invariably leads to the dreaded hangover. How many times have you said “I’ll just have a few”, but end up drinking more and more, and feel like crap the next morning. Your response may be “But wait! I can just drink a few glasses of water and have an Advil, and I’ll feel fine the next day.” Talk about trying to put out a fire with gasoline. Advil is a toxin which adds to the workload of your organs, which must rid your body of it. “But wait, the hangover will only be temporary, and I’ll feel fine later anyway”, you say. Well, that sounds fine, but many people experience periods of depression while they are getting over their hangover, and these episodes can last as much as a day or two. A successful person doesn’t want to lose two days to hangover and potential depression, so they avoid alcohol for the most part.
I am not saying that successful people never drink at all, but the truly successful either learn how to drink just one or two and stop, or simply never drink. To be successful, time is important, and health is important too, so drinking is off the list.

SP know that drugs, even medicinal ones are really nothing better than a mask hiding a deeper problem. Now don’t get me wrong here. Some people need to take drugs for various reasons. As an example, my dad had his heart valve replaced with a metal one, and needs to take blood thinners to ensure that blood does not clot on the new valve. Many people take drugs for high blood pressure and cholesterol, but successful people know that sometimes these ailments can be managed through diet.

SP also know that if you have a cold or flu, and take a drug to hide the symptoms, and continue your day just as though you were not sick, that you will ultimately take longer to get over the cold or flu anyway. Since they think of long term consequences of their short term actions, they know that the overall prognosis of taking the drug is a negative one. They also know that through good management of all 10 items in this list, that they will significantly lower their risk of getting colds and flus in the first place.

I don’t want to go into much detail about the down side of taking mind-altering drugs as there is plenty of sufficient information out there to support the case for avoidance altogether. Successful people know this, and do not ever take these drugs.

2) SP don’t smoke

SP don’t smoke for a number of reasons:
- Smoking results in terrible foul breath and smoke smell on your clothes, and they don’t want to turn off potential customers or friends with their bad smell.
- They wouldn’t be caught dead slouching over a cigarette in a back alley, freezing their toots off.
- The obvious detrimental health effects.

3) SP minimize their caffeine intake and drink lots of water.

Successful people know that caffeine is a highly addictive, toxic drug, and that it is also a diuretic, which means that it dehydrates the body. They also know that caffeine increases your appetite, which can lead to over eating and weight problems. While it is difficult to avoid caffeinated drinks altogether, successful folks don’t drink soda, diet soda, energy drinks, and they minimize coffee and tea to a combined three to four cups a day. Instead, SP drink plenty of water, because they know that water is a good, natural healthy body. They drink a minimum of 2 litres per day, and sip it slowly as opposed to gulping it down quickly.

4) SP get enough sleep.
What do I mean by “enough” sleep? That depends on the person. Every person has their optimum amount of required sleep, which can vary also by age and amount of activity engaged in on a given day. For some people, 6 hours is sufficient, while others require as much as 10 hours. Determine how much sleep you need, and make sure that you get to bed early enough to be able to get that amount of sleep. Successful folks also know not to drink caffeinated beverages or to eat within a few hours of going to bed.

What is the best way to fall asleep if you are having difficulty? SP know that it isn’t a sleeping pill or a shot of whiskey. Meditation is the key. One very effective method is to imagine that as you are breathing in, the stress is being released from your body starting at your feet and ending at your head. As you exhale through your nose, imagine a white wispy cloud of stress being released from your nasal passages. With each breath in, the stress is travelling up your body, to be released through your nasal passages as you exhale. Try this while lying on your back, with a pillow under your knees, arms to your sides, and your thumbs touching one of your fingers. This relaxes your body and prepares it for sleep. Please note that once you are practicing all of the steps in this list, you will over time find that you are better able to fall asleep.

5) Develop superior eating habits.

This is by far the most important area of the successful person’s health. SP get to know their body intimately (you know what I mean), and are in tune with the foods their body likes and dislikes. For some people, dairy products cause problems while for others gluten or sulphites are the culprit. Your body will tell you explicitly what it doesn’t want. Sometimes it is a combination of food that your body can’t digest. Successful people listen to what their body is telling them, and adjust their diet accordingly. In some cases, they use elimination diets to determine what their body is adverse to. With this diet, all foods are discontinued except for a few - such as fruits and vegetables - to the point where they are feeling good. Other foods are slowly reintroduced into the diet, one at a time, until a food causes a reaction. The reaction usually comes in the form of a stomach ache, puffy/itchy eyes, irritability, excessive gas, skin rashes or fatigue. The food may also cause the throat to close up slightly while being consumed.
Once the offending food is determine, successful people stop eating it altogether.

Successful people cut through the marketing and latest studies, and stick to these fundamental principles:
I. Natural food is good food.
II. Processed food should be avoided.
III. Sugar, Salt, Alcohol, and Caffeine are toxic to the body.
IV. Milk and potato chips are not natural human food.
V. Foods that would have been eaten before industrialization make the most sense.
VI. Meats may be eaten, but only in small to moderate amounts.
VII. Fresh fruits and vegetables are always good, and organic is even better. Mix colours as much as possible, and spinach and broccoli should be consumed frequently.
VIII. Whole grains such as brown rice and whole wheat are much better than refined.
IX. Trust your instincts and not the latest and greatest study/marketing item/news item.
X. Listen to what your body is telling you.
XI The best way to avoid eating the bad foods is to not have them in your home.

6) SP Exercise regularly

Regular exercise is a key component in the life of any truly successful person. Exercise helps them feel more energetic, think more clearly, keep their weight in check, and remove toxins from their body through sweat. We are not talking about excessive exercise or becoming a competitive weight lifter. 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise, at least three times per week will be sufficient. Add about 30 minutes of weight lifting to that, and you have a good workout schedule that will take only about 3 hours of your time every week. How hard is that?

Here are some SP tips:
- Once you get over the initial internal resistance to exercising, you will actually enjoy it.
- Invest in a gym membership. Seeing others working out will keep you motivated.
- Slowly work yourself up to ideal workout intensity.
- Try new activities such as indoor rock climbing, or hiking, or walking, or hockey, or whatever interests you. Whether or not you find something, keep going to the gym on a regular basis.
- Work out prior to big meetings or any time you want to impress others. You will find that the workout will make you more attractive to others, and will make you almost appear to glow.

7) SP don’t put anything on their skin that they wouldn’t put in their mouth.

Successful people have done the due diligence and know that what they put on their skin is ultimately absorbed into their body. The kidneys are responsible to remove toxins from the body, and will have to work overtime to remove the additional chemicals that you apply. For example, successful people do not put the following on their skin:
- Bug spray
- Sunscreen (but they know to protect their skin from sun by minimizing exposure)
- Unnatural lotions
- Any chemical that they are unsure of.

8) SP eliminate potentially threatening chemicals from their life.

SP do not trust chemical companies or their marketing gurus. They know that in the past, too many chemicals have been judged as safe for use or consumption, or spraying in the air, or killing mosquitoes, or staining the deck, but turned out later under closer scrutiny to be unsafe. Many chemicals that are deemed safe for use in Canada were done so under the Grandfather clause. This means that when the new rules for chemical safety came into place, the chemicals in use were considered safe, simply because they were already in use. Go figure. SP know that any chemical is a potentially dangerous one, and they avoid them at all costs. Some examples of chemicals that successful people avoid:

1) Formaldehyde
Commonly found in: cheap furniture made from press board; pink fibreglass insulation. Alternatives: Solid wood furniture, formaldehyde free insulations.

2) VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds)
Commonly found in: New cars (new car smell), plastics, carpets
Alternatives: Natural fibre carpets, hardwood

3) Petroleum products
Commonly found in: Air fresheners, colognes/perfumes, laundry softeners
Alternatives: Discontinue use of these products, or buy all natural ones.

4) 2, 4-D
Commonly found in: Pesticides
Alternatives: Natural pest control methods

5) Ammonia and other cleaning chemicals
Commonly found in: Bathroom cleaners, stainless steel cleaners
Alternatives: Natural and hypoallergenic cleaners


9) SP read at least one book per week and lots of self help books.

SP know that knowledge is power, and that knowledge is health. They read about the latest and greatest health advice, but with a critical eye, and they don’t believe every article they read. They absorb the information, and connect it with other information they have read and formulate their own opinions.

Bonus: SP attend courses and read many self help books and take something important away from every book they read and every person they meet. They read with an open mind and a critical eye, knowing that continuous learning is important to success and life, and read with vigour and engaged interest.

10) Focus on work/life balance and relationships

SP know that good quality relationships lead to longer and higher quality of life. They also know that many acquaintances do not equal one good friend, and they work hard to maintain those friendships. A friend is someone they can confide in and trust, and everyone needs to have somebody in their life they can trust. To maintain these quality relationships, SP work smarter and not harder, and use the remaining time to focus on family and friends.