Lessons from My Journey to Health

I was always what in India is called a “healthy boy”. And I have stayed more or less “healthy” throughout my adult life with a few minor fluctuations. I have been through some ‘before-after’ experiments over the past twenty years, but they have all been in a range.

And every time I ventured down that path, there was no dearth of expert opinions from “Stop oily foods and ban sweets” to “Start jogging with good shoes” or “Be careful with the gym, you must try Yoga” to finally “You don’t need anything, you are quite healthy”.

Over the past 18-20 months, after losing over 25 kgs in 12 months, and then maintaining it for over 6-8 months now, I have actually started realizing what “healthy” really means.

A lot of people who met me after a while are actually surprised on seeing me now, and wonder whether I was ill or went on a crash diet or am under some kind of stress or perhaps, I have some secret to this healthy transformation which I am not revealing.

The reality – like it was said in Kung Fu Panda – is that “there is no secret ingredient”.

And while I am still a beginner on this path, there are definitely some lessons. Lessons which I am hopeful will help a few others to start on their own journey to health. Honestly, it is just a set of healthy practices all put together and adhered to with discipline over a period of time. People who are consciously healthy already know what they are.

It is a bit like investing. The basics are quite simple and there for all to know. That doesn’t mean they are easy to implement, but there’s no secret as such. It is only when you have experts involved in investing that it starts getting complicated.

The same is true with the path to health. The basics are quite simple, but no single person has any incentive to provide them. Some of the issues are structural. For example, the gym trainer doesn’t know (or tell you) much about nutrition. The nutritionist can’t tell you much whether you should run or lift weights. And the doctor doesn’t care about either – as if it is beneath him or her to get into those discussions – all you get is control your weight or cholesterol or sugar or something like that. And the normal person is confused or lives with his own set of theories or myths.

What I understood from my journey to health is that the reality is a combination of all of these. And so, here is a list of things that I learned from my journey to health. Though this is a blog on investing and wealth, the basics of health are not quite different – in fact, I could see some parallel metaphors.

So for those pursuing wealth, hope this list helps prioritize their health.

So here goes:

1. Food determines 60-70% of your health. What you eat and how much you eat will decide how healthy you end up. We are given other reasons – heredity, genes, lifestyle, body or bone structure, metabolism, but no. Assuming you have no disorders, food IS 60-70% of your health. A bit like – what you do for a living determines the chances of you becoming wealthy.
2. How much you eat and what you eat are both important. To start with, how much you eat is more important (to determine if you are healthy in the first place), but beyond that, what you eat gains more in importance (to determine how healthy you are and if you will stay that way over long periods). A bit like – how much you earn is important to start with, but what you earn it from is more important over the long term.
3. Carbohydrates and Fat are as important as Protein and are not to be avoided. Low carb diets or low fat foods don’t work. Normal, regular, even party food is enough. A bit like – all asset types have a role in a portfolio in the right proportions.
4. Your body needs a fixed number of calories to perform its basic functions and keep you alive and running. This is called the base metabolic rate (BMR) and it depends broadly on your age, weight, height etc. If you want to reduce weight, you must create a deficit to that – meaning the net calories (food – exercise) must be less than the BMR. A bit like – savings are the starting point of wealth. Unless you save, there is no question of getting wealthy.
5. This calorie deficit can be supplemented by cardiovascular (or aerobic) exercise most measurably i.e. walking, running, swimming, cycling and similar activities. But your body gets used to aerobic exercises quite easily, and they stop having their effect over time. While aerobic exercise has a role, beyond a point it doesn’t burn as many calories, but increases your endurance and does not necessarily make you healthier.
6. Strength training is the most effective way of losing weight slowly over time on a calorie deficit. It also helps in maintaining the lost weight by increasing lean muscle and hence raising your BMR.
7. Hence, for a normal person who doesn’t want to train as a athlete, sportsperson or bodybuilder, a balanced exercise routine should consist of both aerobic and strength exercises. A bit like allocating the savings between the right assets will give the most optimal returns. But remember all of this exercise routine is useless unless you get the right food and have a calorie deficit. It is a bit like saying I will optimally invest 5% of my earnings – no point, you might as well spend it.
8. Over time, adopting healthy food in the right portions most of the time, and incorporating a routine of aerobic and strength training in a disciplined manner is the best way to get and stay healthy.
9. The best diet is the one you will follow, and the best exercise is the one that you will adopt in your routine. There is no single answer that fits all.
10. Like it is for investing and wealth, simplicity and discipline are the best answers for food, exercise and health.

So those are some of the lessons I have learned in my journey to health.

As is seen above, the basics of health, similar to the basics of wealth are simple but not easy. It is a set of steps that need to be followed with priority and discipline over a long period of time, like a way of life almost maybe.

Finally – there is no one-shot formula. Like the investment disclaimers, this is also not to be taken as health advice. Refer to your own expert for specific advice based on your health condition if required.

I am no health guru – before the past 18 months, I spent most of my life in an unhealthy state of being. But I am hopeful that with this newly acquired knowledge, the future is healthier for me, and also for whoever that gets inspired to adopt it in their life.