I recently posted my Wealth Philosophy That was a useful personal exercise, because after drafting and re-reading it, one thing became eminently clear. Persistent actions toward goals, no matter how small, usually led to long-term positive outcomes.
It seems obvious that these same principles can also apply to improving outcomes for my health. Frankly, I’ve neglected this area of my life, often in pursuit of FI, but more often out of sheer inertia. That neglect needs to change. After all, what’s the point of FI if I’m not capable enough to enjoy it?
So I present my Health Philosophy, mostly as a reminder and a motivator for myself, but maybe for you, too. These are my personal principles for keeping this machine running at midlife, avoiding the seduction of modern ‘convenience,’ and staying capable for the long haul.
My Health Philosophy
This statement guides my approach to health, capability, and overall well-being. These principles are intended to shape my daily choices around food, exercise, and recovery. The goal is to live longer, but more importantly, it’s to live better.
I believe that good health isn’t about perfection. It’s about persistence. One donut won’t break me, and one skipped workout won’t ruin progress, as long as I can counterbalance with a salad or a long walk at some other time. Health is built over years, not in single moments..
While discipline matters, so does perspective. A glass of wine with my wife, a slice of birthday cake with my daughters, a beer with a friend. These are all minor indulgences, but major ingredients of a well-lived life. I accept them with grace and gratitude, not guilt. One bad choice isn’t failure, it’s simply a debit on one side of a ledger. If I overindulge in one moment, I will compensate at another. The key is long term balance.
While I can’t control every health outcome, I can make intentional daily decisions that favor health. The three decisions that matter most are what I put into my body, how often I exercise it, and how long I give it to recover.
THE FIRST PILLAR OF HEALTH: FOOD CHOICES
I believe that what I eat and drink plays the leading role in my health. Certainly exercise matters, but nutrition is the dominant factor for a healthy, capable life. I believe that if I allow the following principles to guide my decisions regarding food, I will have the best possible chance of achieving long-term health and capability.
- Make time to cook. Preparing my own meals gives me full control over what goes into my body. I make my own decisions on nutrition: not food companies, not restaurants, not marketing. Me.
- Eat natural foods. I don’t need a nutritionist to tell me what’s healthy to eat. Instinctually, I know that edible plants grown from the earth, and the animals that eat them, are what our bodies are built for.
- Eat a LOT of plants. They provide fiber, carbohydrates, and protein, along with phytonutrients, antioxidants, and essential vitamins that support immunity, cellular health, and longevity. Plants are the foundation for nutrition. Everything else is supplemental.
- Get enough protein. For strength, recovery, and long-term health, aim for at least 100–150g per day, adjusting based on activity level, age, and goals. Spread protein intake evenly throughout the day to maximize absorption and muscle maintenance. Favor lean animal protein sources over fatty ones to limit total calories consumed in any one meal. Protein is essential, but that doesn’t mean a ribeye or quarter-pounder every night.
- Stay hydrated. That doesn’t mean endless coffee. Drink water. Water is life. I know this. Diet sodas and light beers aren’t water. Consume what the Earth naturally provides me.
- Avoid ultra-processed food. If you need a chemistry degree to understand the ingredients, don’t eat it. Food companies aren’t incentivized to keep me healthy. They’re incentivized to keep me addicted. I won’t let them hijack my brain.
- Avoid alcohol. Especially beer, it makes me fat. Beers deliver lots of fast easy carbs, followed by slow or little activity. Ignore the marketing. Alcohol isn’t sophistication, it’s a toxin. An occasional beer or two with friends is fine. A six-pack or two a night is not.
- Avoid sugary drinks. Soda, fruit juice, and energy drinks are simply unearned calories. A mile of inclined hiking is the equivalent of a single soda. It’s not a secret. This stuff makes you fat.
- Accept hunger. It’s just a message from the body, not an emergency broadcast. The body is designed to handle hunger. Sit with it. Acknowledge it. It will pass just like any fleeting discomfort.
THE SECOND PILLAR OF HEALTH: EXERCISE
I want a strong and capable body to live well as I age, but strength and capability aren’t given. They must be earned. I’ve experienced it firsthand. Stop training, and my muscles shrink, energy fades, and my body starts falling apart. Atrophy is real, so I must move often to keep it at bay. There’s no mystery here. Persistent exercise is the second pillar of health.
- Strength training takes precedence. Muscles move me, protect me, and keeps me independent. Let them wither, and so does everything else. I must signal to my body that I need it, every day, for the rest of my life. Commit to strength training at least four days a week.
- Embrace hormesis. Strength isn’t built in comfort. Stress your body in small, controlled ways like lifting, endurance, cold, heat, and occasional fasting, so that it adapts and grows. Weakness comes from avoiding stress, not from facing it.
- Focus on mobility. Joints wear down with age, so I must protect them. Ditch the high-impact grinding exercises. Trade pounding pavement for movement that can last my lifetime: walking, hiking, cycling. Mobility isn’t just flexibility. It’s long-term function.
- Train your heart. It’s the most important muscle I have. Atrophy is real, so I must use it or lose it. Elevate your heart rate, but don’t chase extremes. You don’t need to run marathons. You need to be able to hike a mountain or walk the beach with your wife well into your 90s.
- Invest in a gym membership. Strength and cardiovascular fitness shouldn’t be treated as expenses. They’re the most valuable assets I have, and will enhance and extend my life. This is money well spent!
- Don’t live in the gym. Strength training matters, but real life happens outside. Do something active every day. Walk, hike, bike, anything! Exercise isn’t just about fitness, it’s about staying present in the world. The gym is just a tool. Use it, but don’t let it define you.
THE THIRD PILLAR OF HEALTH: RECOVERY
I grew up believing more was always better: more training, more effort, more discipline. I grew up with no pain, no gain. But that mindset led me to the same place every time: injured, exhausted, and further from my goals. Remember that recovery isn’t a break from progress. It’s where progress happens. The body and mind rebuild when we sleep, when we rest, and when we pause long enough to adapt. Ignore this, and you don’t just slow down, you break down.
- Sleep like it’s your job. If you shortchange sleep, you shortchange progress. 7+ hours, dark room, no bedtime doom-scrolling.
- Active recovery. Recovery doesn’t mean stopping everything. It just means moving differently, at a slower less stressful pace. Walk, stretch, or hike instead of lifting or biking.
- Read and reflect. The body recovers with rest, but the mind recovers with perspective. Step back, think, and reset.
- Breathe deeply, stress less. Recovery isn’t just physical. The nervous system needs downtime, too.
- Cycle intensity. Not every workout should be an all-out assault. Pull back sometimes so you can push harder when it matters.
- Get outside. Sunlight, green trees, blue water, fresh air, and a little quiet time help you reset better than anything on a screen.
SUMMARY AND LIFELONG PLAYBOOK
- Eat Like a Grown-Up: If it comes in a crinkly bag with cartoon mascots … reconsider.
- Strength Training: Lift heavy things 3-4x per week. Nothing fancy, just progressive overload. Stick with straight-forward movements that hit the big muscle groups.
- Bench Press / Pushups
- Barbell Deadlift / Dumbell squats
- Pullups / Cable Rows
- Dips / Dumbbell Overhead Press
- Move Daily: Walking is like a mutual fund. Kinda boring by highly effective over the long term. Hike often. Biking is a bonus.
- Sleep Like You Owe Your Body: 7+ hours, dark room, no doom-scrolling.
- Stress Less: Control what you can. Ignore what you can’t.
- Stress a Little: Embrace hormesis. There’s no progress if you stay in the comfort zone (i.e. the couch) all the time. Get comfortable being uncomfortable, but also let pain be your guide. Listen to your body. Not too much, not too little, but a slight tilt to small, recoverable stress will make me stronger and more capable.
- Avoid Dogma: No extreme diets, no culty fitness trends, no bro-science. Just consistency.
- Health is capability. I’m not chasing six-pack abs (but if they show up, awesome!) or biohacking my way to immortality. My goal is to live well for as long as possible, unburdened by preventable breakdowns.
Remember, good health is about being capable for the rest of your life. That is the goal. Persistence beats perfection.