Executive Wellness: How to Live Well Longer

The executive life comes with a host of perks and satisfaction, but it's also littered with land mines when it comes to staying healthy.

​Decades of stress, long hours, and sitting behind a desk add up to a perfect storm of poor health. So, if you're an executive over 40, and especially over 50, now is the time to protect your health for the future. 

I touched on the topic of "healthspan" vs lifespan in my previous post, so now let's go a little deeper into what that really means. The idea is not just to live long, but to live well for a long time.

That's what we all want, right? To be healthy, active, and carefree for as long as possible?

​Here are three main ways to do that in the midst of an executive career: 

1. Maximize your assets

Maximize your health assets. What are those? They are the abilities or good things you have going for you on behalf of your health. They are the things that you already have working on your behalf that lead to better health.

One way you can identify those is by looking back to your past. What physical activity did you used to enjoy doing? Did you play tennis in high school or were you on the swim team? Guess what...those skills didn't go away. Your body still remembers how to hit the ball or swim the front crawl. 

You can also identify your assets by taking an inventory of your natural abilities. Are you naturally muscular? Your body will probably enjoy more muscle moves like push up challenges or calisthenics at the park. Do you find yourself tapping your foot to the beat of music? Dancing might be a great option for you. Do you have a love of cooking? Finding new healthy recipes every week might be right up your alley.

Be creative and introspective. Seek out ways to develop those health assets you already possess. It will make healthy habits feel fun and easy. 

2. Minimize your taxes

Minimize your taxes. No, I'm not talking about government taxes on money, but rather anything that taxes your bodily systems. Some physical stress is necessary to create change, but the things that are overly taxing cause premature aging and problems down the road.

You have a limited source of energy and physical resources. If you are doing things in your daily life that put too much strain on your body, then you are constantly depleting those resources and going into a deficit as your body scrambles to repair cells or fight disease. 

Give your body a break and look for areas that you can eliminate unnecessary withdrawals. Is there an opportunity to cut back on alcohol in your week? How about stress...can you relieve some of the pressure you feel with a healthy outlet? Massage, stretching, and breathing have a powerful physiological impact on the body.

Are you eating too many overly processed food with damaging ingredients like dyes, trans fats, or high fructose corn syrup? Your body takes a hit every time it has to deal with these things. The tax is too high and your health will suffer long term.  

3. Invest in your future

Invest in your future by looking for new ways to improve your health. Is there something you could be doing that would make a big or small improvement in your quality of life or help you prevent disease in the future?

Try adding new sources of wellness by taking an inventory of any gaps in your plan. The graphic below is one of the best all-encompassing visuals of a well-rounded approach to healthy living that I've seen. I wish I knew who the author was. 

Are there areas within these 7 categories where you could invest some resources of time or money to fill the gaps? We can't do them all perfectly all the time, but I bet there are a couple that you could start doing that might make a big difference. 

So there you have it. To live well longer, maximize your assets, minimize your taxes, and invest in your future. If you need help with any of this, see below for ways to engage with me.

​As always, keep growing wellthy!

About the author

I'm Stevyn - a financial advisor's daughter who became an exercise physiologist and certified wellness coach. As a Wellth Advisor, I explore health as a form of wealth. ​

Here are a few other ways to engage with me:

1. Join my free Facebook group
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4. Book a call
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