You’ve conquered everything… except your body. #285

“I am dying of boredom because there are no more worlds left to conquer.”

This phrase is often incorrectly attributed to Alexander the Great after he supposedly conquered the known world. In reality, he knew there was much more out there, but it still serves as a perfect metaphor for today’s topic.

Some people appear to have “conquered it all”—personally and professionally. They have financial security, a strong, loving family… but they’re missing one of the most critical components of being human: being at their physical best. How much more enjoyable will your work, your vacations, and your home life be when you can look proudly at your health?

We all fall victim to the aging process one way or another, but we can do so much about it—and literally add decades to our lives.

I say this with humility, knowing I still have a ton to learn in the personal, spiritual, and professional arenas. It’s also hard not to have overwhelming respect for those who’ve prioritized their careers and families over their own health as providers. What I can’t stress enough, however, is that while your family and career are important, you must not neglect the body you’re going to experience it all with. So many executives are now realizing this—and wishing they’d started earlier.

Imagine showing up to a Formula 1 track with a beat-up Civic. How fun is that?? Lame. None of your friends would want to ride with you compared to a souped-up McLaren. It’s a silly analogy, but we only get one body and one life to live. I have a personal friend who smoked and drank his whole life and now, in his sixties with tens of millions in assets, can’t even enjoy a simple walk around his neighborhood. Sad.

Ginni Rometty (former IBM CEO) says, “I make time to exercise—it’s the key to balance and focus.”

Dana White, after a health scare, dropped 36 lbs and now preaches how important fitness is: “You have to make time for it.”

Dan Martell says, “You got to work out. I don’t care what it is, sweat every day… I work out every day. There’s no day I don’t work out. And I do it 80% for my mind, 20% for my body—maybe a little more. That’s non-negotiable.”

In my work, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting some of the most accomplished people on the planet—people with all the resources and access you can imagine (and then some). Two things fascinate me:

1. It’s been a remarkable adventure to coach and learn from people who’ve owned basketball teams, consulted the Federal Reserve, run hedge funds with billions in assets, and held executive positions at companies like AT&T managing up to 56,000 people. It’s humbling and insanely informative. Honestly, while they’re paying me, considering the advice and knowledge I receive, sometimes I feel like I should be paying them!
2. Despite those massive accomplishments that most of us can only dream of, the one thing they now prioritize above almost everything else is their health.

You’d think that for people this successful, “eat less, move more” would be a simple problem to solve. Wrong. After 15+ years working with them, I’ve learned the problem is way more complex than it looks on the surface.

I could write a whole post on each of these, but I’ll keep it digestible for your busy (and noisy—thanks, internet) life. Here are the biggest challenges I see with the ultra-successful entrepreneurs I coach—maybe you’ll find them helpful.

#1 Sleep – At this stage, most of them finally have the flexibility to prioritize sleep, but they never built the habit or set the boundaries. What worked in your twenties and thirties as an ambitious entrepreneur or family man eventually catches up. I struggle with this myself—especially with half my team on Central Time (two hours ahead)—but I know that when I’m disciplined, stay off my phone, and get eight hours, the dividends in mental clarity, recovery, and energy are massive. There’s nothing worse than being in a meeting after your fourth coffee and still fighting to stay awake (much less stay present).

My advice: start mimicking most animals—dim the lights as the sun goes down and ditch screens. I still struggle with this (leaving Jiu Jitsu at 8 p.m. doesn’t help), but my loving fiancé helps keeps me accountable. Nowadays I don’t even drink caffeine anymore—I used it as a crutch for too long—and the focus and mental acuity coming back from prioritizing a good sleep schedule, since August, far outweigh the temporary buzz.

#2 Breathing – In Jiu Jitsu we learn that breathing is the most fundamental skill. One sensei told me, “If you don’t breathe, you die.” Right. Got it. As simple as it sounds, it’s true. The same skill that keeps you alive on the mats, in a marathon, or in a fight is the exact skill you need in a negotiation: pause, breathe, think, respond—without getting emotional. Beginners gas out because they panic and overcompensate. Over time you learn precision and only go 100% when it’s actually needed.

Sitting for 5–30 minutes a day practicing meditation or breathwork is incredibly valuable for anyone doing high-level work. The discipline is hard, but you always feel clearer and calmer afterward. Tip: I do 10–15 minutes every morning right after prayer.

#3 Routine – Every pro athlete has mastered routine for their sport—free throws, tee shots, whatever. You’ve built efficient behaviors that prime you for success. Sadly, if your current routine starts with a sugary coffee and a bagel… we’re gonna have to make some changes.

Example: 95% of the time I wake up, pray, meditate, drink 32 oz of water with electrolytes + 10 g creatine. Then it’s straight into Jiu Jitsu, running, or lifting before I jump into meetings or work with clients. Right after training I slam 30–60 grams of protein to begin the muscular repair process and give my brain the fuel it needs for the rest of the morning. No heavy food that makes me sleepy. I share my routine because it’s a way to hit my goals and eliminate thinking. That’s the real hack: remove decision-making from your non-negotiables. To put it bluntly, if you don’t have a routine, you’re already behind. And in business, being behind sucks. We’ve all been there.

#4 Eating – In the Western world we went from eating out of necessity to eating out of abundance—and from real single-ingredient foods (meat, eggs, berries, veggies, fruit, dairy) to ultra-processed junk. I love pizza or pasta after a hard workout as much as anyone, but if you’re not willing to ruthlessly cut processed foods most of the time, you’re going to stay exactly where you are.

In 2019, NIH researcher Kevin Hall locked 20 adults in a metabolic ward for a month. Same calories, macros, sugar, salt, fiber. Only difference—one group got ultra-processed foods, the other whole foods. Result: the ultra-processed group unconsciously ate 500 extra calories a day, ate faster, and gained 2 lbs in 14 days. (think of that over years) The whole-food group lost weight without trying. Hall’s conclusion: “Limiting ultra-processed foods may be an effective strategy for obesity prevention and treatment—even without calorie counting. (Reference: Hall et al., Cell Metabolism, 2019)

The modern food environment, not lack of willpower, is the #1 driver of weight gain for high-performers today. That’s why I’ll literally go to a client’s house and declare pantry war (for their own good, of course).

#5 Injuries – Many of my clients were D1 or pro-level athletes—meaning they have old serious injuries or decades of chronic stuff compounded by sitting in boardrooms. What worked at 25 doesn’t work at 55, and most trainers have zero context for their history. I get inspired by guys like Zion or Anthony Robles—who are able to achieve the seemingly impossible while missing limbs, which shows that when there is a will, there is in fact, a way—but the bigger problem is that by the time most executives finally decide to fix this, there’s so much conflicting info it feels impossible.

#6 Exercise – This is actually one of the most misused tools on earth, especially if you have injury history. (I’ve had an ACL reconstruction and a shoulder Bankart repair, so I’ve learned the hard way.) The crazy part is that my joints actually feel better now than they did 10–20 years ago. I start every new client by having them define “exercise,” because most can’t—and if they can, it’s usually wrong. Exercise is an incredible tool when used correctly, but in the wrong hands it wrecks people. That’s why I leave it almost last. Get sleep, breathing, routine, and food dialed first. (Corrective exercise for pain relief is the exception—if walking or swimming feels good and doesn’t hurt, do it as part of your active lifestyle.)

To summarize: the reason most people can’t solve what looks like a “simple” problem is that you can’t cherry-pick. It requires a full lifestyle shift and years of practice—just like earning a black belt overnight is impossible, unless you’re Moneyberg. Haha. But if we just start with drinking more water for two weeks… then add daily walking… then cut processed foods… suddenly the mountain doesn’t look so big.

Once you accept that there isn’t “a fix”, but that you must transform how you think, eat, sleep, hydrate, and move—over years—you realize it’s actually quite simple. Simple ≠ easy. It takes persistence, patience, and accountability. But for those who are truly desperate to take full ownership of their health (something no one can ever take from you), it’s worth it.

If you made it this far—go do something good for your body today. You deserve it.

Till next time,

cwh