To keep the body in good health is a duty…otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear….Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C.

Trading is a competitive sport. It is a rough, tough game. Can you imagine an elite athlete who never worked out or kept himself in peak physical condition? Can you picture a great football or baseball player saying he got fat and out of shape because he couldn’t find the time to work out and manage his diet? What about a top model, actor or dancer who doesn’t pay attention to the way he or she looks? How long do you think these people would survive in the competitive athletic or entertainment areas?

In part 1 of this article, I talked about how cortisol increases to high levels, stays elevated and produces a chronic state of adrenal fatigue with a wide variety of signs and symptoms. When this occurs, this hormone shuts down normal neuroendocrine feedback mechanisms that regulate the adrenal gland and produce a chronic state of adrenal fatigue.

My goal is to help you get right with yourself so that you are in the best mental, emotional, physical and spiritual condition giving you the necessary edge to become successful, not only in trading, but in every aspect of your life.

This begins with extreme self-care, focusing on proper exercise and diet.

Here are a few simple tips to get you started:

  1. Tend to your body first. Exercise or do some kind of orchestrated movement every day. I work out at the gym in the evening and do yoga or pilates in the morning. People that work with me know that when I say “yoga” it means that I stop what I am doing, unplug the phone, and get down on the mat to restore myself. Find the style and time of day that is best for you and start now. Even if it’s only 15 minutes a day, it is a great start to a lifetime of self-care. Focus on YOU first and the rest will take care of itself.
  2. Practice being in the moment with your eating. Eat slowly and think about every bite. Make slow eating a ritual. Turn off the TV, computer, blackberry, cell phone, or whatever else you are using to multitask, and just sit there and eat. Focus on what you are eating so that you are filling your body with clean, healthy food which fortifies and restores you, rather than depleting your energy stores. You truly are what you eat, so you should know what happens when you live on junk, fried, high fatty and simple carb-laden food. Substitute these with walnuts, almonds, fresh fruits and veggies.
  3. Take time out. Don’t sit at your computer screen hour after hour watching every single tick. Make your quota for the day and then stop. Go outside and be with nature, or take a walk to reconnect and find your center. When you are in your center, you are the most relaxed and receptive. Practice getting there, being there and feeling fully alive.
  4. Try progressive relaxation. Breathe deeply and focus on relaxing each part of your body, starting at your head and ending at your feet. Doing this for 20 minutes a day will lower your cortisol level and reduce food cravings.
  5. I love the use of aromatherapies for relaxation. Pure organic lavender, rose and vanilla are great stress reducers. Simply inhaling these in proper proportions sends relaxation signals from the olfactory tracts and receptors of the nose directly into the primitive, emotional brain, resulting in a quieting and calming effect.

This is a small introduction to a large and important topic, but I have written enough for today. For anyone who has been touched, moved, or motivated to action by what I have written, I am grateful. Please talk to me and share stories. Please tell me that you want to be trading and investing for a long time—as a strong mind in a strong body—and how you have chosen to do this.