The Overlooked Secret to Success

0:00Before we dive into this episode, we wanted to take the opportunity to say a heartfelt thank you for being here. Whether you've been with us from the very beginning when we started this podcast in 2019 or your new, welcome. We hope you enjoy what you hear and if you do, please download it, share it with friends and leave a review. It really helps us get better guests and share the mid-life love. Most people think success comes from doing more, more hours, more strategy, more networking, more hustle. But what if the real edge isn't in your calendar but in your body? Today we're talking about the overlooked foundation of success and why the most successful people prioritise their health first. Hi, I'm James Davis and I'm Claire Davis. We're the mid-life mentors here to live to lead on how to achieve health and happiness. The balance, no nonsense way.

1:28Hello and welcome to another episode of the mid-life mentors with me, James. And me, Claire, how are you all? Well, we have just done an epic journey. Haven't we back there for the UK? The apologies for the break in transmission. We missed a week because it was all quite hectic. We had to pack up where we were living in Ibiza, pack our car and then set off for the epic journey. Of course, we couldn't fly because we've got Lola on the car. Flying to the UK with her. Boats and driving across three countries. It's been really fun. It was really fun. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I love it. I love it. Do you hate the driving? I'm like, no, it's an adventure. We stopped off in this lovely place in France, a chateau. And yeah, it's all been very easy and feeling very blessed, actually, that we're back safe in the UK. We're currently actually staying with my lovely parents and then heading back to London tomorrow. It's quite a strange experience, actually. We got the overnight ferry from Ibiza to Barcelona. It was like, you drive off that. It was brilliant sunshine in Barcelona. You drive along the front, the bottom of the

2:34ram blast and it's just gorgeous. And then weirdly, a few hours later, you're up in northern France betting down for the night. Yeah, yeah, it's amazing. We really, really like the adventure of it. But we're very, very excited, actually, about what's in store for us now. We're back in London. We're really excited to connect with people again and just see what doors are opening. Lots going on already. Yeah, lots going on. You've been a busy bee on your first day back. Super busy, super busy. Which is all good, all good. So today, we are going to talk to you about, so we're not going to go into this very long. But James and I, as we do with a lot of podcast episodes, we're just having a chat and we were thinking about, you know, like the, the traits of successful people and one of the things that we were thinking about that we see a lot when we work with clients, when James basically goes into corporate, some works with kind of high level CEOs and stuff like that is very frequently, they miss a secret source, a secret point to their success,

3:37basically. And it gets overlooked so, so often. And we just wanted to bring it to your attention because there is a ton of research around how it actually helps us be more successful. And that is that is prioritising your actual physical health. And I think a lot of people pay lip service to it. They kind of kid themselves that they are doing it or even more commonly. It's like when I have time, when I get around to it, then I'll look after it when I have the space. But as we know, if you don't make time space energy for your health at some point, it will make the time for you and not in a positive way, we're going to dive into it a little bit. But, you know, it is always surprising to me how many high performers are feeling, burnout, have physical conditions that also affect them emotionally, psychologically, that they could really help offset by looking after their physical health a little bit more. And listen, no one's saying you need to spend hours in the

4:39gym with like complex routines every day, but you know, even doing something. And I think, I think this is the thing, isn't it? Like we, I think one of the things around physical health, it is that whole thing that James has said, it's like, I don't have the time to look after my physical health. So, you know, we're expecting our bodies just to run on autopilot. And when we're not taking care of it, we need to understand that we aren't going to be as productive. We're not going to be as successful. We're not going to crop climb the career ladder and stay there without burnout as well as if we were looking after our physical health. You know, it might be that you're investing in all the right courses, you're doing all the right strategies, you're networking, you're doing this, that and the other. But actually, you are not taking time to prioritize the thing that is most, most important. And that is your physical wellbeing, which impacts obviously your cognition, your ability to stay resilient in times of challenges. So, yeah, we just kind of want to go

5:40into that a little bit before I do. I just wanted to find a little quote actually that, I found when I was researching a little bit of this, you know, there's so much stuff out there about high achievers, very, very wealthy people prioritising. They don't build, now let me get this in the right way. They don't build their exercise around their work. They actually build their work around their exercise. They prioritize it and they get up and they do it first thing. And Richard Branson is actually quite famously known for saying, I achieved twice as much by keeping fit. So, this is a guy. I mean, everyone knows Richard Branson. This is a guy that knows everything about success, that knows everything about financial wealth. And he has said, you know, there's so much research around like this. But, you know, he says that he achieves twice as much because he keeps fit. Yeah, I mean, there is lots of research that supports this. That basically says, you know, people who prioritise their health, their wellbeing, they actually have

6:41better performance and better productivity in the workplace. And I just say that, there's kind of irony here, right? So, another thing we see a lot of these, many people would have looked after their health in maybe like their 20s, in their early 30s. But as life and careers have felt more demanding, it's dropped off. But actually, you know, you could probably get away with not looking after your physical wellbeing as much in your 20s. And it becomes even more important, you know, in your midlife and beyond. For reasons we've covered in various other podcasts, I won't go into again, but, you know, metabolism, bone health, muscle health, all of that. Yeah. And I also think, again, when we get to midlife, we're like, oh my goodness, I'm so stretched. I don't have the energy. It's not just like the time I don't have the energy to focus on exercise. I mean, it's the last thing we want to do, right? I don't have the energy to think about what I'm eating. I'm just going to grab the thing that I think he's going to give me the most energy because I'm depleted in it. But actually again, we can't just pay lip service to this. We know the energy is created

7:45through exercise. You get more energy by exercising. You might not get it straight away. It's not something you're going to go and do your first walk outside your first jog or your first gym workout and feel loads of energy. But over time, you will gain energy from exercising because we know we get all the endorphins. They're good for your hormones, all of that kind of stuff. So if you're finding that you haven't got enough energy at work, anything, I just haven't got time and energy to exercise. Just know that in the long term, you will be storing up that energy. So you are performing at a higher level so that you are more resilient so that you don't get burnt out. Yeah. That's true. Energy creates energy. Yeah. Exactly. So one of the things that we were just having a look at and thinking about is like, why do high achievers overlook? Why do they overlook this very simple, but very difficult to implement thing, which is looking after your body, what it feels almost like too basic to matter, like that we take our body for granted,

8:47just throw so much. A lot of people just take their health for granted and think, well, you know, nothing's wrong with the moment so I can get away with not doing anything. Yeah, exactly. That's never taking your car for a service. I think the other thing is there's not a lot of driven people focus on their goals, on their metrics around career or target, but they don't apply those to their health. And maybe they don't even see a clear ROI. I'm like, oh, if I go to the gym, you know, what's the benefit tool for me in my success goals? But actually, the research shows they're right. There was a massive benefit to your success goals. Yeah. And we hear this all the time. I'll focus on my health when I've made it. Might be too late. When I've made it, well, when are you going to make it? Like, when you get there, have you noticed the goalpost move all the time? Like, when you make it, the goalpost moves and you're on to the next goal, the next goal, the next goal. Honestly, you will achieve your goals quicker and sustain them for longer if you focus on your health. And also, like, I say this a lot, business is worn like a

9:48badge of honor. Like, how busy can I be? Like, how much can I get validation from the outside world that I'm successful because I work all these long hours and we look at these people and raise them high up when they're saying, oh, they work, you know, 16 hour days and they work all weekend. It's not something to be proud of guys. It really isn't. It's actually something to really worry about because your body is going to be on that unbelievable, like, stress cycle all the time. And that will come back to bite you on the bottom. Yeah. So here's a thought for you to reframe it. Instead of thinking about your health or looking after your health as an inconvenience, when I started thinking about the vehicle that carries everything that you're trying to build, everything you're trying to do. So move away from like, oh, this is just inconvenient for me to like, okay, I'm investing in my health. So that I'm going to reap the benefits of that across multiple areas of my life. Because here's the truth of it, like, the cost of ignoring it. What does that actually look like? Let's make this real in real terms, okay? Brain fog. Right. That's

10:52going to lead to poor decisions, low energy. That's going to lead to procrastination. I just can't do it. I haven't got the energy to do that. Let's have a look at how much you're procrastinating about things. Blood sugar crashes. They're going to be irritable in consistency. Again, you know, low blood sugar. You have trouble with cognition, trouble concentrating. Over time, chronic stress. If you're not leaving it through regular exercise, you're going to get burnout hormone disruption. Yes. Yes. So these are the reasons we just really want to highlight. I'm just so much emphasized, you will be more productive, more successful, happier, more resilient, more energy if you exercise, you'll be more successful guys. So let's have a think about, I love to add something else as well. I think what can happen as well, particularly in mid-life, as we age, if we're not exercising, and our physicality starts to wane or change in a way that we're not liking, that starts to subtly undermine us as well. And like your confidence.

11:54And then we can get into a kind of guilt, shame cycle when we're not loving what we see in the mirror, which could, in turn, could drive negative behaviors. So these are all really, really good reasons to invest the time and energy to help. It does show it. It's not just at home that shows it shows up in the boardroom, right? When you're not feeling good in your skin and it doesn't matter, it's not about a dress size or a waist size. If you're not feeling good in your skin, it will show up at work, how you lead your team, how you are with colleagues. So it's so so important. So as always, on the middle of mentors, we are going to give you some practical secret source tips of using your body and investing in your body as a vehicle for success. Number one. So if you're thinking like, okay, that sounds sensible, but how do we actually get started? No one is just like, get some daily movement. Listen, you know, we're going to bang on that, you know, resistance training is so necessary, etc. But listen, if we're not doing anything right now, we're doing very little. Yeah, it doesn't have to be extreme. Just, you know, go for a walk,

12:57schedule daily walks. Anything that's going to be consistent, because consistency beats intensity. The next one is eat to stabilize energy, not just your weight, okay? So eating to stabilize energy. So you want to have protein with every meal. And this really helps to reduce blood sugar spikes. And obviously we've gone on and on and on about, please don't eat too much sugar, because you're going to be on a yo-yo constantly reaching for more sugar to get the next high. And look, instead of looking at calorie obsession when you're eating, look at energy management. So swap calorie obsession for what's going to manage and give me consistent energy right now. And this one is so important. Make sure you're properly hydrated. Most of us don't drink enough. And when we're feeling fatigued and or hungry, often that is mild dehydration. So when you wake up, drink a big glass of water first thing. And then, you know, have that bottle on your desk. Make sure you get through it. Minimum two liters a day.

14:01Love that one. Next one is protect your sleep like you protect your business. Okay, so no phone late at night. Allow your body to come down and switch off. Don't expect to be looking at your phone. Turn it off. Close your eyes, you know, straight after and go off to sleep. It's not going to happen. Have a good old wine down routine, at least an hour to two hours before you actually hit the pillow. Look after your nervous system. So do look at practices that are going to help your emotional health and help regulate your stress response to your nervous system. Things like breath work, making sure that you're taking regular breaks, prayer, reflection. You want to create space where you can relax and unwind because this is where you're going to really help regulate and reset your central nervous system. Remember clarity doesn't come from more noise. It comes from a regulated grounded state. So there we are. We just want to need to share something that's very, very overlooked. It sounds very simple, but we have to make the time for

15:02it. We're not going to find the time. Don't want to hear you saying, oh, you know, when I find the time, no, you need to make the time and we promise you promise, promise, promise that you will have more energy for the work that is important to you for the meaningful stuff that you want to create in the world. You can't do that from an empty vessel and that starts with your body. There we are. There we are. Hope you found that useful. We love you. Be your thoughts as always. It's our team at themidlifementals.com. Check out our socials at the midlife mentors at midlife mentors. Yeah. And we are sending you so much love. We've got an amazing guest coming for next week that we interviewed a few weeks ago. Really excited to share that with you. So stay tuned. And we're sending you so much love. Bye.

16:16We love to hear from you. So drop us a line at infoatthemidlifementals.com with any questions or topic suggestions. And make sure you join us on our Facebook page in YouTube channel. You can find us under the midlife mentors. Thanks so much for listening to this episode. And don't forget to take the midlife reset audit now to receive personalized insights into what's holding you back from living your healthiest, happiest midlife. So go ahead and take the audit now at themidlifementals.com forward slash audit.