Most high performers are sabotaging their future health without even realizing it. They may not necessarily be overindulgent or plagued with vices that everyone knows are unhealthy. 

No, most high performers will fall into a trap of passivity. Many have a default mindset that there’s never enough time to be productive and they overestimate how much time they have to invest in their health. 

It’s in the consistent rhythm of prioritizing work over wellness. Routines that sideline healthy relationships (a key indicator of mental and emotional health). Patterns that promote high stress followed by unhealthy release of that stress. Calendars that leave little room for the things of most importance. 

I’m not saying we need to be perfect. A missed workout or staying up too late happens occasionally. 

It’s when the daily rhythm of life becomes a perpetual stumbling block to the things many high performers say that they value: health, family, relationships, etc. In order to fight against this, you have to repeatedly and intentionally drive against the inertia of being passive with your health. 

Of thinking that you “have more time” when it’s not guaranteed.  More pointedly, you must take full advantage of the Wellness Window of Opportunity ® that narrows and eventually closes once you reach a certain age. 

To understand this concept, we’ll examine the idea of compound interest, a principle most recognized by the financial industry, but one that also applies to your health. 

Before we dive in, I think it helps to observe some of the similarities between the financial and wellness industries. It can help you avoid many of the common traps people fall into and apply the principles of success from each industry cross contextually. 

CREATING HEALTH IS LIKE BUILDING WEALTH

• A Puzzling Process: Both health and wealth building can feel complicated to the average person. There’s lots of information on how to be successful, but much of it is conflicting with multiple paths to progress (and failure). 

• High Failure Rate: Because of the overwhelming amount of information and lack of clarity on how to get best results, many people fail to reach their goals.

• Quick Fixes Abound: Due to the high failure rate, quick fixes are routinely advertised. Strategies that seem “too good to be true” are commonplace. This leads to an abundance of scammy solutions that don’t work long term and high levels of skepticism amongst consumers. 

• Consistency Is Required: Building a muscle of discipline and consistent habits over time is the foundation for success. It’s also why so many people struggle. 

The Compound Interest Effect

One other similarity in health and wealth creation is the compound interest effect. What is compound interest? 

In financial terms, compound interest is the interest calculated on the initial principal (the amount you invested) and the accumulated interest from previous periods. 

This is so powerful because not only are you earning interest on the principal amount, but you are also earning interest on the interest. It creates a snowball effect that makes it much easier and faster to build wealth. 

Similarly, with your health you can also create a compound interest-like result. You do this by investing into your health during the Wellness Window of Opportunity to make it much easier to build optimal health for today and longevity as you age. 

The Wellness Window of Opportunity

The Wellness Window of Opportunity is an optimal period of time when making changes to your lifestyle and investing in your health is highly effective and produces compound results. It’s the stage in life when the body is most adaptable and responsive to lifestyle changes, creating the biggest long-term impact on health and longevity. 

Just like there are prime windows of opportunity in business or investing, there’s a prime period where small, consistent habits yield a massive ROI for your health. This can be different for everyone, but generally the younger the better. 

Harvard’s Study On Aging

A recent Harvard study suggests that even in your 40s you can still have a substantial impact on how you age. The study followed over 100,000 people in a 30-year period. 

Participants were at least 39 years old and free of chronic disease at the onset. Subjects submitted dietary questionnaires every 4 years, and the findings were remarkable:

Only 9.2% had survived to age 70 in good health. 

“Good health” was determined to be free of chronic disease and in good physical, mental, and cognitive health.  Those with healthy diets were up to 84% more likely to age in good health compared to those with the worst health outcomes. 

While I wasn’t surprised by the correlation between healthy eating and healthy aging, I was a bit shocked that so few of the participants made it to age 70 without chronic illness. This is just another reason why you should start investing in your health sooner rather than later. The default is not promising.

Why You Should Invest In Your Health Now

The Older You Get the More Challenging It Gets

There are ages and stages of life where the body and brain are more plastic and responsive to inputs. Similar to “imprinting years” in a child’s youth, the younger you are, the more opportunity you have to impact your health as you age. Sticking to new habits can also become more difficult the older you get.

Metabolic Plasticity Shifts Over Time

Metabolic plasticity refers to how adaptable your body’s systems are to change. It can impact your ability to lose weight, build muscle and reverse chronic disease. The younger you are, the higher the plasticity. 

Your Intervention Opportunity Is Limited

Lifestyle changes between the 20s and 40s are more effective for preventing illness and chronic disease in later years. 

Cumulative Load of Poor Health

Decades of poor diet, lack of sleep, high stress and inactivity can create changes that are very difficult to reverse the older you get. 

Cellular Health Declines

As you age, cellular repair slows and mitochondrial function declines making it harder to feel energized to make lifestyle changes. 

Increase Risk of Chronic Illness

The risk of chronic disease climbs with age. This is just another potential impediment to making lifestyle changes if you choose to wait. 

• Chronic Disease Is Already High: The majority of adults (6 in  10) are already living with at least one chronic disease. Four in ten have two or more. Thankfully, most of these conditions are preventable and even reversible through healthy lifestyle intervention. 

• The Longer You Wait the Higher the Risk: By age 35-64, nearly 80% of adults already have at least one chronic condition. This number jumps to over 90% after age 65. The longer you wait, the more difficult the changes become. 

Earlier Investment Into Health Pays Off

A Harvard study found that healthy lifestyle changes implemented earlier in life can add a decade of disease-free living. Wow!

Time is a limited resource, and we don’t have unlimited amounts to make an impact on our health. That’s why I encourage you to start today.

Use Your Wellness Window of Opportunity

I used to work for big pharma in my mid-twenties and while I hated the job, the employer offered a 401k for every dollar invested up to a certain amount. My twenty year old brain did not fully understand that I was leaving money on the table by not taking full advantage of the match.

I have regretted that decision because I left money on the table that would have accumulated to many thousands of dollars at this point in my life. I missed a key window of opportunity and I will never let that happen again. This is just one of the reasons why I’m so intentional about my health. 

So, what about you? What are you doing with your Wellness Window of Opportunity? Are you leaving “health on the table” in exchange for convenience and comfort? What will become more difficult for you in 5, 10 and 15 years if you wait instead of taking action right now? 

Think of the person who doesn’t plan for retirement and waits until their 60s to start saving. Starting in your 60s is definitely better than never, but it would have been a lot easier to start in your 30s, 40s or even 50s. Prioritize your health now on your terms or do it later with potentially lots of pain and fewer options. If you need a place to start, download my free Simplified Wellness Routine.