You don’t have to choose between being healthy and being productive.

In fact, the two go hand in hand and you can’t truly have one without the other. If you feel like you don’t have time to be healthy, because you’re too busy being productive, then you especially need to prioritize your health to keep from crashing long-term.

I’ve seen it in my own life and with hundreds of clients I’ve worked with - prioritizing health always has a side effect of better productivity. I help people get in the best health and best shape of their lives, but after doing this for 10+ years I’ve realized it always has carry over into all other areas of your life. When you’re healthy, you don’t have to squeeze more hours out of your day, because you’re squeezing more out of each hour.

You know that productivity is a long-game and a short-game. How do you get the most out of today, but more importantly how do you get the most out of the next 10, 20, or 30+ years. That’s what prioritizing your health will do. 

If you’re looking for healthy habits to not only keep you looking, feeling, and performing your best for years to come - but also right now - then here are some healthy habits you can seamlessly implement to increase your productivity:

1: Daily Walk

Walking daily is probably one of the least cool or sexy things to sell when it comes to better physical and mental health, but it’s probably one of the most effective. People I know that walk regularly are some of the healthiest people I know - and they are rarely lacking energy. Not only will it help with physical things like your weight and overall health, it also works wonders for giving you more clarity, energy, and many other productivity benefits.

Build up to walking 30 minutes a day, although even less will be beneficial. Consider pairing this with something you’re already doing, such as taking a call (or healthy habit number 2).

2: Early Sunlight

A large part of your energy, focus, mood, and many other things are controlled by your circadian rhythm. And while many things can influence your circadian rhythm, one of the most powerful is light exposure (and not caffeine, believe it or not). If you want an overall boost to your natural energy and sleep, getting sunlight early in the day (and minimizing bright lights at night) is a great strategy.

When possible, aim for 10 minutes of sunlight exposure within the first hour of waking.

3: Prioritize Muscle and Mobility

If there were two things to prioritize when it comes to your actual fitness routine, it would be lean muscle mass and mobility. Building lean muscle mass allows you to go throughout your day physically with less effort, because your body is more efficient at even simple tasks. Having a good base of mobility will also keep your joints and muscles feeling great, so you can focus on the task ahead of you instead of a body that’s bothering you.

Aim for 2-3 times a week of compound strength exercises to build lean muscle mass, and 5-10 minutes daily of some mobility work.

4: Chill Out

While this habit could go multiple ways, what I’m talking about here is cold exposure (although chilling out and managing stress will also help). Regular exposure to cold can increase productivity, energy, improve immune system, and allow you to better handle the stressors of work and life. 

If you’re brave enough, consider adding in a cold shower daily or invest in a cold plunge that you can use to maximize this habit.

5: Settle For 6, Aim For 7, But 8 is Great

Sleep is not optional, but necessary, for optimal productivity. Study after study shows how detrimental poor sleep is, and if you think you’re immune to these effects, you’re just like every person in these studies that felt the same way (and still performed far below their potential). 

6 hours should be a minimum, you’ll be surprised at how much more you can squeeze out of your day if you can make 7-8 hours work. Regardless of how much time you can commit to spending in bed, quality is equally important as quantity.

Don’t choose between health or productivity, they feed off one another. If you’re healthier, you’ll be more productive both now and for decades to come. Don’t neglect the most important asset you have - your health. It doesn’t have to take hours our of your day, but it’s up to you to make it a priority now so you don’t pay for it later.

Click here to set up a totally free call with one of our coaches, and learn more about how we help men lose 10 lbs of fat and build 10 lbs of muscle (without sacrificing productivity or working out more than 3 days per week)