I’ve been investing since I was 14. I’ve been working out since I was 11.
At some point I noticed something strange: the people who were winning at one were usually winning at the other.
The disciplined investors I knew were almost always in good shape. The people who stayed fit for decades usually had their finances together. It wasn’t random. The same patterns kept showing up.
That’s when I realized fitness and wealth aren’t separate games. They’re the same game with different scoreboards.
Here are the 5 habits that drive both.
1. They Think in Decades, Not Days
Broke people and out-of-shape people have one thing in common: they optimize for today.
They want the meal that tastes best right now. The purchase that feels good right now. The easy choice that costs them nothing today — but everything over time.
Wealthy, fit people think differently. They’re playing a longer game.
They ask: “What will this decision look like in 10 years?” A $7 daily coffee habit is $25,000 over a decade.
Skipping workouts for a year is a body that’s measurably harder to fix. Small choices compound — in both directions.
This isn’t about deprivation. It’s about awareness. Every financial decision is a vote for your future net worth. Every health decision is a vote for your future body. The people who win at both understand that today’s choices write tomorrow’s reality.
They delay gratification not because they’re miserable, but because they’ve learned that short-term pain creates long-term freedom.
2. They Show Up When They Don’t Feel Like It
Motivation is unreliable. The people who build wealth and stay fit figured this out early.
They don’t wait to feel like going to the gym.
After long work days, I rarely feel like going to the gym, but I already made the choice to show up despite how I feel; it’s identity at this point.
They don’t wait to feel like checking their portfolio. They don’t wait for inspiration to do the boring work that moves the needle.
They just do it. Especially on the days they don’t want to.
This is the habit that separates people who start from people who finish. Anyone can work out when they’re energized. Anyone can invest when the market is exciting. The people who transform their lives are the ones who show up when it’s boring, uncomfortable, or inconvenient.
Discipline isn’t a personality trait. It’s a practice. The more you show up when you don’t feel like it, the easier showing up becomes. Eventually, it stops requiring willpower at all.
The wealthy, fit people I know don’t have more motivation than you. They just stopped letting motivation be the variable that determines whether they act.
3. They Make It Automatic
Willpower is a finite resource. The people who build wealth and stay fit don’t rely on it.
They automate everything they can.
On the money side: automatic transfers to investment accounts, automatic bill pay, automatic contributions to retirement. The decision happens once. After that, the system runs itself.
On the fitness side: workouts at the same time every day, gym bag always packed, routine so simple it requires no thought. The decision happens once. After that, the habit runs itself.
I keep my gym clothes ready to go. If I’m rushing? F*ck it. I’m going in jeans, sweat pants, or crocs. I just need to show TF up. F*ck excuses.
This is the cheat code nobody talks about. You don’t need more discipline. You need fewer decisions. Every choice you automate is one less opportunity to make the wrong call.
The people who stay fit forever don’t wake up each morning deciding whether to work out. The workout is scheduled. It’s automatic. There’s no decision to make.
The people who build wealth don’t decide each month whether to invest. The money moves automatically. They never see it. There’s nothing to resist spending.
Reduce the decisions. Automate the behavior. Let the system do the work.
4. They Focus on Consistency Over Intensity
Broke people make big dramatic gestures. They try to get rich quick. They try to get fit fast. They swing for the fences, miss, and end up worse than where they started.
Wealthy, fit people play a different game. They’re not trying to win today. They’re trying to not lose over time.
Small, consistent actions beat occasional heroic efforts. Every time.
If you saw my gym workout or 10 minute micro workouts, you’d laugh at me. But if you saw me naked, you’d think twice.
$500 invested monthly for 30 years beats a $50,000 lump sum you keep waiting to have. A 10-minute daily workout beats a 90-minute session you do twice a month.
The math is boring but brutal: consistency compounds. A moderate investment return, maintained for decades, creates millionaires. A moderate workout routine, maintained for decades, creates people who are still strong at 70.
The people who win at both stopped chasing intensity. They started chasing streaks. How many days in a row can you show up? How many months can you not miss a contribution? That’s the only metric that matters.
5. They Ignore the Noise
There’s an entire industry built around making fitness complicated. There’s another industry built around making investing complicated.
Both exist because complexity sells. Simple doesn’t need a subscription.
The people who actually build wealth and stay fit ignore most of it.
They don’t chase the hot stock. They don’t jump on the trendy workout program. They don’t read every article about optimization. They found something that works and they stuck with it for years.
Index funds and compound interest. Push-ups and walking. The boring basics, executed consistently, beat the exciting tactics abandoned after three weeks.
Every minute you spend consuming fitness content is a minute you could spend working out. Every minute you spend researching the perfect investment is a minute your money could be in the market, compounding.
The wealthy, fit people I know are almost aggressively simple. They tune out the noise. They do the basics. They let time do the heavy lifting.
The Underlying Truth
Fitness and wealth are both long games won by people who master the same skills:
- Delayed gratification
- Showing up when it’s hard
- Automating good behavior
- Choosing consistency over intensity
- Ignoring distractions
If you’re struggling with one, look at how you approach the other. The patterns are usually identical.
The person who can’t stick to a budget usually can’t stick to a workout routine. The person who panic-sells during market dips usually panic-quits when a workout gets hard. The person who’s always chasing the next get-rich-quick scheme is usually chasing the next fitness shortcut.
The problems aren’t separate. The solution isn’t either.
Where to Start
Pick one habit from this list. Apply it to both fitness and money.
If you have no automation, automate something. Set up a recurring investment. Schedule your workouts for the same time every day.
If you’re chasing intensity, dial it back. Smaller investments, more often. Shorter workouts, more frequently.
If you’re drowning in noise, simplify. Index funds. Bodyweight exercises. Stop researching and start doing.
The people who build wealth and stay fit aren’t superhuman. They just figured out that the same habits drive both outcomes. Then they practiced those habits until they became automatic.
You can do the same. It’s not complicated. It’s just consistent.
That’s the only secret there is.
Today’s Workout: Airport Abs
- Standing Crunches (2 min)
- Luggage Twists (2 min)
- Seated Knee Tucks (2 min)
- Plank Hold (2 min)
- Standing Oblique Crunch (2 min)
This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not a substitute for professional care. Always listen to your body and consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, exercise routine, or health practices — especially if you have existing conditions or injuries.