How I Found My Own Fountain of Youth

Even better results

I've always tried to be as fit as I could. I became a vegetarian in 1987, and in 2009 I became a vegan. But even then—even working out six days a week—I was still gaining a little bit of weight. I was still getting tired after meals. I didn't have the kind of stamina I wanted to have in order to grow my business.

So around my 51st birthday, I decided to try going gluten-free. I first became aware of going gluten-free from Novak Djokovic, the number-two ranked tennis player in the world at the time. He has had enormous success since going gluten-free and has written a book about it called Serve to Win.

Within four days of going gluten-free, I could tell that I had some sort of sensitivity to wheat and even four days into it, I started feeling really terrific and energetic.

Building stamina

I think for people in our business, whether you want to grow your business or just maintain your business during periods of market volatility, the one thing you need more than anything else is stamina. Having a diet that does not have wheat in it has provided me with greater stamina.

Financial advisors are among the most information-overloaded people because every single day things happen in the world: All the markets are moving, and as a consequence, every single thing within the holdings and portfolios of clients is changing. There are client inquiries, and you are trying to find ways to build your business. Maintaining concentration, focus, energy levels, good habits, exercise—all this stuff is really critical. So having a diet that helps me keep on top of everything is important.

The big difference is when I get up every day now, not only do I feel much better mentally, but I feel like I could climb Mount Everest in my bare feet. That's the biggest change. I tell people that I'm gluten-free and they immediately say, "I can never do that because I have to give up bread, cereal, pasta, pizza, and everything I love." I want to make the point that that's not true. You can go to any major grocery store, and you can get gluten-free versions of all these things.

And don't forget, there is no gluten in meat or seafood. Being vegan is the choice I made, but when going gluten-free you can still eat meat.

My daily diet

Usually for breakfast, I have cut-up fruit or strawberries with gluten-free cereal in almond milk. I also have a scoop of vegan protein powder with orange juice and acai berry juice. For lunch, I generally have salad with sunflower seeds and dried cranberries. Or I have quinoa with black beans and tofu, things like that. Finally, for dinner I'll have salad, gluten-free pasta, or quinoa as a base. Then I steam broccoli and sauté mushrooms with olive oil or tomato sauce. There's a lot of variation to what base and vegetables I'll use each day.

Weight melts away

Going gluten-free isn't necessarily going on a weight-loss program, even though I think it's helpful for weight loss. I'm down 18 pounds over three months and I have made no effort to lose weight. I've stuck to the exercise program I have always followed. It just sort of falls away.

And again, I didn't go into this with the goal of losing weight. You just sort of lose weight all by yourself by removing wheat from your diet. Djokovic, a world-class athlete, lost 11 pounds himself.

My fitness favorites

I stretch and do a variety of yoga poses 365 days a year. Staying flexible, particularly when you get to this stage of life, is critical. In my view, yoga is India's gift to the rest of the world. There is a DVD out there you can find called A.M./P.M. Yoga with Rodney Yee. It's two 15-minute gentle yoga sessions. I made it through the financial crisis doing the p.m. yoga every night because no matter how stressed out I was, I did that and I could sleep like a baby.

In addition to that, three days a week, I swim approximately 1,500 yards and I do intervals. I swim for 30 minutes, which is approximately 1,500 yards, and at the five-, 15-, and 25-minute marks, I'll do a 50-yard sprint in the pool. The intervals make all the difference in the world. The other three days a week I ride my bike either outside or I use the indoor bikes at the local YMCA.

Give it a whirl

Even if you don't have a sensitivity to wheat, giving up gluten can still help you. William Davis, a cardiologist out of Wisconsin, wrote Wheat Belly, which has been on the New York Times best-seller list for over a year. He's put over 2,000 of his at-risk patients on a gluten-free diet and has seen very, very remarkable results.

Dr. Davis's thesis is that people have been eating wheat for centuries, but about 50 years ago, the food scientists caught up to it and started messing up its DNA. Eating two slices of wheat bread drives up your blood sugar more than if you ate two tablespoons of granulated sugar.

Finding your path

Just because I do things a certain way does not mean it will work as well for someone who does not have the same amount of sensitivity to wheat. Everyone has to find their own path—whether it's going gluten-free or being a vegetarian or using the Eat to Live diet from Dr. Joel Fuhrman—everyone has to find their own path out there.

To anybody who is thinking, "Maybe I should do this," I would suggest trying it out for 10 to 14 days—even if you don't think you have a wheat sensitivity. People at your local market will be glad to help you find the specialty product; they are really available. Again, after 10 or 14 days, depending on how you're feeling, go out and eat a bagel or a doughnut and see how you feel. Chances are, you're going to get some sort of spike and then a crash, or your stomach's going to hurt. I've always had minor stomach problems, and now they've completely gone away.

It's been over seven months since I've gone gluten-free, and it makes me want to take on more clients because I don't feel like I'm going to get worn down like I used to. It makes me more eager to come to work and to help people each day. I feel so good that I'm not even upset that I ate wheat for the first 51 years of my life!

What's working for you?

What's the one thing you (or your team) have been doing recently that's making a difference in how you're running your business and succeeding? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks.