Bryce here.   

If you follow me on YouTube, you’ve probably heard me talk about how important it is to preserve your “mental capital.” What do I mean by that?

Trading can be stressful if you don’t use your energy efficiently. If you push yourself too hard, you might make more mistakes or burn out completely. 

It’s common for traders to disappear from trading for a while after a big loss. They might also take up bad habits like overdrinking, binge-eating junk food, or more unsavory things we won’t get into here (keeping it PG!). 

How can we keep habits that serve our visions of becoming successful traders? Our bodies are key. 

Let’s explore how a healthy mind requires a healthy body when trading…

3 Ways Your Body Is the Key to Becoming a Sharp Trader

Let’s look at how to keep our bodies healthy and improve mental focus when trading. 

1. Give Your Body a Break

We all know it’s important to have mental focus when trading. We process a lot of information and make important decisions, plus market conditions can change fast!

Is there a way that our bodies can help our minds stay focused and have better judgment? One study on the impact of exercise on decision-making skills says yes…

“Individuals who were physically active — especially in their leisure time, managed to ignore the irrelevant information and judged the products only based on the information that was useful and informative.”

There’s a catch though: “Interestingly, we didn’t find the same results for people with a job that requires regular physical activity.”

When you’re a young trader and don’t have a lot of money to your name, it can be tempting to try to maximize your life. You might think it’s the same thing if you get exercise through a job that also pays your bills. 

But our bodies know the difference between work and play. And they need leisurely exercise to give our minds full recovery benefits.

2. Create a Morning Routine

Every trader needs something different to get in the zone. But a consistent morning routine can help everyone stay on track and get the mind and body primed for the day. 

I share my morning routine with you in the video below. No big surprise that it involves caffeine both before and after workouts.

A study from the University of Western Australia discovered that “thirty minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise in the morning improves the cognitive functions associated with better decision-making for the rest of the day.”

Make sure you try different strategies until you find the right fit. Some people say that exercise gets them too amped up to focus on a computer screen afterward. And others prefer a light meal over pounding caffeine.

3. Pay Attention to How You Breathe

Many traders find value in the practice of meditation. How we breathe has a strong impact on how we think and act.   

If you’ve ever taken a big loss in a trade, you might remember how your body reacted. Many traders recount how they “froze up” when they saw a trade losing value. 

When you freeze up like that, it’s pretty common to unintentionally hold your breath. 

Practicing meditation can help you become more aware of your breathing patterns. Once it’s in your focus, you can notice how your trades can affect your body physiologically. 

And maybe, with a little practice, you can choose to breathe, think, and act in more helpful ways. If you can calm your mind and body, you might free your brain up to make smarter decisions.

Conclusion

When your body’s in good working order, your mind’s more likely to follow. Trading is a mental, emotional, and psychological sport. 

That’s another reason why I love having a community of traders at my side. Everyone’s been through this journey and has plenty of advice about their struggles and successes. 

In the SteadyTradeTeam, we give you all the technical tools you need to stay on top of the latest markets. But it doesn’t stop there. Our mentor Tim Bohen is big on the mindset aspect of trading, and we cover the ins and outs of what it takes to become a successful professional trader.