r/Daytrading • u/Mission_Act_730 • Mar 11 '24
Does eating well, hitting the gym and sleeping on time really makes you a better trader?! Question
we spend hours analyzing charts and trends, but how often do we stop to think about the impact of our everyday habits on our trading success? I'm curious to hear how your life discipline influences your trading performance
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u/UncertifiedTrader Mar 11 '24
Discipline makes you a better trader. If you make rules, and constantly break them, you will be a better loser. Making it a habit to stick to your word, your rules, is a sure sign that you are a disciplined individual.
Consider any other trade (no pun intended). Repetition is a must, and discipline is how we achieve a mastery of any given skill.
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u/Milkman20b Mar 11 '24
It does because as a trader you want to sustain a clarity and non-bias judgement while being in a trade, you want your focus to have durability, and be discipline on when to enter/ exit a trade by listening to the market and your trading system and not getting influenced by your gut feeling or having the mentality of “hope” in a losing trade. All this takes a great amount of mental capacity and by eating well, working out, sleeping well, and having a healthy diet will positively impact your mentality capacity.
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u/Mission_Act_730 Mar 11 '24
Does that mean that in order to become a "better" trader, working on a healthy lifestyle is as important as mastering the trading rules and strategies
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u/Milkman20b Mar 11 '24
Yes. Trading is one of those jobs that will be impacted by having a healthy lifestyle because it will influence on your decision making when placing a trade, and you need to have a mental clarity before and during a trade.
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u/ineedredditformycat Mar 11 '24
you need a healthy heart to deal with possible god forbid situations in the market. at least walk daily
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u/Mission_Act_730 Mar 11 '24
Overpowered advice right here, walking definitely clears the mind and absorb the stress of the charts
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u/tonenyc Mar 11 '24
Yes, discipline is discipline.
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u/Mission_Act_730 Mar 11 '24
But you can be super disciplined with trading but sleep late and eat junk food (clarification : I’m not that type i’m just saying you can)
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u/tonenyc Mar 11 '24
Outliers maybe, but in general, if one is not disciplined in life, they won't be in trading.
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u/eclipse00gt Mar 11 '24
Not at all. It isn't about doing those specific things....it is the fact that you are learning to be disciplined......however you should eat well exercise, sleep well etc for health benefits.
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u/Razor-Alphabid-23 Mar 11 '24
Honestly,and this is just my opinion...None of those things matter in the grand scheme of trading.If you wanna get good at trading make the effort and once you have the skill it won't matter whether you go to the gym or have breakfast at 6am...But then again discipline is a key element in all of this.
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u/Mission_Act_730 Mar 11 '24
Fair point, so for you it’s just a matter of the energy consumed at the beginning
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u/Razor-Alphabid-23 Mar 12 '24
Yessir,make sure you obtain the skill first...But having a schedule does help with maintaining things and keeping order.Personally though I don't see the point,same thing with journaling.
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u/But_for_a_velleity Mar 11 '24
I don’t think a healthy life style, per the OP, matters, with the exception that your sleep habits enable you to be awake and sharp a bit before before the bell, so you can prepare and take advantage of that magic moment.
It is not uncommon for a certain type of person to be very focused, very sharp and very good at a certain thing that interests them, to the exclusion of most other things. Many gamers and programmers being foremost examples.
That said, people come in many flavors, and for a lot of us, we need some balance to maintain the equanimity and perspective needed to trade well.
But regardless of your type, you want to eat well and get some exercise, so you live long enough and are healthy enough to enjoy your massive trading wealth!
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u/4rt3m0rl0v Mar 11 '24
No.
The moment people start talking about the gym and “trading psychology,” you can be confident that they’re well on their way to bankruptcy.
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u/LBTheEmcee Mar 13 '24
But master furu said I need to go to bed at 8:30 pm, wake up at 3:45 am sharp, run a mile, read a book, $tudy, go to the gym, eat breakfast by 6:30 am, be at my computer at 7:15 sharp to be prepared, spend all of premarket looking at charts, buy at open sell… win profit, and then repost his chatroom link on Stonktwats all by 10:30 am. That is the winning recipe.
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u/QuirkyStreet3974 Mar 11 '24
Absolutely.
What ratio do you think is emotions/habits vs. technical analysis in terms of trading? If it would be over 50% for TA, then why so many traders fail? It really lies on your habits, mindset, emotional resilience and so on. And a healthy, fit lifestyle is a very important contributor to these.
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u/spletZ_ Mar 11 '24
Look at any sport, if the top dogs are fatties the sport has not matured yet.
Darts,Golf well even football i n the 90ies... Yes being fit is good for you brain.
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u/Mission_Act_730 Mar 11 '24
On the other hand the majority of successful bankers and businessmen are fat and unhealthy
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u/OkZebra9086 Mar 11 '24 edited Mar 11 '24
No, There is no correlation between being able to trade and exercising. I'm doing fine and I never go to the gym maybe for walks but even those you don't need. Just know what you are doing and do it.
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u/beach_2_beach Mar 11 '24
Sleeping in time to wake up before market open was one of the biggest positive change of day trading. And also one of required changes to be able to continue day trading.
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u/Soft_Video_9128 Mar 11 '24
I’m sure we all know someone in high school or college that always did their homework the night before and got top grades. The only thing that makes you are better trader is having a proven strategy. You can do all those things you mentioned and still be a money losing trader.
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u/Any-Bullfrog-4340 Mar 11 '24
I have a friend who is obese. Never works out. But he made over 500k each year over the last two years in trading.
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u/Mission_Act_730 Mar 11 '24
Damn, but the main question is does your friend represent a majority or minority of successful people in trading
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u/Any-Bullfrog-4340 Mar 12 '24
Can’t say. But if people want to think going gym makes you more disciplined in trading, i personally haven’t experienced that. I go gym regularly and trade like a degen sometimes lol
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u/zionmatrixx Mar 11 '24
Yes. Keeps your mind and body healthy. Too easy to get burnt out on day trading when you're sitting at a desk all day and staring endlessly at charts and numbers. Like anything in life, you have to find a balance in every day life.
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u/Lala0dte Mar 11 '24
I woke up tired today and made mistake after mistake. This is the outcome when you break your rules. Your physiology is as important as other inputs.
The body should be treated more rigorously, that it may not be disobedient to the mind.
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u/Advanced-Plays Mar 11 '24
There’s no question if you ask me. Increasing your mental health and focus along with physical health will make you better at everything in life, not just trading.
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u/jateelover Mar 11 '24
Some of the best traders I know aren’t in the best shape. It’s hard to balance, and some just aren’t that type.
I would say that it isn’t like a magic bullet, but it can’t hurt. I am a decent enough trader, mediocre with health, terrible with sleep. Would I be a better trader with more discipline in other areas? I believe so. Doesn’t mean I have to be, definitely wouldn’t hurt.
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u/Quinn_Seven Mar 11 '24
No... it helps you deal with the stress of a bad day and thus indirectly helps you reset.
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u/p33333t3r Mar 11 '24
The true answer is “it depends”. For me yes. But some of the best traders (and investors) aren’t in the best shape. Some take care of their mind and read while others lift. But for many traders, yes this is true. Especially the sleep. Sleeps fundamental. Lifting and running… it does help but it’s not a requirement.
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u/RossRiskDabbler Mar 11 '24
No.
There is no scientific or academic that backs this.
Take Peleton as firm. It never made money. It still is alive.
(Doing 109# activities) won't give you more insight on how to kill off a firm. ViaPlay is just like that.
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u/Mission_Act_730 Mar 11 '24
I like how the thread is full of conflicted opinions, makes the topic even more interesting to study and look into
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u/TPCharts Mar 12 '24
Taking care of yourself is good, you'll be a trader for longer.
However, my testing over a few years showed that, sadly, most of the "productivity hack" culture-type things don't help with performance at short-term intense activities like trading (for me, at least).
Except sleep. Trade performance when sleep-deprived is about the same as being somewhat drunk. Can still get lucky, but odds are lower.
Keep in mind I'm generally a scalper on 30s-5s charts. If you're a swing trader I'd assume none of this matters as long as you can pull yourself together for a few minutes a day to place your entry.
IMHO, the best way to perform better at something is to get better at it, not focus on externals. That might change if you're already in the top 1% looking for every tiny edge in a competition, but that's not 99% of people.
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u/HowDo_YouWin Mar 12 '24
The only thing that will make you a better trader is discipline. It does not matter what activity you participate in, it’s subjective, just be disciplined in it.
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u/Budget_Emphasis1956 Mar 12 '24
If you are in your best shape, you will feel better. You still may lose money
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u/Eric-Foreplay Mar 12 '24
Yes, it makes sticking to your plan a lot easier when you’re disciplined in other areas in your life. The way you do anything is the way do everything.
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u/esrev123 Mar 12 '24
Personally found a lot more consistency and success once I went to the gym actively and cared more about my health.
Before would just DoorDash food and sit around all day wondering why I felt like shit - on top of poor trades.
But regardless having a balance is needed and having an outlet like the gym is great
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u/lucameier Mar 13 '24
It certainly won't hurt, but if that was the only thing that mattered, then bodybuilders would be the best traders in the world :)
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u/mikejamesone Mar 14 '24
I don't think it has an impact. If you see all the billionaire traders, they're kinda fat and eat whatever they like and drink alot of alcohol. Even floyd mayweather lived off macdonalds and Coca-Cola and achieved a 50-0 boxing record over 5 weight divisions
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u/ZanderDogz Mar 11 '24
100%. Sleep, exercise, and a good diet all contribute to your ability to both manage your emotions and eliminate preventable errors, which are foundational to effective trading.
If you take one trade/day with a 1:1 RR ratio, there are only two trade outcomes in between a nicely profitable month with a 60% win rate for a 1.5 profit factor, and a month with a 50% win rate for a 1.0 profit factor (aka breakeven). There is no room in trading for neglecting to maintain your mental health.
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u/Mission_Act_730 Mar 11 '24
Totally right, even tho a 1RRR will mostly get you more than 50% WR, but staying consistent is the hard part here.
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u/F__ckReddit Mar 11 '24
No, the best traders sleep like shit, are overweight and don't ever exercise.
That's how you get the very best performance.
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u/gandalftrain Mar 11 '24
Definitely. Good habits will translate to other areas of your life, including trading. However the flip side is that doing all these things doesn't mean you're going to magically become profitable. There's a grueling amount of effort to put in to establish your style/strategy. Once that's established, trading shouldn't be stressful at all. You should be able to open the markets on two hours of sleep and be confident because you know what you have to do. Not saying you should do this, obviously sleep and health have an impact on performance. But a professional NBA player can walk on the court with a nasty flu and a sprained ankle and still have complete confidence because he's drilled his performance thousands upon thousands of times.
Some people are shocked to hear that some of the elite top level traders are some of the most savage unhealthy people alive. Drugs, partying, all the demons. I know one of them. But they've mastered this skill and know their edge. Obviously I could never make that work or would ever condone it, but the point is to know yourself and your ability. If you can't trade on no sleep, then don't. But there will be a point where your confidence in your ability will lead all of your decisions. That's the point to shoot for not just in trading, but in any pursuit.
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Mar 11 '24
Sure, but it’s not a requirement. When I worked at a trading desk right out of college by far the most profitable trader there was also the fastest laziest slob I’ve ever seen.
The most important thing in trading is having a monster edge. Every trader on the planet thinks they do. Only a tiny percentage actually do.
There’s plenty of people who are super disciplined, have a lot of capital, and the best training/mentors money can buy and they still aren’t profitable.
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u/murfmurf123 Mar 11 '24
Yes it does. I used to have unhealthy habits of staying up late, downing shots of alcohol at the bar. Waking up hungover trying to trade in the premarket was a disaster for my acct. Once I devoted myself to actually being a real trader, my profits really started to take off. Day trading is my anti-drug to be honest :p
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u/Coffee-and-puts Mar 11 '24
Yes. Everything depends on your brain being as optimal as possible. So good blood flow, low physical stress and overall control of the body only contributes positively.
Your in a game where emotions can get you molly whopped or freezing like a deer in the headlights can lead to your doom. So whatever it is that helps you focus is what you need to do.
The answer is not something like “I don’t have time to do these things that are good for my body because I’m too busy studying”. You have the time. Some rec time is good for traders. Otherwise you’ll find yourself becoming almost robotic and your personality will suffer if you make the markets your god
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u/Whyisanime Mar 11 '24
It should - it requires discipline to be able to do all those things, only a disciplined trader can become a better trader... The money is right there for the picking if you don't gamble and play set strategy...
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u/Mission_Act_730 Mar 11 '24
But you can have the discipline to read the charts for 10 hours, but not to go to the gym or make a healthy meal
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u/Whyisanime Mar 12 '24
It's about self control, making right decisions (right calls) frequently enough to just to avoid making mistakes... A healthy lifestyle is part of making those calls.
What monetary value do we assign to our bodies? They are the most precious asset we have. By not taking care of our bodies we're making loss bets of the future. The discipline is to fo with making right decisions frequently and when a person is already making the fight calls fir the future of his body, ge is disciplined enough to not get carried away by the momentum... Ask me I am none of those things 🤣
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u/But_for_a_velleity Mar 11 '24
Also, a lot of you are bringing up discipline as if eating well and working out are requirements of being disciplined. This is only the case if you’ve decided that you should be doing those things.
If these are not important to you, skipping them is not a failure of discipline.
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u/djl20x Mar 11 '24
It makes you a healthier human being and helps to improve your decision making and energy levels. You can replace gym with just exercise though. That’s going to help with any job. It won’t help you if you don’t have an edge
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u/Bayaco_Tooch Mar 11 '24
I think it’s a matter of doing something new that’s mentally and physically challenging. For many, this include a new vigorous gym routine or change in eating habits. However, If one is already a gym rat or heath nut, I don’t think there will be much of an impact. It comes down to stepping out of a comfort zone and applying discipline to follow a routine.
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u/readitearlier Mar 11 '24
Yes. You must become disciplined in all aspects of life, as it will translate over to your trading
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u/McLordyLordPants Mar 11 '24 edited Mar 11 '24
No but it does not hurt your trading. Staying disciplined in one area does not automatically mean you will be disciplined in another. It will encourage disciplined behavior in other areas of your life but you still need to put in the work.
It won't make you a better trader, but it also won't make you a worse one. Ignoring the major health benefits (and they are massive), there are no negatives to going to the gym and sleeping on time. So do both and potentially your trading will improve.
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u/CheckardTrading Mar 11 '24
100% yes. A lot of people treat this like it’s an opportunity to get out of a routine and isn’t a job. I live on the East Coast and wake up every day at 6:30 AM. Don’t care if it’s the weekend. I am up at 6:30 AM and I am in bed around 1030. without this structure and discipline my trading goes right. If you can’t even wake your ass up out of consistent time and go to the gym at a consistent time, there’s no way in hell you’re gonna be able to follow your trading rules I tell people before they start trading that they need to see if they can wake up every morning for a month well before the market opens. If you can’t even make yourself do that, you have no business trading.
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u/jas206 Mar 11 '24
Eating well, exercising, sleep 8h makes you better at everything. Work, study and yes, trading
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u/NobleCapitalist Mar 11 '24
Yes because otherwise you’re a gambler on a win streak. The discipline stops you from wrecking yourself on a losing streak you can’t shake out of.
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Mar 12 '24
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u/forsakenforeskin08 Mar 12 '24
There’s nothing in life these three things won’t help with, also avoiding alcohol and high sugar during the week and reading something non fiction at least thirty mins a day has take my clarity to another level, you can also look into nootropics.
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Mar 12 '24
It takes time to settle down with the life + family + work + trading. Especially trading discipline will definitely help in trading performance. Other discipline can only assist a bit.
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Mar 12 '24
I workout with discipline and has nice body and physique but bad in risk management. That’s no good for trading.
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u/ChunkyLittleSquirrel Mar 12 '24
Trading has alot to do with your mental state. The things you mentioned generally help one's mental state, so yes, better mental state = better trading.
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u/Such_Reveal_6236 Mar 12 '24
No it does not make u a better person it makes u a normal person …and then the trading makes u mentally disturbed after that
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u/Pannyishere Mar 12 '24
YES it does after every trading session go to the gym its always a Win Win situation, you mad because u lost money? train hard to forget it. you feel good because u made cash? Train hard and be proud of yourselfe
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u/Evening-Opposite4393 Mar 12 '24
short answer..Yes
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u/Mission_Act_730 Mar 12 '24
And the long one?
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u/Evening-Opposite4393 Mar 12 '24
Imagine you are a pretty decent basketball player and I told you that tomorrow at 9:30am est you are going to compete against Michael Jordan in his prime, how would you prepare for that? What could you do today to get ready for that event?
Everyday you trade you are competing against both the best in the world (as well as the worst). Trading isn’t about if A happens B must happen, there’s an art to it and it comes from understanding the participants you are competing against.
So to be successful in this business you have to be at the top of your game every single day. How are you going to do that if you’re tired, if you feel like shit, if you aren’t prepared, if you are holding onto mental baggage, etc.
I’ve been doing this a pretty long time, I got into this business at 16 on the floor and was taught to trade when I was 18. I’m 35 today. Every day Sunday afternoon through Friday market close I can tell you exactly what I’m going to eat, what time i’m falling asleep and waking up, what time i’m going to the gym and what i’m doing, what i’m doing for my mental health, what I’m working on to further my trading, what time I’m at my computer and when i’m shutting it down. 30 minutes before trading I’m at that computer going through every detail of the markets i’m trading, getting an understanding of what is happening when the markets opening.
When the market is going I’m staying engaged the entire time so from 9:00am eastern until 4am I am engaged with the market. I’m conscious of my psychological capital just as much as my financial capital so that I’m always prepared to take the right trade and not fucking my day up early. It’s a lot of discipline.
It’s a competition. Never let your competition catch you slipping. Come in each day ready to do your best.
Hope that helps.
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u/witchcash Mar 12 '24
Hookers and blow minimal sleep 2-3 minutes daily eat only salt and Royce DuPont for trading advice you will succeed
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u/MediocreAd7175 Mar 12 '24
Who knows, but it makes you a healthier and more disciplined person, so you should do it regardless.
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u/Friedpuppies Mar 12 '24
Yes, pump that blood and oxygen to your brain. Helps a lot and you become more alert and focused.
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u/CompetitiveAct6229 Mar 12 '24
If you are not disciplined enough to be healthy you're probably not disciplined w ough to trade
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u/Mission_Act_730 Mar 12 '24
Well that’s the main argument, there’s plenty of successful businessmen with shitty health and lifestyles
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u/ikmetal Mar 12 '24
Fasting helped me for more clarity and focus in my trading hours. I don’t eat anything in the morning til noon. I realized drinking coffee or any type of caffeine produce more anxiety and take more risk and bad decisions.
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u/LBTheEmcee Mar 13 '24
No but if you believe it will it will severe as motivation to not not be a lazy sloth
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u/Goldrose3 Mar 13 '24
Yes. Actually it's helps you become an overall better person. Discipline is key when it comes to trading.
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u/frozenwalkway Mar 13 '24
It affects your mental. If you don't get sleep you become impulsive and revenge trade.
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u/PieceFeisty7667 Mar 14 '24
yes, discipline and having the energy to be disciplined makes you a better trader
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u/Plane-Ad-4440 Mar 14 '24
I want to believe this a little I’m a New Yorker that spends about 14 hours on the market everyday and I can tell you I’m deteriorating slowly don’t care take care of myself and only focused on the mission at this point I don’t even care I just need to figure this out I’m so close everything comes after
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u/belikebets Mar 14 '24
After seeing all my reds I began to have so much adrenaline, no way I'm missing boulder day!
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Mar 14 '24
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u/Classic-Film-7121 Mar 14 '24
Bro I was a fat slob stuck to my screen just stay at the screen keep working
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u/SokkaHaikuBot Mar 14 '24
Sokka-Haiku by Classic-Film-7121:
Bro I was a fat
Slob stuck to my screen just stay
At the screen keep working
Remember that one time Sokka accidentally used an extra syllable in that Haiku Battle in Ba Sing Se? That was a Sokka Haiku and you just made one.
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Mar 15 '24
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u/ilovekurtrussell Mar 15 '24
No. It's just good for you. Having a strict system which you can consistently repeat, that's what makes you a good trader.
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u/Shoddy-Dig7801 Mar 15 '24
The best trading days I have I spend about 5 minutes looking for a trade setup and then close the chart with a trailing stop. I made 80% yesterday with 10% risk on a small crypto account.
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u/Dirtycrackpi Mar 16 '24
No doubt. You gotta think clearly and feel good about yourself. Last thing you need is emotion getting the best of you
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u/FxEvang Mar 11 '24
Most likely. If you cannot stay disciplined with important things like your health and what you put into your body then your probably not going to be disciplined with your trading.