Cycling, Health and Diversifying Your Portfolio
Friday Footnotes
It seems that the UK has gone cycling mad!
On a ride around Rutland and Northants on Sunday, I think I passed four times more cyclists than I did cars. If this continues, it has got to be a huge benefit on so many levels for the country as a whole. On that note, here are a few cycling themed things you might find interesting.
What I’ve Been Eating On The Go
Since getting into cycling and triathlons, I have struggled with finding foods that are easy to carry and consume but are also still healthy for me.
Most energy and protein products look like a chemistry experiment and some gels seem cause more digestive issues (short and long term) than there are cyclists in Rutland – in fact, the one thing that nearly cost me completing the Ironman last year was my stomach. However, I recently found www.33fuel.com who are trying to change this.
Superfood based endurance fuel; their chia seed gels are fantastic, their bars delicious and their powders packed full of only the finest ingredients. They also have some great resources on their site. If you use code ‘TA33’ when you checkout, you’ll get a discount too.
What I’ve Been Reading
Whilst cycling down in Cornwall, I listened to the audiobook of ‘The man who cycled the world’ by Mark Beaumont; the story of his world record breaking, 195-day ride around the globe in 2008. So captivated was I, that I would often have to remind myself I was actually cycling through Cornwall, not New Zealand or the Middle East. He has since beaten this record, and written another book, so that is next on my cycling reading list!
TED Talk I’ve Enjoyed
If you want to live to age 100, cycling (safely) can certainly help; but another way is to study the world's ‘Blue Zones’, communities whose elders live with vim and vigour to record-setting ages.
To find the path to long life and health, Dan Buettner and his team study these Blue Zone communities and in his talk ‘How to live to be 100+’, he shares the 9 common diet and lifestyle habits that keep them spry past age 100.
Quote of the Week
“Ride as much or as little, as long or as short as you feel. But ride”
- Eddy Merckx
Finance Theme I’ve Been Considering
Investing directly into stocks is a tricky game. Unless you have a lot of time to research the companies and build a properly diversified portfolio of investments exposed to different sectors, countries and currencies, you can have far too many eggs in one basket.
Just looking at the news recently:
- BP have cut their dividend; bad news for people relying on the stock to generate an income, but good if you want capital growth in the future. That said, the share price has dropped over 50% in less than a year!
- Diageo have released disappointing sales figures, and their share price has fallen by over 5% in a day.
- The value of shares in Zoom have quadrupled in just a few months.
The market cycle will affect different companies in different ways, which is why having a properly diversified portfolio is vital, so you can spread your risk. See diversification as the investment equivalent of a cycling helmet; it may not feel ‘cool’, but it can save your life if something unexpected happens!
