You won't find too many entrepreneurs with the drive and drive to win like Grant Cardone. To date, the CEO of Cardone Enterprises and Cardone Capital manages a nationwide multifamily portfolio valued at over $5 billion. He is the top crowd funder in the world and has raised over $600 million in equity via social media. He's a New York Times bestselling author with 11 business books - we could talk endlessly about what he does in business, sales and marketing.
Though he always seems "on," it was only four years ago that Cardone experienced the pain and anguish of over 30 years of building his empire. Knowing that he needed to get his health in order and didn't want to undergo various surgeries that would immobilize him and give him painkillers, he began researching how to combat the wear and tear on his body. He came into contact with Gary Brecka, the CEO of Streamline Medical Group. Brecka ran some tests on Cardone and introduced a new regimen for the then 60-year-old.
The results were so great that Grant Cardone offered to buy the company and work with Brecka to create 10X Health System, which focuses on preventative health programs that provide access to customized health solutions based on individual genetic testing. Cardone credits the system with helping him get in the best shape of his life and feeling his best ever. You can't own and operate seven privately held companies and a private equity real estate firm with over $5 billion in assets under management without putting your health first.
Grant Cardone spoke to Muscle and Fitness about the creation of the 10X Health System and how it helped transform his life. Here he also explains the importance of rest, why his diet is still in the works, what makes a wealthy entrepreneur and what to look for in real estate deals.
Grant Cardone gets 10x better
My routine is to wake up in the morning and work out. We have an oxygen bag with 900 cubic liters of pure oxygen that I use while riding a stationary bike. I will do my training. There is a magnetic mat. I do an infrared bed at least once a day to basically start healing the damage of over 60 years. That was four years ago and now I'm in the best shape I've ever been. It solved 99% of my problems. I run 18 companies so to keep on top of things you need to be clear, have energy and not be in pain. When you are in pain, pay attention to your pain. not your plan w I only hit the main core muscles. I just have to keep everything going. I am 64 years old and things have started to fall apart. I do my routine, so leg day, back day, arms, and then rotate it. I also do a lot of cardio – but not enough.
Without 10X Health I would probably be in the hospital with a heart condition right now. I probably should have replaced both knees. My ankle would definitely have had surgery. Both of my rotator cuffs have healed completely without the bullshit. That's probably four surgeries, a heart condition, and I'd probably still be overweight. Also, I'm not in perfect shape. I see Mark Wahlberg and I'm like, 'Damn, Mark looks good!' and that's an inspiration to me. The only thing I haven't gotten right is my diet. I like chocolate and am not strict enough with my diet.
Grant Cardona
Grant Cardone is a work in progress
The biggest mistake I think I'm making is not eating enough and not drinking enough water. I eat [business] Deals - that's how I fill up. I didn't figure out the diet thing. I know it's not complicated either. It just has to use a lot of water, and I don't do it. I also need to eat more often. The only other time I lost weight was when I ate every two hours. I've tried going vegan before and it was a big improvement for me. I shot Undercover Billionaire. I was in Pueblo for three months and had a farm behind this RV where I was staying. I went over and bought vegetables and lived like that for 90 days.
Never skip sleep mode
matter what, I get eight hours of sleep. I tried sleep deprivation and it was terrible for me. I did it for years when I came up. From 29 to 35 I was sleep deprived. w I try to get down at 9pm and up at 6am every day to conquer the sun. I spend a lot of time with my family. They roll with me wherever I go. We homeschool our children so they can travel with us. Sometimes they like to travel with us and sometimes they don't. But I like to travel with them. I wake up in the morning, look at my money first and look at every account I have. I hit the oxygen bag on the bike, do my workout, and then it's work all day. That means paying attention to my business and meetings and then sleeping and repeating the next day.
Grant Cardona
Grant Cardone shares the motivational tips to keep moving forward
The thing that keeps people going, keeps them motivated, and what nobody ever talks about is winning. If you don't win when you train, you will stop training. The people who don't get results stop exercising, and the people who do keep exercising. In business it's the same. People who are motivated are motivated because they win. They make money, acquire customers, or make a difference for their customers. I win a lot and I believe it is so important for my mental, physical and financial health.
The mindset comes from having been unsatisfied for so many years of my life. I would go to a therapist and ask what is wrong with me. I told them that I was disappointed and dissatisfied with myself. The therapist told me I had depression and they wanted to put me on medication. I didn't do the drugs. You would try to just sweep these thoughts under the rug, but what's wrong with being disappointed in myself? The therapist would ask, "What's wrong with loving yourself the way you are?" Because I don't love myself when I'm working below my potential. I won't lie to myself because I know I could do more. I think that's what drives me. I know I can do more, and knowing that, I should do more. I'm not using disappointment to depress myself now. I use this to encourage myself to become everything I can be.
Grant Cardone's essential vitamins for successful entrepreneurs
Vitamin D is discipline. I had no luck. It's been 35 years since I ran this. I woke up and tried to move the ball across the field. Also vitamin E which is energy. You have to bring energy into the game, and I do it in such a way that I keep recreating myself. I am no longer who I was 30 years ago, 20 years ago or even five years ago. It's easier to do more than less, and it's easier to get excited about doing more than less. More is not the problem. More people are more fun; more deals are more fun; more money is more fun; and even more problems can be fun as long as they're big and juicy. That's the difference between a truly successful entrepreneur and an Instagram wannabe. offense, but there's a lot of faking going on because of social media. There are many people who give advice before they really should. I would say the guys I know made it, they make it and they go to another level and they keep going. They reinvent themselves, have tremendous discipline and energy, and are high in vitamin C, which is courage. When they see something, they move and go all out.
Follow Grant Cardone on Instagram @grantcardone
