Whipping Your Body and Portfolio Into Shape

At our sister site, Peak Health Advocate, we pride ourselves on providing cutting-edge information designed to help you start and maintain a healthy lifestyle. And while most of our articles are focused on the latest nutrition, exercise and health tips designed to improve your life, we know that maximizing your well-being and living a healthy lifestyle comes with a price tag.

For many of us, figuring out how to optimize our financial situation is far more perplexing than integrating the latest workout into our exercise regimen. Yet these two seemingly disparate activities don’t have to be mutually exclusive. In fact, as investors we can buy stocks of companies that make living a healthy lifestyle possible. With this notion in mind, let’s take a look at five healthy stock picks for a healthy portfolio.

Whole Foods Market (WFMI)

Organic fruits and vegetables, grass-fed beef, free-range chicken and just about every imaginable item that belongs in a healthy grocery cart can be purchased at Whole Foods Market Inc. (NASDAQ: WFMI). Whole Foods is the brainchild of its outspoken CEO John Mackey, a college dropout in the 1970s who had no money and no business training. All he had were aspirations to start a natural foods store. More than three decades later, Mr. Mackey has become synonymous with natural foods.

Healthy lifestyle practitioners know that they can count on Whole Foods Market to sell the food we need to optimize our health. Investors know the stock delivers healthy returns, as over the past 24 months WFMI shares are up an astounding 271%.

Brunswick Corporation (BC)

Working out is something crucial to a healthy lifestyle, and while there are a wide variety of exercise modalities to choose from, cardiovascular training and strength training certainly are at the center of many fitness regimens.

One company that helps make these workouts possible is Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC). The company is well-known for its marine division, as it makes recreational boats under the Mercury brand. However, the company also garners a sizeable amount of its revenue from its fitness segment, which includes cardiovascular fitness equipment such as treadmills, stair climbers and stationary exercise bicycles under the Life Fitness brand, and strength training equipment under the Hammer Strength brand.

Investors know that BC shares have been a pillar of strength for some time, as the stock has surged an incredible 572% over the past 24 months.

Nike (NKE)

Footwear and athletic apparel manufacturer Nike (NYSE: NKE) is one of the best-known companies in the world, and its tremendous success over the years shows how popular the brand has become. Whether it’s running, tennis, football, basketball, baseball, soccer or just going to the gym, whatever sport you choose to participate in, your feet will be well-supported with footwear from Nike.

The company’s stock has proven to be a great fit for investors, as NKE shares have jumped more than 78% over the past two years.

Foot Locker (FL)

If you’re looking for a new pair of workout shoes from Nike or any of the other big athletic footwear manufacturers, you can try on, compare and contrast many of these footwear choices at the Foot Locker (NYSE: FL). As of last year, the company operated 3,500 stores in North America, Europe and Australia. In fact, if you’ve been to a major shopping mall recently, you probably couldn’t help but run into a Foot Locker store.

The retailer has become the go-to store for athletic footwear, and that’s due in large part to a sound combination of big selection and educated sales staff. The company’s stock also has become a go-to destination for investors, as FL shares are up 100% over the past 24 months.

Vitamin Shoppe (VSI)

Finding all of the various nutritional supplements that make a healthy lifestyle possible can be challenging, and it also can be costly. One company that sells a huge variety of nutritional supplements, often at a nice discount, is Vitamin Shoppe Inc. (NYSE: VSI). The company markets vitamins, minerals, nutritional supplements, herbs, sports nutrition formulas, homeopathic remedies and even natural pet foods. It sells its products through its retail stores, as well as through its catalog and website.

Perhaps the best thing about Vitamin Shoppe is its variety of products. In fact, just about everything you might need can be purchased at either your local Vitamin Shoppe or via their website. I personally like the company’s reward points program, which gives me about $150 per year in free merchandise based on the amount of purchases I make.

Vitamin Shoppe shares went public in October 2009, and since then, this healthy stock is up a very healthy 110%.