With a busy work schedule, “I don’t have time” is a tempting response to the things we know we should be doing: more exercise, healthy eating, getting enough sleep, and engaging in stress reducing activities. However, taking the time to take good care of your health has plenty of advantages, including:
- Staving off sickness. Eating a well-balanced diet, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep are helpful for preventing illness. Good nutrition, exercise, and sleep may require a little bit more time during your day, but it could save you days of recovering from illness throughout the year.
- Even more energy. Studies show that exercise increases energy throughout the day. Avoid the afternoon slump by getting a full night’s rest and taking some time to exercise regularly. Just think about all you can accomplish with a bit more energy each day!
- Living longer. Keep yourself healthy so you live long enough to see your company grow, can build another company, travel the world, and do all the other things on your list.
- Minimizing medical expenses. Better health, fewer doctor visits, fewer medical bills. That saves you more money for your gym membership, healthy foods, and investments back into your company.
- Improving mental health. Being an entrepreneur is tough, making it especially important to take care of your minds in addition to your bodies. Looking and feeling better make you feel happier. Exercise provides a nice time to relax and releases endorphins, feel-good hormones which can help ward off depression.
- Look better. There’s no question that eating healthy, sleeping well, and exercising correlate with looking good. Don’t you want to look your best for your magazine cover photo shoot?!
- Confidence. Think about how you feel after a long run or really challenging workout. Like you conquered the world, right?! Take that confidence to your company and conquer your market!
- Demonstrate commitment. How do you expect your team or investors to believe you can do what you aspire to do if you cannot commit to your health? Taking care of your health demonstrates your commitment to taking care of yourself, and offers more evidence that you can achieve anything else you aspire to achieve.
- Thrive. Rather than just “getting through the day,” take each day by storm with a spark in your step, confidence, and energy to power through your day!
- Set an example. As a leader of your company, you can lead by example. Why care if your team members are also healthy? If everyone on your team is experiencing all of the benefits of staying healthy, times the listed impacts listed above by the number of people who work for your company, and your company is even better positioned to stay healthy too!
What’s your motivation for staying healthy? What else can you do today to become a healthier entrepreneur?