Good Health Is Good For Business

For busy entrepreneurs, taking time out of your day to hit the gym, take a yoga class or meal prep healthy foods can seem like just another task on your to-do list. As a business owner, your life is packed with responsibilities: managing a website, marketing, communicating with customers … not to mention doing the work you’re in the business of!

Still, research shows that adding a healthy lifestyle to your list is not only a good thing to do—it’s good for your business, too.

Your Business’ Impact On Your Body

As a busy entrepreneur, you likely juggle many tasks and roles on any given day. This is especially true when you’re just getting started, and may not have the resources to delegate less-than-exciting grunt work to an employee. Working 10, 12, or more hours a day can increase your output, but what effect does it have on your body?

Think about the many, many hours you spend sitting at a desk, working on your computer. Several studies have shown the long-term effects this can have on your spine, causing back pain, shoulder pain, and bad posture. Lack of sleep, fast food eating, and regular travel can also have adverse effects on our body such as disrupting our body clock, negatively affecting our immune system, or just making us feel more rundown and less energetic.

Healthy Lifestyle = Better Business Output

A recent study found that unhealthy eating is “linked to a 66 percent increased risk of loss of productivity, while rare exercise is linked with a 50 percent increased risk of low productivity”. And that doesn’t account for sleep deprivation, where your body can feel effects after just 17 hours of full wakefulness.

Choosing better foods, making exercise a habit, and getting adequate sleep do more than just improve your mood and overall health—it can give your productivity a boost. Think of the value of improving your productivity, or having a full team of highly-productive employees, that sounds appealing to any business owner!

Make Health and Wellness A Priority For Your Business

Just in case overall productivity boosts aren’t enough to convince you, YFS Magazine compiled a list of business benefits to wellness. They include improved concentration, better ability to perform under pressure, less time sick and away from work, and enhanced lifestyle by sustaining goal-enhancing routines.

These benefits may not change you (or your business) overnight, but as they say, compounded interest is realized in the long term. As an entrepreneur, you understand the value of hard work and dedication. Why not put the same ideas to work with your health?

Tips And Habits For Healthy Business Owners

Ready to change your lifestyle? Don’t think you have to do everything at once. No need to join a 6-day-a-week gym program and go vegan today. Use these ten tips to make your good health a habit, and you’re on the way to business success.
Good health isn’t just good for our body—it’s good for business. Take small steps every day to improve your positivity and productivity.

1. Practice gratitude to refocus your mind on your achievements, your family, and even that great cup of coffee you had this morning—not on your shortcomings
2. Make adequate sleep a priority (6-8 hours a day is recommended). Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that working so hard you don’t sleep is a badge of honour. You could be operating even better!
3. Exercise at least 3 days a week. This doesn’t have to be anything intense. A brisk 30-minute walk, hour-long yoga class or weightlifting is enough to burn some stress and get your body feeling refreshed.
4. Take a break every now and then! No one can go on and on without taking a break—not even a busy entrepreneur with deadlines such as yourself. Take an afternoon off to have a meal with loved ones, see a movie, or go for a hike. You’ll be surprised how it can get the creative juices flowing!
5. Build a routine you can stick to. Feeling overwhelmed by all the things you have to get done in a day? Create a routine that lets you fit in work, health, and yourself. This may mean waking up at 5 AM to workout or taking lunch outside to rejuvenate. Find what works, and stick with it.
6. Become a stress management expert. Explore methods to de-stress in times where you feel overwhelmed. This could mean using a meditation app, going for a quick walk, or taking a break.
7. Prep Meals Ahead. You don’t have to go full personal trainer here. Pack your lunch to avoid indulging in foods that can leave your mind groggy, and productivity shot.
8. Set Goals. This is a given! The same way you set goals for profits and projects, set goals for your health. Set a goal to bring lunch every day this week, or sign up for a cycling class at your local gym. Then, smash it!
9. Get involved! Health and teambuilding can go a long way toward improving the health of your team. Choose a fun sport and make it a competition!

With a life-long passion for wellness and over 15 years of experience, Mauro followed his extensive top-tier soccer career into the health field. While learning theoretically for the bulk of the last 18 years he also had the fortune to train, coach, and compete in multiple sports including Cycling, Weight-lifting, Ultimate, Volleyball, Basketball, Swimming, Hockey, Soccer, Muay Thai, and Tae Kwon Do.

Mauro is also the Founder of Incite Coaching, check his website out here and follow him on Instagram here.

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Opinions expressed here by Contributors are their own.