Self-Care Tips for Busy Entrepreneurs
1. Plan for Health and Wellness
As a young entrepreneur, you already know the importance of making a plan. You know that you need an overall goal to focus on reaching as well as micro-tasks that will help you take the necessary steps to reach that goal.
Your health and well-being should be no different. Although focusing on your business is important, make sure your daily schedule includes time for your physical and mental health. This includes exercise, stress relief, and quality sleep.
Think of it this way: sleep, nutrition, and exercise are all fuel for your body. When your body is well-rested and healthy, your mind will be able to function at its peak. “All-nighters” are things of the past; surviving on quick food full of empty calories will only make you sluggish. Exercise provides endorphins and adrenaline that will give you the energy to work more efficiently. Meditation, yoga, and other stress relievers are critical to both your physical health and your ability to run your business.
Avoid burnout with a healthy lifestyle that becomes as much a priority as your business plan.
The bottom line: make sure that healthy living and taking care of yourself are part of your business plan.
2. Get outside help
It’s a lot harder to stick to a healthy lifestyle if it’s not a priority. There are plenty of free fitness and nutrition apps that can help you create daily workout and nutrition goals and then stick to them. Accountability is your friend, here. Just as you are accountable to your shareholders, investors, or customers with your business, make yourself accountable for your own well-being.
Other free apps are there to help you wind down at the end of your day and prepare for quality sleep. Some will even help put you to sleep with calming stories or music specifically designed to send you into dreamland—and keep you there.
Besides apps, having a friend or a group hold you accountable will help keep you on track. If you enjoy running, run with a buddy. Join a local gym, Y, or JCC to find fun workout classes that will hold your interest. At the very least, do an online or Facebook search for a group you can join. Once you make your nutrition and fitness goals solid and set them up, you’ll feel more of a responsibility to reach them every day.
The bottom line: Few people can go it alone. Making yourself accountable to an app, a friend, or a group will keep you honest and motivated to stay healthy.
3. You Are What You Eat (and Drink)
As previously stated, empty calories from junk food will only make you sluggish, and after a while, they will take a real toll on your health. The health of your body is as important as the health of your business. If you aren’t used to eating healthy, do a little research; you don’t need to take long. Find healthful recipes that appeal to you and which are easy to make. Surround yourself with healthy, nutrition-dense snacks. Make them easy to find and reach when you feel hungry. Hide the junk food.
There is no shortage of dietary plans out there, so odds are there’s one for you.
Remember not only to look at calories, fat, and carbs, but to ask yourself if the food you’re eating contains vitamins and minerals. You need a well-rounded diet that includes vegetables and protein to keep your body energized and your mind sharp.
Check out supplements, as well. Make sure to take ones from reputable manufacturers that don’t load their supplements with lots of sugar and artificial ingredients.
Make sure you drink plenty of water. If you don’t already have one, get a water bottle you love, and keep it filled. Add a wedge of lemon or a slice of cucumber for flavor, if it helps. Just make sure you don’t add sugary powders for flavor. Avoid too much caffeine, especially in the hours before bed.
The bottom line: Changing even a little bit of your diet by eliminating unhealthy snacks and drinking more water can make a big difference in your daily stamina.
You are the engine that drives your business, right? Therefore, you need to keep yourself in top shape to have your enterprise run smoothly, efficiently, and successfully. Self-care is not selfish; it’s healthy. When you are well-rested and have a healthy way to relieve stress; when you are eating well and staying hydrated; when you are exercising your body every day; you’ll be mentally and physically ready to tackle anything that comes up in your business life.
Your enterprise can’t make it without you!
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