6 ways for entrepreneurs to stay fit while building business
Many business professionals spend hours sitting while they type away on their computers. There are a number of studies that correlate this sedentary lifestyle with early death from a host of health problems, including high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, depression and more. Do you have to risk your life for your career dreams? While you're building your empire, long hours at a computer are necessary, but you can have your Kale and eat it too. In addition to my own tips on how to stay fit when you're job is sedentary, I've included tips from two entrepreneurial health/fitness coaches who advise their clients daily on how to beat the seat. Good news, ambitious entrepreneurs who aren't willing to give up health or career dreams: you don't have to choose between the two.
Stand up, girllll (or guy)
Sitting is directly linked to early death. A study published in Annals of Internal Medicine found that no matter how much you exercise, sitting for long periods of time has a negative impact on your health.
We've all been guilty of sitting for too long while trying to beat that upcoming deadline, so how do you get your deadlines met and not sit for too long? Taking breaks every 30 minutes sometimes isn't feasible when there is a tight project deadline, right? The answer is stand up! For about $250-$400, you can purchase a stand-up desk or a raised piece designed to put on the desk you already have.
If you don't want to invest in a stand-up desk or product, stack your laptop on a few books or use a raised bar/island in your home. I'm lucky to have a bar in my apartment that is the perfect height for stand-up work. Many local coffee shops have high bars that are the right height for stand-up work too. While writing this, I actually moved from a table to a high bar inside one of my favorite coffee shops.
Unapologetically schedule your gym sessions
Alison Stockton a health coach, entrepreneur and creator of Vibrant Balanced Health advises her hard-working clients to schedule workouts.
“[My clients say,] 'I am working so hard. I just don't have time to exercise or to cook healthy, how does anyone have time?' These words I've heard over and over from my BossBabe clients,” Alison said, "but once they began their health coaching program, everything changes; their careers, their health even their relationships are better."
As entrepreneurs, we're always calendaring, writing in our planners, creating vision boards, etc. We have an entire schedule for work; Alison advises to do the same thing with your workouts. The key is to schedule your "healthy time" into your day. Alison says to be unconditional and absolutely unapologetic about this time. Even if you just have 30 minutes for the gym every day, make it happen.
Anyone can make time for a gym schedule. Wake up a little earlier! Break your 30-minute workout into two parts: 15 minutes for a fasted High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) in the morning coupled with another 15-minute HIIT or weight session at lunch or in the evening after work.
"Exercise helps to cleanse our bodies and keep the toxins/fats/impurities away from our essential-vital organs," Alison said, "it is super important for our body to sweat to increase the natural cleansing process."
To add to Alison's wonderful advice, I say prepare for the gym. On days I don't have meetings, I wear yoga pants and running shoes. (that #EntrepreneurLifeThough). This way, I can be prepared to gym at all times. During ultra productive mornings, I have time to take a quick gym break, so I do. Not having to go back home to change clothes really shaves a ton of valuable time off my gym break.
I've found that listening to a good business podcast (usually Julie Solomon's Influencer Podcast) while getting some endorphins has helped me tremendously. When I get back to my computer, I am energized from the workout, and I don't feel horrible about working for the rest of the afternoon/evening.
Eat healthy and cleanly
Alison also tells her clients to eat healthy and clean.
"Learning to eat the foods that cleanse your body daily is honestly an easy habit to get into," Alison said.
The key to conditioning yourself to eat healthy is developing more willingness to let go of old (bad) habits and stop associating foods, like sugar, coffee and fast food with energy. Real energy comes from eating the right way, every day.
Alison also addressed a question that a ton of her clients ask: "Food is needed by us all to survive, but what you eat could poison another and vice versa, we are all different and unique," she said. So how do you know if you're eating the wrong food for you?
Take an audit of your body- if you listen to your body it will tell you what you need.
Do you lack energy to exercise?- Eat the healthy foods that increase your energy; take note of what foods work for you and what foods don't.
Are you short and snappy with others?- Mood-enhancing food is what you should search for. Here's a list of various foods you can try to feel more positive.
For Alison, the keys to her success in career and fitness are about balance. For over two decades, she's worked with "BossBabes" to help them understand their own balance with nutrition, exercise and being a boss lady.
"When you learn to love yourself more, [your body] will absolutely love you back, and there will be no stopping you," Alison said, "trust me. Your health is truly your wealth."
Check out Alison's website at www.vibrantbalancedhealth.com, follow her on Instagram and Facebook and join her Vibrant, Balanced, Healthy Women Facebook group for more support with your own fit entrepreneurial endeavors.
Find your why
Tara Simone, Entrepreneur, student and Health/Lifestyle Coach tells her clients to dig deep and find the reason you want to be fit. Dig deeper than, "I want to look good." For Tara, she works hard on the entrepreneurial and fitness fronts for her significant other. Before she started chasing her dreams, she rarely saw her girlfriend who is a nurse with long hours. She states that it was difficult to make time for each other with her own 9-5 job, so she put her entrepreneurial workout clothes on. Now, when she's worked on her dreams all day and is the skip-the-gym kind of tired, she thinks about her why and laces up her gym shoes.
Tara tells her clients to imagine their dream lives in order to find their own "whys." Imagining where you are, where you want to be, who you're with, etc puts your goals into perspective and makes it a lot easier to go to the gym when you would rather take another rest day. This month, Tara is leading a Booty Boot Camp featuring workouts, meal plans, accountability and a personal coach. For future Booty Boot Camps with Tara, check out her website. If you could us that extra fitness boost, follow Tara on Instagram @tarasimone_fit and check out her Fit Tribe.
Get on the mat
Sometimes it isn't always possible, but as often as you can take a break! While I'm working at home, I keep my yoga mat behind me, so I can do poses in between work tasks. It really helps me stay focused and moving while I am getting all of my work finished.
Even if you get on the mat after work, the benefits are many. Yoga gets the flow of oxygen to the brain, which helps with mental clarity and fights depression. A routine yoga practice is also a stress-reliever. It's harmful to keep stress within your body, as it promotes a variety of illnesses including hypertension and diabetes. Yoga can help you exhale the stress and get back to your work with a clear head. Check out five reasons for entrepreneurs to practice yoga.
It's increasingly important for entrepreneurs and business professionals to get on the mat. Join a studio or go to a regular community practice, for a stress-reliever and mental clarity-inducer.
Bring the gym to you
In addition to my regular yoga intervals, I also keep dumbbells and a pull-up bar nearby. You'd be surprised how many bicep curls you can do while reading a report or talking on the phone to a client. In fact, there are many ways to exercise while you work, including sitting up straight by flexing and relaxing your abs, calf raises, leg lifts while sitting. Take a look at this article on seven types of deskercise you can try.
When making gym a priority is tough, you can try these tips while simltaneously working on your business. Then, by the time you actually turn out the lights, you'll have accomplished even more! And, as you know, that feeling makes all the difference when you're trying to turn off your entrepreneurial mind.
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