I would like to take some time to discuss your health. If you have read this blog for very long, you know that I believe in trying to eat and act healthy even though the world is trying its best to force us from this path. I am not going to tell you to exercise for an hour a day, only eat fruits and vegetables, and sleep for 8 hours. I never ask anyone to do things I, myself, do not do.
As an entrepreneur, you probably do not eat correctly, work longer than others, and rest less than most. Let me stop you right there and bring something to light…what good is success and wealth if you are not around to enjoy it? A few simple tips and you will be healthy enough to enjoy your success.
Diet. I’m not talking a lack of food but how and what you consume. Eating the wrong food, irregular eating habits, and not enough food can all be just as detrimental as overeating. And believe it or not, everyone of the items I listed will increase the fat on your body. I am walking proof. For most of 2007 I ate fast food for breakfast half of the time, skipped lunch, and ate dinner at 8 to 9 pm. At the beginning of 2007 I weighed about 155 or so with a size 31 waist. By February of 2008, I was 198 pounds and wore size 36 jeans. I refused to break 200 pounds and my jeans were getting snug. My wife suggested Weight Watchers. I decided to try it with her. What did I have to lose? Weight…that’s what. 12 weeks later I was 164 pounds and a size 32 waist! You can read the full story here. Incidentally, I have kept the weight off.
I advocate and suggest the Weight Watchers plan to any entrepreneur, overweight and underweight alike. The plan teaches you how to eat proper portions. I did not have to give up bread, or meat, or any thing else.
The plan also teaches you to eat the right amounts of each food group, regulating your eating habits, and holding you accountable to staying on track. I will admit, it is easier to do with someone to support you. My wife actually invented and concocted many different recipes that are friendly to the Weight Watchers diet. Allowed me to eat and actually get full. You can find those at MoreThanAHouseWife.com and they are available free of charge. If you decide to do Weight Watchers, I would appreciate you trying via the ad in this post. Ad proceeds will go towards helping support the maintenance of this site.
Exercise. As I said from the outset, I am not talking about hours of exercise. I do 100 crunches each morning (2 sets of 50) and 100 push ups every other morning (2 sets of 50). I exercise before breakfast, which I eat at home now. Exercising in the morning gets the blood pumping and generates more energy for you throughout the day. I am not advocating crunches and push ups for your regimen. They are great exercises, but anything to get the blood pumping will work. Yoga, jumping jacks, a brisk walk and pull ups will all work. Doing something to keep your body in shape is better than doing nothing and letting it get worse. Start off small and slow so you won’t get discouraged. Try to work out for 5 minutes each morning and increase as you feel necessary.
Rest. This one is a biggie and I still have a hard time getting a grasp on this one. I can manage multiple companies, employees, budgets, and projects better than I can manage my rest schedule. But rest is very important. It gives your body the much needed time to repair itself from the day’s activities. I wrote an entire post about it. Not getting enough sleep is more detrimental to your body than smoking. Each person is different. Some people require 10 hours of sleep while others only require 6. If you are getting less than 6 hours of sleep (I have been there and still visit that state on occasion) then you need to set your cutoff bedtime and utilize some of that resolve you have towards business and reallocate it to getting to bed. Make yourself go to bed and get 6 hours of sleep every night. If, after a week, you are still tired when you wake up and are dragging throughout the day, then go for 7 hours and repeat the process until you feel refreshed every day.
My point is, we take good care of our businesses, investments, and families. We need to give ourselves the same care. Remember, as of this writing, you only get one body so treat it well. Our businesses, investments, and families rely on us to be around to take care of them. With a little maintenance and self-discipline, we can significantly increase our chances of being there for them for a long time.
Tags: diet, eat, exercise, rest, sleep, weight watchers
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