How Fitness Impacts Business

Exercise and nutrition – not typically the first two things that come to mind when you think about business, especially the success of your business. However, author Anne Bachrach offers some compelling insights about how fitness impacts business. After reading Anne’s story, you may want to move fitness and overall health higher up on your PROFESSIONAL priority list.

How Fitness Impacts Business

by Anne Bachrach

Business owners tend to become all-consumed in their business, allowing their physical fitness fall to the bottom of their priority list.  While a common occurrence, this habit may sabotage the success of your business – and your health.  Being an entrepreneur takes lots of energy, more than many other careers, and being healthy and physically fit is vital to maintaining the valuable source of energy you need to keep up with your business. 

If you are not fit, neither is your business!

Do you understand how fitness impacts business success?  If you are not fit, neither is your business.  Regardless of how hectic your schedule may be, it is imperative to the success of both your business and personal health to make time to exercise each and every day.  According to the CDC, adults need an average of 150 minutes of aerobic activity each week in order to experience the health benefits of exercise.  If you are like most entrepreneurs, your schedule is likely packed to the max, but consider how empty your schedule would be if you were forced to take time off for serious health reasons. 

Taking 45 minutes, 3 days a week, to exercise is a small piece of your weekly schedule and should become as large of a priority as eating or breathing.  Your body is counting on you to give it what it gives you every day – vitality.  While it may seem that exercising takes more energy than you have got at the moment, you would be surprised how much additional energy you would have from exercising.

Even 15 minutes of exercise while on a break to give your brain a rest can be beneficial.  Doing sit-ups, push-ups, running around the block or up and down the stairs in the building counts as exercise.  When you are taking a mental break, get some exercise time in and take advantage of that time.

If you do not have enough time to exercise during your lunch break or after you close up shop for the evening, consider waking up an hour earlier just three days a week to work in an hour of exercise.  Many entrepreneurs find their energy peaks when they exercise in the morning and it sets the tone for the rest of their day.  Alternatively, if you are a night owl, consider exercising at night and taking advantage of the services offered at a local 24-hour gym.  Some people find exercise to be a healthy way to release stress after a long day of work.  Regardless of when you choose to exercise, just do it (yes, I borrowed from Nike). 

Diet and Nutrition

As an entrepreneur, you are always on the go.  This likely means you do not have the chance to sit down and enjoy a proper meal as much as you would like.  While refueling on empty calories may seem necessary and harmless, feasting on the wrong foods can actually cause your already low energy to plummet.  Fat- and sugar-laden foods will drain your energy and in turn decrease your productivity.  It may surprise you, but being in poor physical fitness does negatively impact your business!  If you are trying to stay fit for your life and your business, you may want to steer clear of the morning donut or the mid-afternoon fast food run.

Aim for three balanced meals per day with an additional healthy snack as needed.  Be sure the first meal of the day, breakfast, is packed with protein, vitamins and minerals.  If you are on the road for most of the day, pack a small cooler in your car with healthy snacks or a small meal.  If you get stuck in traffic, you are not tempted to get junk food on the run.

As a rule of thumb, you should consciously saturate your diet with protein, vitamins and minerals.  Eating a small, balanced meal at least three times a day should help minimize cravings.  Eat lots of fruits, vegetables, legumes and fish; and consume red meat sparingly.  For more resources about your diet, head to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website.

Be Weary of Caffeine

Let us be honest, most entrepreneurs seem to drink more caffeine and energy drinks than they should.  If you fall into that group, put down the caffeine down.  Instead of downing an energy drink, reach for a cup of water.  Consuming too much caffeine will dehydrate your body and encourage a whole host of other issues, including insomnia.  On the other hand, water will hydrate your body, promote a better complexion, flush out toxins, and can be consumed in high quantities without nasty side effects.

To download a complementary health and fitness tracking sample spreadsheet, go to here.

As an entrepreneur, you more than likely lead a hectic lifestyle.  Attending meetings, managing your business, and constantly being on the run require you to be in tiptop physical shape.  Refuel your body with nutritious food so that it can in turn provide you with the energy for leading such jam-packed days.  The bottom line is that if you are not fit, neither is your business.

Feel free to subscribe to my complementary iTunes Podcasts and listen to a variety of interviews I conducted with Denis Collier who is an exercise physiologist and registered dietician by going to here.

I think you will find them very informative.

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Anne M. Bachrach is known as The Accountability Coach™.  She has 23 years of experience training and coaching.  Business owners and entrepreneurs who utilize Anne’s proven systems and processes work less, make more money, and have a more balanced and successful life. Anne is the author of the books, Excuses Don’t Count; Results Rule!, and Live Life with No Regrets; How the Choices We Make Impact Our Lives, and The Work Life Balance Emergency Kit. Join the FREE Silver Inner Circle Membership today and receive 10% off on all products and services, in addition to having access to assessments and resources to help you achieve your goals so you can experience a more balanced and successful life (see here). Get Your Free High-Content Book from Amazon today: 10 Power Tips for Getting Focused, Organized, and Achieving Your Goals Now, by going here.