Entrepreneur health is a secret to business that is not talked about enough. Your health is truly your superpower and can be accessed to help you grow, scale, and make more money in your business than you ever imagined possible.
I started building my health coaching business in 2020, at a time when I was very ill with a flare-up of my autoimmune disease, Ulcerative Colitis. I was so sick, in fact, that I could barely walk or eat. However, I felt compelled to help others heal their bodies and find freedom the way that I was doing for myself.
Through the process of creating a new business in the midst of health struggles, I learned that everything else falls into place the way they are supposed to when I put health as my number one focus. While I wasn’t given a choice to focus on my health or not, this principle is true for anyone building and running their own business. Entrepreneur health should be at the forefront of any business strategy.
Why is health so important in business and how does it translate to money?
Entrepreneurship and a 9-5 job require different levels of energy.
At a 9-5 job, your job essentially is to sustain your responsibilities and move the needle forward. Generally speaking, you are able to get away with feeling “okay” enough to do your job for 8 hours and then go home and crash. But when you are the entrepreneur, you are the CEO, CMO, CTO, COO, all combined. You are the one to create and implement strategies for growing your company. You are the one managing your team and setting the tone for the work you are providing. So it makes sense that your health needs to be a top priority.
Fatigue and stress are productivity killers AND–good news!–are preventable.
For years, it was seen as a badge of honor for business owners to be stressed, tired, fatigued, and crazy busy. Yes, business owners are prone to high levels of stress and fatigue, but it doesn’t have to be this way. You want to know the real flex? Building and scaling a successful business with 8 hours of quality sleep each night. Now that is a badge that I would be proud of!
If stress and fatigue aren’t part of the equation, how much more could you accomplish? What could you do with more energy, more mental clarity and focus, more creativity, and thinking outside the box? How would you show up differently in your business?
Entrepreneur health is like training for a sport.
Pro athletes train and prepare for the sport that they play. They know that they need to perform to the best of their ability, so they are going to prioritize sleep (hello! Lebron sleeps 12 hours a night during basketball season), nutrition, mindset, and exercise–all specifically designed to succeed in their specific sport.
Entrepreneurship is a marathon. You need to be at your best and able to show up and perform in your business day after day. The same way athletes have a regimen that sets them up for success on the court or field, you need a regimen that sets you up for success in your business.
How do you prioritize your health as an entrepreneur? Here are 7 ways…
1. Consider eliminating processed and inflammatory foods
What do I mean by processed and inflammatory foods? These are foods that promote inflammation in your body and inhibit the body from function at its highest level. Examples of these foods include gluten, dairy, sugar, processed oils (high fructose corn syrup, vegetable oil, sunflower oil, etc.), and fast food.
When you begin to remove these foods from your diet, you lower the chronic inflammation present in your body. This leads to more energy in your day, better focus and mental clarity to grow your business, and a strong immune system that will fight against sickness.
Tips:
- Start with one thing at a time–When I started out eliminating these things from my diet, I started with fast food, then dairy, then sugar, then gluten.
- Be prepared—have everything you need in your kitchen for cooking and snacks
- Plan ahead—going out to eat can be challenging, but it is possible. Check the menu ahead of time so that you aren’t stressed in the moment.
2. Get moving
Move your body every day. It may seem counterintuitive, but participating in moderate exercise regularly will give you more energy throughout the day. It also releases serotonin, which boosts your mood and well-being, as well as reduce depression and anxiety
Exercising regularly also gets the creative juices flowing. Have you ever been on a walk or run and a new idea popped into your head? Neuroscientists have found that people who are physically active score much higher on tests of innovation and creativity than their counterparts who are sedentary.
It doesn’t have to be an intense exercise; it can just be a long walk outside with your dog or a gentle yoga class
Tips:
- Start from where you are in your physical abilities–Even at my sickest, I would get outside and talk a walk around my neighborhood to keep my muscles and joints active. Eventually, as I got healthier and stronger, those walks got longer and longer until I was able to start lifting weights and running again.
- HIIT workouts 1-2x week – ie: CrossFit, interval training
- Moderate workouts 2-3x week – ie: strength training
- Active rest days 2-3x week – ie: yoga, bike ride, stretching
3. Make sure you are getting quality sleep
This can be challenging when the to-do list seems never-ending. I know I have been a major offender of this more than once when I was building my business around my 9-5! However, sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your health and your business, and should be added to the top of your entrepreneur health priority list.
When you are asleep, your body goes through a process of rest and recovery that it needs to function properly.
Alternatively, when you don’t allow your body a full night of sleep, it short circuits these processes and causes poor concentration, moodiness, irritability, and fatigue. A routine of poor sleep can lead to more serious health issues down the road.
By focusing on building a nighttime routine and creating healthy sleep habits, you will boost your immune system, keep your brain sharp and alert during the day, and even slow the aging process.
Tips:
- Stay consistent, even on the weekends
- No screen time at least 2 hours before bed
- Cut out the caffeine after 12pm
- Journal what you’re grateful for, what you learned, and what you accomplished each day
- Try taking magnesium at night, like Natural Calm
4. Have a plan for managing stress
Stressors will always pop up when you are running a business. So it’s important to have tools in place for managing stress when it arises.
Stress keeps the body producing cortisol, the hormone designed for fight or flight mode. So essentially our bodies are reacting as if we are in distress, except it is ongoing rather than a split-second moment of distress. Is it any wonder why we’re so tired at the end of the day?
For me, stress is the #1 trigger for my autoimmune disease so I know I have to keep it in check or symptoms will start popping up.
Tips:
- Be proactive—plan one day a week or month when you completely unplug and focus on doing the things that bring you joy
- Practice breathing exercises to use in the stressful situation
- Schedule time each day to meditate—it can be as little as 5 minutes
- Trick your brain with gratitude. Stop and find 3 things at the moment that you are grateful for.
5. Stay hydrated
If your body is short of the necessary amount of water, then the first sign is fatigue. Our bodies are made up of mostly water, so we need lots of it to thrive in our daily life.
When we are fully hydrated, our brains are able to function at its highest potential. This means you can focus and be present in meetings, and think of the next amazing offering to provide your clients. All from sipping on glorious H2O throughout the day.
Tips:
- Don’t wait until you feel thirsty. That is the first sign of dehydration.
- Keep a refillable water bottle near you throughout the day and refill it regularly.
- Set an alarm on your phone to remind you to drink water if that is what you need
- Aim to get at least 64 ounces of water each day.
- You can order a half-gallon water bottle on Amazon for $15
6. Limit your alcohol intake
Don’t shoot the messenger! 🙂 Alcohol provides a wind-down effect and can also wreak havoc on your REM cycle when you sleep. In excess, it can also cause lethargy, fatigue, and brain fog the next day.
I enjoy a good craft cocktail as much as the next person, but choose to limit when and how much I indulge based on my health and business goals I am working toward.
Tips:
- If you need energy mid-day, then avoid drinking at lunch
- If you need energy after work, then avoid drinking at happy hour
- Drink an alcoholic beverage at a time when you don’t mind winding down
- Limit your amount of alcohol intake before bed so it won’t affect your sleep
7. Drink caffeine, but strategically
Adding to my list of things I love in moderation, I also have a deep love for coffee. The love runs deep, but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.
I found that I was constantly fatigued and wasn’t sleeping well. Plus, I still wasn’t energized throughout the day despite my constant sipping on it all day long.
I had to cut it out completely when I got sick and switched to a matcha latte instead. Matcha (ground green tea leaves) has a lower amount of caffeine and provides a steady amount of energy, rather than the spike and crash that coffee sometimes creates.
I found that I actually have more energy throughout the day when I don’t have any coffee at all!
It may seem necessary to drink an entire pot of coffee to survive the day and its long list of to-dos. However, too much coffee can actually cause more trouble than it helps.
An excess of caffeine can cause you to have trouble getting to sleep, and can also cause your nervous system to go into overdrive. If you are prone to anxiety, try cutting down on the coffee and see if it helps. Coffee is also, by nature, dehydrating. So you can actually feel fatigued if you aren’t drinking enough water to offset the dehydration.
Tips:
- Drink one cup of coffee first thing in the morning
- Stop drinking coffee at or before 12pm
- Switch to half-caffeinated/half-decaf to wean yourself
- Limit yourself to 2 cups max
- Try cutting out coffee altogether and see how you feel
RECAP:
- Consider eliminating processed and inflammatory foods
- Get moving
- Make sure you are getting quality sleep
- Have a plan for managing stress
- Stay hydrated
- Limit your alcohol intake
- Drink caffeine, but strategically