Top 10 Health and Wellness Tips for Entrepreneurs

Some of the best health and wellness tips you may ever hear get might not come from someone wearing a white lab coat. Not to thumb a nose at doctors—doctors are great! The problem is that everyone in the medical field has to be very careful about what they say and recommend. Even if a doctor believes some home remedy or unstudied method works on a personal level, he or she can’t professionally endorse it without empirical research. The point is that just because it’s your mom who told you to drink chicken noodle soup when you feel sick and not your doctor doesn’t mean it isn’t true—odds are your doctor is a chicken-noodle-soup-advocate as well—the difference is your doctor requires empirical evidence, while your mom is happy with antidotes.

So long as it’s not too extreme, there is nothing wrong with alternative wellness tips. Often, the best non-medical wellness tips come from those who share your profession. If you, for example, are an overweight lawyer trying to get healthy, the fit guy at your firm may have some useful things he can tell you about where he eats, how he exercises, and the like. The same is true of teachers, cops, and, of course, entrepreneurs.

As a group, entrepreneurs are highly interested in health and wellness. Why? Because the best entrepreneurs want to optimize every aspect of their lives, including health, so they can focus more time and energy on what they do best. Steve Job’s famous black turtle neck, for example, was not a fashion statement—it was simply a comfortable, convenient way for him to wear the same thing to work every morning without having to waste even an iota of energy thinking to himself “what am I going to wear?”

Today’s entrepreneurs are trying to optimize how they look, how they feel, and, perhaps most of all, how much energy they have throughout the day. Here are some of the best health and wellness tips for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs.

The question we asked these entrepreneurs and business leaders is, “How does prioritize health and wellness make you a better / more productive Entrepreneur?”

Here are their answers

As an entrepreneur, I have always believed you must work smart and work hard; as far as working hard, it’s about putting in the hours to destroy your competition. In order to do so, you must have the energy to put in the work.

            A few years ago, I really started putting a real focus on working out regularly and watching what I put in my body, which has reaped huge benefits for me. I have more energy, I feel better, I look better and psychologically, I know I have the mental edge on my competitors. In business, I have seen success in creating systems/processes for myself and my team. Systems create accountability, which leads to finding out where the real issues lie. The moment I made working out (in some context) a non-negotiable element in my life, I found that my “life” systems began to take shape. I now am way more disciplined and have clarity in what I need to do to win. For any Entrepreneur out there, I highly recommend taking a hard look in the mirror and asking yourself what you are doing to optimize your health, which in turn will optimize your whole life.

Mark Mastrandrea, Co-Founder IKONICK

 

Because entrepreneurs are so busy, one mistake they sometimes make is cutting out the gym. “I don’t have time,” they say. In many cases, this is pure laziness, plain and simple. The other thing to understand is, as Mark mentioned, working out not only helps you look better, it also helps you feel and perform better—so while working out may take up some time, it actually increases your energy and improves how much you can get done during the day. Health and wellness tips like these are crucial for your success as a business owner.

 

As entrepreneurs, we are often left with very little time to focus on anything outside of our business. So often, we focus on revenue-generating activities that we forget to take care of our physical and mental wellness. I am guilty of overworking, especially when things are not going great.

Over the years, I have learned that business is a lot harder when you lack mental clarity, which is why it’s important to keep an active and healthy lifestyle if you want to be more effective and increase your chances of success.

Some of the best advice I can give aspiring entrepreneurs is to sleep more; that’s it. Sleep is paramount to your health and will improve your overall performance – not just in business, but also in your personal life. It doesn’t matter what time you go to bed or what time you wake up, what matters is that you get a full eight hours of sleep to give you mind plenty of REM sleep.

Getting a good night’s sleep will keep you from getting sick or developing any long-term illnesses, amongst so many other health benefits. Sleep more, work less, work cleverer.

Jon Torres, Entrepreneur

 

This point by Jon Torres is an important one: Sleep is not the enemy of productivity; they are allies! While pulling all-nighters and going without sleep might look good in movies and have some kind of romantic appeal, the fact of the matter is that working like that is not sustainable and will, over time, have a negative impact on your overall productivity. I’ll take the guy who consistently goes to bed at 10 pm and gets to work early over the guy pulling all-nighters any day of the week!

 

Prioritizing your physical and mental health is extremely important as an entrepreneur or any business professional. Besides making your look and feel better, physical fitness offers big benefits, including better immunity, healthier body weight, increased confidence, improved sleep, and even a sharper mind. 

Emphasizing healthier habits is key to productivity and the bottom line. Good leaders and entrepreneurs have a true interest in theirs and their employees’ well-being. Working out provides countless perks for the brain, supporting healthy functioning in several ways, such as improved memory and cognition. It also releases endorphins to make you feel better, has more energy, and puts you in a better mood. Who doesn’t want to look and feel good? Get on it!

Don Tran, Former Marine Raider

 

Don Tran is right; working out has been shown to improve mental performance! Working out, then, can improve not just how you look but also how you feel and think. Wellness tips from Don aren’t to be taken lightly. As a former Marine Raider, he knows his stuff when it comes to efficiency.

 

Health & Fitness should be a priority in everyone’s list. As an entrepreneur, I realize more and more every day, why being healthy is so important. I have a background in coaching and Personal training, which has really helped me to keep myself in good shape. For me being healthy and prioritizing it daily really helps me to show up every day at my best. It allows me to function properly, feel energized, It drives my motivation up the roof, it makes me feel powerful, it puts me in a great mood, it decreases my stress, makes me feel strong, and lastly, it increases my level of confidence drastically. Honestly, the list can keep going, but this is just to show you some of the amazing benefits I get out of being healthy and being active on a daily basis.

Here are some tips to start living and leading a healthier lifestyle:

Tip 1: Decrease the intake of refined sugars and other processed foods.

Tip 2: Move your body every day. I tell people all the time movement is medicine. Just be active!

Tip 3: Start with what you have, because what you have is plenty. If you don’t have fitness equipment that’s ok, just start off by using your own Bodyweight.

Tip 4: Practice! Practice Practice! I want to lead a healthier lifestyle; you need to practice being healthier every day. Even if you start off with something small, that’s ok, as long as you keep working your way up. It can be as small as adding an extra cup of water a day or increasing one extra day of physical activity.

Tip 5: Be intentional! Super important! When your practicing and doing your healthy daily activities be intentional about it and focus on it. The more intentional you are with your new healthy daily practice, the faster they will turn into new healthy habits!

If you are an entrepreneur and you start taking action towards your health, I will tell you that your life will change drastically for good! As entrepreneurs, we need a healthy lifestyle more than anything in order to continue our high paced entrepreneurial work!

Anthony Mendez, Coach & Consultant

 

Anthony makes a lot of good points, especially the one about “practice.” Many make the mistake of trying to go cold-turkey on their former unhealthy habits. This is usually not a good idea and can lead to broken promises and missed goals. Hit the reset button every night, and wake up in the morning with a clean slate. Even if you cheated on your diet or at the gym one day does not mean that you need to make it two, and even if it’s two doesn’t mean you need to make it three. Stop negative actions before they become negative habits.

 

Life, in general, is already crazy, especially in these current times, but now add on the weight to perform, to provide and protect your family, all while maintaining core values that keep you aligned with who you are. Not to mention just striving to be a good human in the process. It is a constant struggle and oh so delicate balancing act, that’s why making sure prioritizing yourself is a key piece to the puzzle of thriving.

Throughout my own journey as an entrepreneur and elite athlete, I’ve had to test and try many different methods to get this piece in place. The most impactful for me has been a combination of carving out specific times throughout every day. Which I call “Me time.” That means nothing takes precedence over this time. Why because I matter and you should feel the same about yourself.

My favorite time is before anyone is up in the morning. Aligning myself mentally and spiritually within. This is where I set the tone for my day and the race of the day ahead. Making yourself a priority is not selfish and is very much needed. Look at it from the lenses of if your cup is constantly empty because you are always depleting your self-resources, how can you provide and fill the cups of those who really matter in your life?

Steven Benedict, Professional Track Athlete & Olympic Qualifier

Scheduling your “me time” the way you would schedule meetings or anything else in your life is a good idea. It ensures that “me time” is a daily priority and not just something you can skimp out on whenever you feel like it. Making time for self care is maybe one of the most important health and wellness tips that I heard in all my conversations with these entrepreneurs.

 

Talk to almost any successful CEO nowadays and they will tell you about their daily routine, often these routines include working out and eating well. Some of the most successful people in the world are letting the secret out…working out and being healthy not only makes you FEEL better, look better, move better, but it also helps you have more mental capacity. I once counted that I had 7 jobs, now as an entrepreneur that may be 5 too many, but one thing I will not sacrifice is my health and fitness routine. I often get overwhelmed by how much I have to get done but the thing that keeps me from boiling over is getting my movement in for that day

I suffer from depression and fitness is my antidepressant, my assistant, and my life guide. Two things will be constant in my professional life: 1. I will have many more jobs, but 2. I will ALWAYS move my body and eat well until my final days.

Celebrity Fitness Trainer, Joey Thurman

 

Joey Thurman makes a great point here about how busy entrepreneurs can get and how sometimes they choose to sacrifice their health and wellness. This is a decision you should never make as it will hurt not only your health but also your long-term productivity. Take note of these wellness tips because mental health is always a part of your overall wellness.

 

As for me and my humble opinion, here’s what I think about entrepreneur health:

Prioritizing health and wellness doesn’t just make you a more complete entrepreneur, but a more efficient one as well. I’ve had many successes in my life, and none of them came when I wasn’t being disciplined. The best thing that being an athlete at a high level taught me wasn’t just how to be bigger, stronger, faster. But it taught me how to face adversity and maintain discipline through it all.

Maintaining a solid and, for me, a rigorous health and wellness regimen is paramount to my success as a businessman. Being physically fit inside and out obviously allows more mental clarity and optimal performance. But the biggest upside to being healthy comes from the mental fortitude that is gained from having a great fitness plan with goals. If you’re willing to put in the work on your body, you will be more suited to take on the stressors that come from life and ultimately owning a business. There are many ups and downs when it comes to the business world, just like health and wellness. Some days you just won’t have the gas in the tank to push a solid workout, but you adapt and overcome. Bring that mentality to the workspace, and you will find success.

Something that I find important within this subject has a fitness goal. No matter what it is, you need to have something that is tangible that you are trying to reach. As an entrepreneur, we feed off our success and work through our failures. If it’s your goal to be “stronger,” set a number to your lifts, put a plan together to get there, and put that plan to action. If the plan you put together works, it is a success. If the plan doesn’t work, then you need to adjust and reassess. These are direct correlations to the business world and how you should run a business. You need to hold yourself accountable in all aspects of life, especially health and wellness if you want to thrive as an entrepreneur.

If you want more information on health, wellness tips, or getting fit while running a business, check out my eBook. Don’t forget that you can have all the health and wellness tips you want, but if you don’t implement them and hold yourself accountable, it’s just more words that go by the wayside. So I hope that you were able to gain something by reading this article.