Developing A Routine For A Healthy Lifestyle
As the owner of a small business it can feel like the weight of your world, and that of your family and employees, is sitting squarely on your shoulders. The pressure to achieve is high, and sometimes that pressure comes from inside yourself more than it does from any external force. You stay in your office working late hours, grab whatever convenient snack you can find for each meal, and drink gallons of coffee to keep yourself awake and alert enough to function throughout the day. It’s an all too common occurrence, but I’m here to tell you there is a different way. A better, healthier way to operate your life and your business.
In order to maintain a healthy lifestyle in the face of the sometimes overwhelming pressure of business ownership you must develop a routine. Not just a workday routine, but a lifestyle routine that helps you to live the kind of life that will make you an effective leader for your business and your team. Here are my suggestions on ways your daily routine can improve your lifestyle.
Sleep Isn’t Negotiable
As much as our culture glorifies 70 hour work weeks, it’s simply not sustainable. In order for you to show up for your company in the best way possible, you need to be the best and healthiest version of yourself, and that requires sleep. Researchers recommend that the average person needs between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night and most of us aren’t even coming close to that number. You may need to sacrifice late night dinners, or bingeing your favorite television show in order to ensure you’re getting to bed on time.
What You Put In Will Come Out
If you eat like crap and don’t drink enough water, you’re not going to operate as best as you can. It’s a simple fact of life. Just like you can't put regular gas in a diesel engine and expect it to work, you can’t put junk in your body and expect to feel great during the work day. That said, everyone’s body is different, and food affects people differently. Do some research to see how certain foods make you feel and cut the things that don't work for your. And, whatever you do, drink lots and lots of water.
Commit To Moments Of Silence
In this busy, busy world, we can all fall into the trap of living in a cacophony of voices coming from our social media platforms, our radios and televisions, our board rooms and more. What we really need to feel centered and refreshed, are moments of quiet and contemplative thought. I start each day with quiet reflection, it's a practice that works well for me to clear my thoughts and refresh my mind. You might prefer to find moments between meetings, or enjoy a nice quiet drive home, either way, if maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a priority for you consider working a little bit of quiet into your day.
No one can design a healthy lifestyle for you except for you. And at first, it may seem overwhelming to overhaul your whole life for the better. But you don’t have to do it that way. All you need is to commit to making a couple of critical changes each day until you’re ready to make the next change. The items above are recommendations I’ve made based on my own experience, but they aren’t the end of the line. Do your research, find out what works for you, and commit to building a routine that gives you the life you’re dreaming of.