If you are trying to run a small business, odds are that you’re busy—very busy. A constant in my life is that the busier I am, the harder it is for me to eat healthy and get good sleep. Although it might not seem like you have the time, energy, or will power for self-care, it’s an absolute necessity for the small business owner. A small business owner’s mentality and health is tantamount to their businesses success.
Nutrition
You are what you eat, and don’t I know that it’s very easy to be a fast food cheeseburger. It’s quick, it’s cheap, and it’s easy. To have the energy to run a successful business, you need to have long term energy as opposed to short term energy.
Your body metabolizes sugar and carbohydrates very fast. This means they only yield small bursts of energy not long after they are consumed. Proteins and fats metabolize steady over time. Think of your body’s energy levels as RPMs on an automatic vehicle. You never want your RPMs to remain too high or low. Eating refined sugars and carbohydrates causes your tachometer to skyrocket. That kind of short term energy often leads to crashes. Crashes are the last thing that a small business owner needs.
To fuel your body with long term energy, you should eat structured proteins and fats. Eat them regularly throughout the day to keep your energy “bank” nice and full to call upon when you need energy. This can keep you from crashing during the day.
Sleep
If your body is a temple, sleep is the deity it enshrines. You can’t run a business if you have ran yourself into the ground. The age-old archetype is to “get your 8 hours” but the reality of that is a bit more complicated. You and I know that there’s “good sleep” and “bad sleep” and that the latter doesn’t count.
In today’s modern age, the majority of our day is spent saturating ourselves with stimulating “blue light” from the droves of screens that accompany our lives. Phones, TVs, and computer screens emit blue light which is naturally overstimulating to your eyes and can cause macular degeneration. It’s impossible to avoid it throughout the day, but the least you can do is avoid it for at least thirty minutes before bed.
The best sleep you can have is one that aligns with a circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythm is the biological process your body uses to optimize it’s cellular tasks. Not having a sleep routine puts the small business owner at a disadvantage on a cellular level. A developed circadian rhythm means cell metabolism, immune, and inflammatory responses are stronger. When these microscopic tasks are stronger, you are more apt to fend off colds, digest food, and have your body and mind heal itself.
When you’re a small business owner, you never know when you’ll need that extra gear. Not suffering from sleep deprivation or a lack or routine means that when you need to, you can.
Tip: Sleep deprivation can lead to sugar cravings. Two birds, one stone.
Mindset
A positive mindset is a key aspect in operating at a high entrepreneurial capacity. Neglecting your body’s health means that your mind has to bear the slack. When you’re too run down, or your body malnourished, your mind is what keeps you afloat. It will be hard to juggle all the tasks you’re responsible for if you are full of negative thoughts.
Try and use the power of visualization. If you face everyday thinking that it’s going to be the worst your small business has ever faced, then it probably will be. Know when the day is done, think about what you can accomplish today and what must wait for tomorrow. Once you have that established, do just that. Let tomorrow wait until tomorrow.
In conclusion, you have already signed up for a monumental task and deemed it worthwhile. The last thing that you want to do make things harder for yourself. It might seem easier to grab a food truck burrito here, or stay up late counting inventory there, but sooner or later it adds up. You have enough to worry about as a small business owner, the best to avoid worrying about your health is to take care of it. Take care of yourself today so you can take care of business tomorrow.