When you are starting a new business, there can be so much to think about that you may begin to let your health go by the wayside. However, for many successful people, entrepreneurs included, maintaining good physical health helped them to be more successful overall. While looking after your health while trying to focus on achieving things in other areas of your life at the same time may feel like a daunting task, the reality is that it is often worth the time and effort. When you feel your best physically and mentally, you are often better able to make good decisions, and to reach your goals. If you are looking for ways to improve your health while chasing your dreams, here are some things to try.
Eat the Right Diet
Something that is essential when you are trying to improve your health and feel more energized is to make sure that you are eating a diet that provides you with fuel, rather than a diet that leaves you feeling exhausted or bloated. Some of the biggest culprits behind this are sugary and starchy foods, particularly refined carbs like white bread, chips or cake.
While it may not be easy to cut these kinds of foods from your diet altogether, you can often make major improvements to your energy levels and overall health by reducing them as much as possible. This is due in part to the fact that these foods cause your blood sugar to spike, then crash. When your blood sugar crashes, you will likely feel exhausted and drained of energy. This can result in a bad cycle where you then eat more sugary foods to feel energized again.
Instead of eating foods high in sugar and carbs, you should opt to eat more fresh produce, like fruit, vegetables, and leafy greens as well as lean protein and whole grains. These kinds of foods can not only help provide you with a wide range of nutrients, vitamins and minerals that you need to function properly and feel healthy, but they can also provide you with sustained energy that will help you focus and stay on task throughout the day. Beyond that, if you struggle to get all the healthy foods into your diet during the day, trying multi vitamins can be a great way to give yourself a boost without having to stress about your diet.
Drink Enough Water
While eating well is important, it’s only part of the battle. Making sure that you are properly hydrated can play a big role in your overall health and energy levels, as well. This is partly because you can start experiencing many symptoms when you are thirsty that could be misinterpreted as other things. For example, thirstiness can cause exhaustion and headaches, which could be attributed to not getting enough sleep.
Also, sometimes when your body is craving water, it can register in your brain as hunger, which can cause you to overeat when you are in fact thirsty. By taking your body weight, dividing it in half and then drinking that many ounces of water per day, you can help ensure that you are getting properly hydrated.
Cut the Caffeine
Although a cup of coffee may be a great way to get going in the morning, in the long run caffeine can actually sabotage your energy levels, especially if you are consuming it late in the day. This has a lot to do with the fact that caffeine stimulates your nervous system. Even though this can provide some much needed energy, it can also leave you feeling drained due to the detrimental impact too much caffeine can have on your adrenal glands. Also, by cutting or limiting caffeine in your diet, particularly in the evenings, your body will often become better at generating its own energy which will be better for you in the long run.
Take Sleep Seriously
Something else that many successful and healthy people do is take their sleep seriously. When you sleep, your body undergoes many healing processes not only related to your physical function, but to brain function and your moods as well. For this reason, making sure that you get the full recommended 8 hours of sleep each night can be highly important for your overall health. Even though it may not always feel easy to get good sleep every night, the good news is that there are many simple and straightforward things you can begin doing that will help improve your sleep quality and quantity.
One easy way to get better sleep is to limit screen time before bed. While watching TV or scrolling through your phone may seem like a relaxing way to unwind before bed, the reality is that these kinds of screens emit a light that signals to your brain that it is time to stay awake. Another way to help ensure that you are getting good sleep is to start a calming bedtime ritual. Whether you prefer taking a hot bath, practicing meditation or reading a book, there are many relaxing pastimes that can help you get mentally and physically relaxed and ready for sleep.
Stay Active
Another important part of maintaining good health and feeling energized is staying physically active. Exercise, whether it is a nature walk or a spinning class can help you get in great shape and feel confident, and it can also help give you the energy you need to chase your goals. This is due in part to the fact that exercise is great for increasing your circulation, and also because it helps boost your body’s production of energizing hormones like serotonin, as well as endorphins, which help boost mood.
Something else that is great about exercise is that it often doesn’t matter what kind of exercise you choose to do, many different forms of movement will offer you plenty of health benefits. What is more important, though, is making sure that you work out regularly, for at least 15 to 20 minutes a day.
Keep Your Eye On the Prize
While doing things to look after your physical health is important, one of the best things you can do is look after your mental health, and keep your eye on the prize. Sometimes, when you are busy, feeling overworked, or losing track of your goals, it can be hard to remember what is important to you, or why you are doing the work to build a business in the first place. However, by taking some time to check in with yourself and remind yourself of your goals and why they matter to you, you can help yourself to stay focused on what is important, and stay excited about the possibilities.
The Bottom Line
When you are starting a new business, you may not feel that you have a lot of time or energy to devote to working on your health. While it may be a busy and overwhelming time, the reality is that making the effort to improve your health can not only help you feel more energized physically, but it can also provide you with the focus and motivation that you need to reach your goals and achieve the things that matter to you.
