By Jason Wyatt, Managing Director Marketplacer
There’s no way around it: as an entrepreneur, you need to put in the hard yards to make your business a success. Getting a venture off the ground takes enormous effort and focus.
The people who go into a business with visions of kicking back on a tropical beach somewhere sipping cocktails while the money magically rolls in are in for a rude shock. Running a business can sometimes feel like you’re running a marathon with no finish line in sight. There never seems like enough hours in a day, days in a week, weeks in a month, months in a year. It can be exhausting work.
Which is why it’s important to look after yourself.
Recently, Huffington Post asked me, along with a bunch of other entrepreneurs, about my fitness regime. There were some pretty hardcore responses from some of the others, but all of them agreed that staying fit and healthy was vital to running a successful business.
I’ve always been a fairly active person and still continue to enjoy cycling, skiing and surfing, as well as other activities. I think it’s vitally important for entrepreneurs to have some sort of physical outlet to balance the demands of their work life, especially taking into account the positive effect exercise has on mental health and alleviating management fatigue.
Sure, going home at night and plonking yourself down in front of the TV to binge watch something on Netflix is fine – sometimes we need that escape to get us ready to face reality again. But don’t neglect your health. Being a better me for my family, business and friends is what motivates me.
I try hard to incorporate exercise into my life. I ride to work, I walk and talk on the phone. I have a stand-up desk I can use. I try to stretch during the day and I walk up the stairs instead of taking elevators. I’m also getting better at making healthier food choices.
For me, it is certainly not about how I look in Instagram photos! I’m not after the world’s most-chiselled six-pack. It is about being healthy in mind and body so I can be a better me. I try to have a routine as best I can but the reality is I have a busy life. Some weeks you do more than others, but you always try to do something.
You’ll feel better in yourself, better about tackling the day-to-day grind, and better about your capacity to go the long haul.
