As cliche as it may seem, it’s true that health is wealth. Staying healthy is important for us all — for obvious reasons — but if you’re an entrepreneur, your health can mean the difference between a thriving business and a failing one. As a business owner, you need to avoid having to take excessive downtime due to preventable health issues, but being able to avoid sick days is not the only reason that getting in shape is good for business.
Here are 6 ways working out can help you in business:
Motivation
Working out motivates you to be better in all aspects of life. When you know that you are taking care of your body, you tend to want to take care of your mind and soul too. Caring for yourself — mind, body, and soul — usually means that you are willing to pursue the things in life that make you happy, including starting that business you’ve always wanted to start.
No Procrastination
Working out makes you less likely to procrastinate. Because you’re an action taker when it comes to exercise, you’re able to see the results of your hard work and apply the same take action attitude to getting results in business.
Focus
Studies have shown that when you work out, your heart rate increases causing your heart to pump more blood, and as a result, deliver more oxygen to your brain. Exercising gives you a sharp, clear mind with better memory, and a happier mood. These benefits can go a long way for an entrepreneur who works long days and has to make lots of potentially stressful decisions throughout the day.
Commitment
People who work out tend to be more committed to finishing difficult tasks than people who don’t. Working out regularly requires commitment. Finishing a 5 mile run requires commitment. Finishing a set of squats that just brought a tear to your eye requires commitment. When you are committed to exercising multiple times a week, you don’t give up so easily when things get tough in your business. You use the same stick-to-itiveness, that gets you through your workouts, to get you through difficult days in business.
Energy
Working out regularly increases the blood flow and oxygen levels in your body, which gives you more energy. As an entrepreneur, you’re on the go a lot and sometimes you shortchange yourself on sleep to get things done. Working out gives you the energy you need to power through the day and get shit done for your business.
Confidence
When you work out, you constantly feel a sense of accomplishment with every set you complete or mile you run or lap you swim. That sense of accomplishment quickly turns into confidence because you’re able to see, in real time, how much you can accomplish when you put your mind to something. That confidence follows you into your business and reminds you that you can accomplish anything you put your mind to.
Maybe you’ve wanted to start working out for a while now. Since you’ve started a business, you’ve got all the more reason to do so. Carve out some time on your calendar to exercise a few days a week. You’ll immediately start seeing some of these benefits begin to appear in your life and in your business.
Remember, it takes 66 days to form a habit, so stick to working out until it becomes a habit.