One hour. Just one hour a day. Approximately 4% of your day. That’s all you require for exercising, staying healthy and getting fit. Entrepreneurs know the value of that percentage all too well – in their job, one hour means gold dust.
An entrepreneur’s life is excruciatingly demanding, on the mind and the body. There is a section of these go-getters who get only crumbs of time during the day to eat properly or perhaps get that 15-minute burst of exercise. But the successful ones are dogged – they keep up an uncompromising fitness routine that allows them to remain fit, fab and flourishing, as an individual and an entrepreneur. Some reasons why you need to get fit:
Mental Fitness:
Exercising consistently keeps stress at the back door. Your cortisol, the hormone that’s in charge of moods, motivation and fear, floats at optimum levels while working out. Anxiety, depression, memory loss, headaches and sleeplessness are common concerns among entrepreneurs and these are greatly abated by following a tight workout schedule. At the positivity end of the spectrum, endorphins kick in that ‘feel good’ factor when you achieve something, like signing a big deal with a client, or getting that series-A funding from venture capitalists or finishing the last set of hammer curls in the gym!
Creativity and Confidence:
Have you seen those movies in which the c-level executive is lean, is lavishly well-dressed and carries himself smoothly? Well, that’s the effect fitness can have on your confidence. Fit entrepreneurs are the epitome of confidence. On another note, the creative center of your brain gets a nitrous boost with moderate/high intensity workout. Need to solve a fairly tricky problem for a customer? Try doing a few push-ups and then see the results of your thought flow.
Breaking Through Obstacles:
Ever so often as a rookie entrepreneur, you will encounter roadblocks that could momentarily unnerve you. Times like these call for pushing beyond your limits. Here is how you practice: while doing weight exercises, instead of your regular 10 reps, do 12 and instead of 3 sets, do 4. There will be pain, but the results will be phenomenal. Now you’re ready for that business-related challenge. In entrepreneurship, you anyway have to step outside of your comfort zone; but occasionally you may have to run or even sprint outside of it. This becomes easier when you notch up your fitness.
Getting Ahead:
With every step you take on that treadmill, you’re heading towards a fat-burn goal that you’ve set for yourself. With every crunch that you do, you’re squeezing your abdominal muscles into abs that you’ve always wanted. Just like this, entrepreneurs are striving every day to solve customer’s problems that others can only begin to imagine. When you marry the two together – fitness and entrepreneurship, you have the perfect recipe for brewing success. When you hit the gym constantly, you’ll get you into a groove that will help organize your business calendar too. When you watch your diet like a military leader, you will start paying attention to the pain areas of your startup’s performance. When you motivate your best friend to sweat it out along with you, you can lead your teams better.
Influence and Inspire:
Leadership is the quintessential heartbeat of an entrepreneur’s character. As the leader of your organization, the onus is upon you to instill a spirit of fitness in your employees. Fitter employees are more productive, happier and less prone to diseases. You could even incentivize the concept – a small bonus for the person who burns the most calories during the month? But you won’t be able to drive this culture in your workplace if you’re not fit yourself as a leader.
Fitness is unequivocally vital for an entrepreneur. If you can set an hour aside to exercise regularly, whether it be weights, yoga or cardio, your body becomes attuned to energy levels that will let you hustle throughout the day. You can confidently take business challenges head-on, without huffing and puffing for breath. Decide to take the leap of fitness today! And remember:
“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”