When You Neglect Your Health, You Pay the Price!
Remember freshman 10 (or 15)? The extra weight you supposedly gain in your first year of college from partying, drinking, and eating junk food? I never saw it. I lost weight in college. I wasn’t into partying and electrical engineering was not exactly a walk in the park. Whatever little exercise I did helped to keep me sane while I burned the midnight oil on both ends to survive college. I was a skinny little thing!!!
My 15 pounds (or 7 kilos) came when I was settled into my job and started to climb the proverbial corporate ladder. I had no idea what I was doing so I just worked harder and harder (#1 stupid thing to give up if you have a job) and eventually, I gave up all exercise and self-care in the name of work!
And this is the story I told myself: “I care too much about my work to go exercise or cook healthy meals, this is my career we are talking about, my future rides on this. Healthy living and exercise can just wait their turn …” Yada, yada, yada!
Here’s the irony about health: The less you pay attention to it, the more of your time and energy it robs. It’s a smart little thing and it won’t stand being ignored! Sooner or later, it will find a way to “get back at you”.
Do not neglect your health!
Lucky for me, the health neglect period did not last long for a funny reason: I stopped obsessing with my career when I wasn’t getting results and started taking care of myself … as a backlash of sorts. It was the disillusionment period before the final resignation and I milked it for all I could. And can you believe I was getting happier and happier just from taking better care of myself?
I know you know this but let me repeat it: your health is the ultimate key to your happiness. How well are you watching it?
For instance, right now, how do you feel? Nice and relaxed or tense and stressed?
How are you breathing? Deep quiet breaths or short stifled ones?
How is your belly feeling after that last meal? Satisfied or otherwise?
What are you drinking? Purified water or some junkie soda?
When are you getting up to go walk and stretch? At 5pm or “whenever you have time”?
How did you sleep? Or is that the last thing you have time for?
This stuff matters, darling! Don’t feel bad if you didn’t do well but do be aware of just how important it is to stay on TOP of your health.
So after I quit my job, you would think I learned my lesson but then I started my own business and let me tell you, college and corporate life have nothing on entrepreneurship when it comes to obsession at the price of everything else.
The Declining Health and Fitness of an Entrepreneur
I am surprised we haven’t yet coined the phrase the “Entrepreneur 15 (or 20!)” … it’s so easy to let everything go and get lost in doing what you love, in building your business, and tending to your dream.
It’s so easy to stay at home for days, and do nothing but work, sleep, eat, and repeat the cycle, even eat a little too much or eat in response to your emotional ups or downs or just eat because you are waiting for something or you are bored or you believe it helps you think better or a myriad of other reasons.
You are building a business for a better future but ignoring your greatest asset along the way: Your health.
Kinda ironic, don’t you think?
Here’s the real catch: Entrepreneurship makes it really, really hard to stay healthy! It’s like torture to set aside what you love doing even for an hour in order to go get some exercise or make a healthier meal. I know! I can hardly shut my brain during my yoga practice!
This is not like college where you can use a break from that dreadful homework or like a job where, even if you love it, you are still working for someone else so taking a break to do something for you is a welcomed change.
Entrepreneurship is tied to your identity and your very core. This is your life’s work and purpose, your service to the world, and every minute into it is an investment, and it aches to part with it, even for a run or yoga session.
So then how do you take a break from obsessing about running your business better, faster, more profitable, the stuff that lights you up inside and makes you come alive?
Well, you need an irresistible incentive and I got one for you. This is a proven track record, just study the successful superstars that you worship in the entrepreneurial space.
You get BETTER at your business if you FIRST take care of your health.
You think faster and more clearly when your mind is clear of junk.
You sleep better and come up with better ideas when your body is happy.
You have more energy and focus and concentration after you recharge and refresh.
You love yourself more because you feel better about who you are.
You become a better version of yourself, a more youthful dynamite version ready to conquer the world!
And the best one, the single most important and persuasive argument I got for you:
You Feel Better. You Get Happier!
So are you convinced yet? Will you put your health first?
8 Tips to Stay Fit and Focused
The most sensible way to approach it is just like you do your real business. It’s your baby. You are going from an idea to inception to full execution so apply what you know about running a business to running your own healthy lifestyle. Let’s get this smooth operation on the road, shall we?
1. Believe: First, wrap your brain around the conviction that your health is your largest asset, and you cannot compromise it. This is your daily reminder and motivator.
2. Explore: There are a million ways to stay fit. Find something that you enjoy. Explore, research, look into the new and old systems from martial arts to new fitness programs, and from yoga to cycling to mountain climbing to surfing. Something that you love but pushes you way past your comfort zone. Decide what that will be.
3. Strategize: Decide your strategy: How will you go about it? Who will you do it with (if anyone)? Frequency? Time of day? Tools and systems that you need? Start date? Rest dates? Rewards for accomplishing milestones?
4. Schedule: Plan your healthy lifestyle into your calendar like any business strategy. If it’s on the calendar, it gets done, right? For instance, add a date with yourself to juice 3 times a week and to run 4 times a week. Plan it out for the next season.
5. Launch: This is the execution phase, the product launch, show-time! Just Start Doing it. Follow the strategy, stick to the calendar, and start with day 1, then day 2 and then day 3, just like building a business, you do it one day at a time. No faster, No slower.
6. Evaluate: Keep track of your progress: how you feel, how much you weigh, how you eat/sleep. Evaluate how things are going after 2-3 weeks. If the program isn’t working, make changes, modify and improve it, even pick up another activity but stick to your fitness plan!
7. Habituate: After 2-3 months of solid work, you make it a habit, you have tested it, launched, and worked out the kinks.
8. Get Back On: Unless you are Superman, which you might be, you are going to fall off this wagon at some point, and that makes simply you human. But what makes you divine (and healthy) is getting back on track, so when the rough patch comes along, hang on tight, but get back into the game and start with Step 1 to re-build the habit. Repeat as necessary.
If or when you get side-tracked by the call of work, and you feel like saying “forget it!” or other variations of the phrase, ask yourself this:
A. What’s the point of building my successful business?
and
B. Who will be there to run and reap the rewards of my baby if I do not care enough to take care of myself first?
And while we are on the subject, my shameless plug for 2 of my healthy lifestyle programs for the healthy entrepreneur superstar in you:
I know you are super busy and sometimes, you need the quick “fix” for fitness. So I got you covered: check out my 10 Minute Invigorator program, and do the first video for free to see the results of just what 10 minutes can do for focus and concentration.
As for what goes into your body, only thing that keeps me in check is green juicing. Check out the Green Juicing Intensive Clinic, as well as my newest book, The Healthy Juicer’s Bible, to gently ease into the most natural way of healing and harmonizing with your body.
Stay fit and healthy, and you can have everything you want in your entrepreneurial pursuits. Share your thoughts below and grab your free confidence building series while you are still here:
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{ 12 brilliant comments, Care to add another? }
Hi Farnoosh; Another excellent post, but then I expect nothing less from you my friend. I would like to approach this from a different direction. You know, and some others on here know that i have lost a lot of weight through better eating, exercise, and gastric surgery. well, I have noticed that people have responded to me differently as i have gotten healthier. One, people say I look more attractive. But more importantly people say i am carrying myself differently standing up straighter appearing to have more confidence energy and also being more relaxed in my own skin. I’ve noticed that I even shake hands differently. So, i now understand that being healthy is an investment in myself and in the future success of my business. And for people who have trouble taking the time to exercise i highly recommend that you get an iPod or some other way to listen to something while doing it. If you can listen to soothing music, meditational tracks, inspirational books, or even a fiction audio book during that 15 or 30 or more it won’t feel so much like you are taking time away from your business. I find i have some of my best ideas while riding my bike that doesn’t go anywhere or walking on the new used tread mill. Its repetitive boring and in my opinion perfect for having that breakthrough you’ve been looking for. So, I still need to lose over a hundred pounds. Thats not most people’s problem, but it is a result of a lifetime of not valuing my body. And don’t try to change everything today. Start with one little thing and add others as you get in a better place. I highly suggest switching from soda to water. There are a wide variety of low calorie flavoring you can mix into a bottle of water to make it taste better and have a few calories instead of a few hundred. I wish everyone a healthier life and a more successful business in the rest of 2013. Take care, max
Yes yes YES yes a thousand times to everything you said, Max! You got me so excited here talking about your weight loss journey – my hubby has lost about 90 pounds since we met and while he was always the most loving man, I know that he is happier, healthier, more confident and he likes himself more this way. You are absolutely right in the impact of weight loss on the body – very astute observations. Confidence, self-esteem, happiness, more excited about life, even being more comfortable in your own skin.
The first pound is the hardest ….. but whatever remains, you can conquer because you’ve seen what it does for you. May you see amazing results this year. I know that juicing has helped a lot of people, Max, have you ever thought about going on a juice fast? You know I’m big into juicing and could help you if you were interested…right? Whatever you are doing is working too so just throwing ideas at you and keeping you motivated.
Hi farnoosh; thanks for the love and encouragement. I appreciate your suggestion about juicing. i include a glass of vegetable juice in my daily routine. I have to add protein powder to it as after gastric surgery one of your most important goals is daily protein intake. so, i don’t know that i could do strictly juices. I do know it works for a lot of people and i encourage your readers to check out your page and group concerning green juicing. and i want to congratulate your husband on losing all that weight. there are some people who gain quite a bit after being in a loving marriage. its not just the struggling marraiges, businesses, other relationships that can cause weight gain. so, in addition to physical improvements i highly recommend you take a spiritual inventory and try to remove all negative people and their negative energy from your life. and don’t forget to consult your regular physician. There can be physical reasons behind weight gain or inability to lose and its always best to know what physical activities are safe for you to engage in. before i had my surgery i had to go without all cafine for eight months. it took that long to get approval from my insurance provider. I’ve noticed that now that i can have coffee again i drink decaf and only have one cup a day. quite often i wil forget to even have that. and when i accidetally pick the kcup with tea instead of coffee it doesn’t ruin my mood. Farnoosh you are right its the first pound the first step the first food or drink swap. routines and practices are built over time by replacing poor behaviors with better ones and repeating the healthy ones over time. best of luck to all my friends in your community, max
Hi Max, thanks again for these fantastic insights and I am just beyond amazed by your willpower – you and my husband’s both – that when you set your mind to it, you can do ANYTHING and I mean ANYTHING, good for you Max. I am going to cheer you on until the very last pound comes off. You can so do this! Stay with it, dear friend, and also have fun in the process…..
Hi Farnoosh; It is so rewarding to get on a scale and not cringe or even worse not get on the scale because it doesn’t go up high enough. I had been going to my primary care physician for over two years before they could even write a number in that spot on my paperwork. and i am impressed with you and your books and podcast. I can’t imagine writing a book. but then maybe i should try imagining it. i appreciate having you in my corner and having the support love and encouragement of friends family and coworkers is key to success at a long term goal like serious weight loss changing careers starting a new business etc. the clinic where i went for my surgery sponsors four support froup meetings a month two in person and two online. I’ve made several good friends through there. i wish everyone on this group success with whatever goal they have in mind even if its something they aren’t yet ready to share with the world. take care, max
Hi Farnoosh,
Excellent post!
The importance of looking after our health now is so important. I’ve seen so many people in my own family who when they were younger, adopted the ‘work hard, play hard’ mentality. However, the neglect of their health when they were younger has hit them in later years.
Hi Hiten, me too, me too, and my family generally ignores my advice anyway but especially around the health preaching I used to do even as young as 16 years old…. sigh! Well, I hope they can reverse it… how are you staying fit?
I love how fit and strong you look!
I admit, this is one area I could be better at for sure. I didn’t realize this was a struggle for most because I have this image of a successful entrepreneur having and being it all. With a great morning routine including exercise to help their productivity the rest of the day. I have to remember that people still struggle too, just like me. And stop putting ‘successful entrepreneurs’ on a pedestal because I realize that creates a barrier that doesn’t need to be there, and I run the risk of thinking it’s unachievable for myself.
I think I did gain the freshman 10 but lost it after taking up running in my early 20s. I still weigh as much as I did in highschool *or less* (I don’t have a scale) though the weight has shifted and my body looks different than 10+ years ago. And just the other day I was doing some stretching and realized I could still touch my palm to the floor and then sat down with my legs straight and could still reach past my toes, even though I haven’t done any regular yoga, or *any* workout! I felt proud of myself and all of a sudden I could hold the crow position too when that was always a struggle to even do for 1 second! Wondered where that flexibility and balance came from all of a sudden. But the fact still remains I need to workout regularly again!
Janet, hi! Sorry for late reply – I was in Africa on vacation where I did exactly zero yoga, sigh
! I *know* what you mean about the flexibility or strength that we sometimes feel without having done any work and I anticipate getting back into yoga won’t be easy but sometimes, breaks give my body a boost rather than a lapse. I think it has a LOT to do with how we feel because body holds tension and stress so if you are happy and live in a warm climate, your body is more likely to be loose and bendy 
but seriously, nothing is unachievable and you know this one well …. let me know what you decide in terms of a routine workout and wish me luck as I get back into my rigorous daily yoga after a 12 day hiatus, my friend.
I accidentally stumbled upon one of your videos on youtube – it was a Skype interview. Anyways I got inspired by it to make a change. Ive been juicing for about a week now and really can already feel a positive pull from it. I just wanted to thank you.
Hi Erik, great to hear how you got inspired AND took action. Welcome to the world of juicing – keep at it, it only gets better. And you are MOST welcome. Your body will thank you the most in the end
!
Bookmarking this! Thanks so much!!!
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