6 Tips for Staying Healthy at Work (When You’re a Small Business Owner)

If you are a new or established business owner, you know how busy work can be. Do you take the steps to stay healthy amidst the craziness? Knowing how to stay healthy at work is one of the best ways you can boost your business.

Sure, there have been times I haven’t taken care of myself throughout my 30 years as an entrepreneur. But, I know how important it is to put my health and well-being first. Without my health, I wouldn’t be able to accomplish nearly as much as I do.

Why does your health come first?

This might seem like a silly question. We all know how important staying healthy in the workplace is. But since many of my fellow business owners (and I) tend to forget, I’ll just give a friendly reminder.

Without your health, you’re not going to get anything done for your business. You might think it’s smart to put your business first, but that can actually harm your long-term bottom line in business.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is directly related to productivity. One study found that workers who eat healthy are 25% more likely to be more productive than workers who don’t.

And, people who are sleep-deprived are not nearly as productive as those who get enough sleep. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 23.2% of adults over age 20 reported they had trouble concentrating because of sleep deprivation.

What’s better…working 10 hours each day and not being productive or working eight hours and getting the same amount of work done? If you make healthy choices in your life, you will find that increasing productivity in the workplace is well within your means.

6 ways to stay healthy at work

If you want to continue growing your business, you need to know how to stay healthy at work. You might be working over 40 hours a week, maybe even over 60. Regardless of how busy your (personal and professional) life gets, follow these six health and wellness tips for the workplace.

1. Get enough sleep

Are you running on caffeine and determination? While that’s all well and good (being determined is what makes a great entrepreneur), you also need to make sure you’re sleeping. There are few workplace health tips more simple than this.

According to one survey, 37.9% of U.S. adults said they unintentionally fell asleep during the day at least once during the previous month. Chances are that if you’re falling asleep unintentionally, you aren’t being as productive as you could be.

Try to get a minimum of six to eight hours of sleep each night. And, stick to a routine. Fall asleep and wake up around the same time each day, including weekends. Once you get in the swing of things, you’ll wonder why you didn’t make time for sleep before.

2. Eat well

If you don’t take care of machines, they’re not going to work how you want them to. People need to be taken care of, too.

Making sure you eat well is important to staying healthy at work. Stress-eating bags of chips or skipping meals because you’re busy won’t help you. You need to limit your fast food and alcohol intake. Packing your lunch is one good way to skip out on that quick burger.

The foods you eat should be rich in vitamins and nutrients. Taking daily vitamins is also a good idea. Even though you’re busy, you don’t want every meal you eat to be on the go. Take the time to sit down and have a meal.

3. Exercise

Being constantly busy might cause you to want to use your free time to lay down, watch some TV, and relax. But, exercising is an important part of making sure you are productive throughout the day.

Exercise is a great way to put problems in perspective. If you need to de-stress, exercise.  You might find that your mood improves when you start doing a little cardio. Plus, it helps you get better quality sleep. There’s a good chance exercise will lead to being more engaged at work, and the benefits of employee engagement are no secret to small business owners.

When I say exercise, I don’t mean run a marathon every chance you get. I do mean to take walks, stretch, and get moving for at least 30 minutes everyday. Trust me—it’ll make a world of difference.

4. Take time for you

If you constantly do things for your business and never have alone time, you might need a break. Take the time to do the things you love to do outside of your business. And, spend some time by yourself.

One of my companies facilitates a network of recruiters. Like small business owners, the recruiting industry is full of workers that find it hard to unplug. But, even recruiters can find a better work-life balance by scheduling time to themselves. It’s okay to recharge—in fact, you need to. Better health at work could be just a break away.

5. Take time for others

As I said before, being a small business owner means working tireless hours. In my early years, my business partner and I worked 75 hours some weeks. But, I was still able to take my wife out every Friday night.

You need to make time for others. Don’t ever get so busy that you forget to spend time with your family and friends. Loved ones help us stay sane (most of the time). And, they are also a big reason why you run your business. Family and friends are there to celebrate your achievements and comfort you when you hit rough patches.

6. Let the little things go

If you’re like me, you are going to get stressed out from time to time. You might even feel like a failure at some point.

As a small business owner, you’re going to deal with people and circumstances that stress you out. Maybe, you have a customer screaming your ear off. Let go of your feelings of hurt pride and frustration. Be quick to forgive those who are attacking you.

There are some battles you’re going to lose and some you’ll win. Let the little things go so you don’t harbor stress, negative feelings, or anger. Being healthy is all about nurturing the mind, body, and spirit.

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