It’s not easy to take time for yourself when you run your own business.
There are products to create, list, sell, manage. There are trips to the post office, FedEx, the bank and suppliers. There is email, social media, and blogging to be done. It can feel like a never ending whirlwind of “must do”.
And that’s not even taking into consideration family, or a J.O.B.
And then you get sick. Maybe just a cold or a migraine. Nothing serious, but just enough to remind you that you haven’t been taking care of yourself. Not getting enough fresh air and exercise. Eating popcorn for dinner while you change out of your work clothes so you can get down to business more quickly.
It’s one thing to KNOW that we need to take care of ourselves and quite another to actually do it. Here are some tips for you.
The walking meeting: Do you regularly meet with fellow business people, creatives or co-workers? Can you schedule those meetings to take place during a walk? What about your treadmill? Can you use your laptop while you get some extra walking in? (This isn’t to replace an aerobic workout but as an “add on”.) NOTE: Please use extreme caution when attempting to walk and type.
Take back the dinner hour: It’s tough to get a healthy dinner on the table. But it can be done. Can you delegate some dinner prep chores to the children? What about preparing dinners ahead of time? If you can get the whole family to pitch in and sit down together it will make a huge difference for everyone. It does take some creative thinking but it can be done.
Protect yourself: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” – you’ve heard it a million times. But do you DO it? Be sure to get regular check ups with your doctor, dentist and other professionals as needed. Take your vitamins, get a flu shot if you need/want one, and wear sunscreen. Do all you can to protect your health and the health of your family.
Play: Be sure to take some time to play. Get out in the yard and toss a Frisbee with the kids, hike a local nature trail, play laser tag. Take your dog to the dog park, get out once in a while with your girlfriends or take a class. Just be sure to do something now and then that is strictly for fun. You won’t believe what it will do for your mood!
Eat for maximum health: Don’t skip breakfast – it really IS the most important meal of the day. At work be sure to pack your lunch and don’t eat at your desk. You need to get up and move, even if you are only going upstairs to the kitchen or out to the back yard for lunch. And drink plenty of water. Your whole body will thank you.
Move it: Even if you spend a large portion of your day sitting while you create or write be sure to get up every hour or so to move around. Stretch, walk, or march in place. Get that blood pumping.
Move it early: It can be tough to get a work out in once the day has started so be sure to get up a little earlier in order to get your workout in. It helps me to have my workout clothes laying out where I can see them. I put them on first thing (never a bathrobe or other clothes) and I’m much more likely to work out.
Write: Sometimes the only way to think out an issue that is stressing you out is to write it out. Grab a notebook and pen and start writing. Don’t worry about legibility or sentence structure. Just write in a stream of conscious sort of way. Don’t over think, don’t analyze, just get it all out. And then burn it if you want or need to.
Sleep: It’s not easy to always get all of the sleep your body needs but if you make an effort to get enough sleep most nights your body, co-workers and/or family will appreciate it. Everyone needs a different amount of sleep at night but seven to nine hours are thought to be good. By the way, trying to catch up on sleep on the weekends doesn’t have the same effect as sleeping enough though the week.
Think positive: Do you generally have a positive attitude? Believe it or not, even if you tend to have a negative outlook you can change it. It takes some dedication but changing from a negative thinker or worrier to a positive person is definitely worth the work.
None of the ideas above take a lot of time but can make a big difference in the way you feel and in preventing illness.
What things do you do to stay healthy?
By: Vicki O’Dell, The Creative Goddess
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