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Building a billion dollar company isn’t a simple task. It’s every entrepreneur’s dream and takes years of hard work and dedication. To accomplish this commendable task we put everything at stake our jobs, money, family, lifestyle and most importantly our health. We sit and work for long hours, have erratic meal timings and of course we eat whatever comes our way and not to forget those meetings. Work seems to follow us around everywhere we go and finding time to stay fit & in shape is next to impossible.
I myself always had more work, more meetings, more travel, more food and more work again. Everything was more except an exercise routine, the only thing I could not manage to schedule along with other stuff. I had gained around 50 pounds extra and my medical reports were telling a different story altogether. This was the time I realized that just like my venture, my body needed care and attention from me. The first thing I did was to switch to a healthier lifestyle. It took some time to adjust but a constant thought that kept ringing bells in my mind was “what’s the point to build a billion dollar business, if I’m not fit enough to enjoy it.”
After a yearlong practice and trying different things, I would like to share these 7 points to be included in your lifestyle for your fitness. These have helped me gain extra energy & productivity, confidence & creativity, mental wellness & stability.
- Exercise Daily – Incorporate some level of intense activity or exercise in your daily routine, preferably in the morning. If you are short on time or feeling too tired to exercise choose something like A Cardio Treadmill Circuit to get an effective workout in just 10-20 minutes. Even while travelling choose a hotel with gym (if possible). Always carry a resistance tube, it’s cheap & light weight and can get a thorough full body workout done anywhere.
- Meals are important – Do not skip your meals, they are key to being healthy and fit. Choose small meals at regular intervals, but avoid junk food. Another thing is to add around 3 to 6 grams of proteins to each meal as this helps to keep metabolism steady. You will feel energized all day long by following this.
- Sleeping helps – Resting your body and mind is equally important. You need to sleep at least for 6 hours during night. Sleeping during the day doesn’t really helps so avoid it except while taking a power nap during the afternoon. Yes,power napping for at least 20 minutes will help you achieve great concentration and focus.
- Take short breaks – Sitting for long hours does not do any good to anyone, whether a CEO or a coder. Take a 5 minutes break every hour to stretch and relax. Office yoga comes to your rescue here, checkout Office Yoga for Stress and Anxiety Relief for more details.
- The Cravings Cutter – One of the most important things to do is not to kill your cravings, just limit it to only one day a week. You got that right, fulfill your cravings and eat anything you like but in limits once a week. Helps you keep your mind on track while working and not thinking about the delicious things you could have eaten.
- Motivation – Often with so much work to be done and more & more work piling up, fitness can fall by the wayside. You must appreciate the transcendent power and effect of physical health and strength on your personal and professional affluence and wellness. A better way to keep yourself motivated is to write down all the benefits fitness will provide in all facets of your life. From boosting confidence, to increasing energy, to rocking at a meeting. Whatever your reasons, post them around your home and office then refer to them when you feel like skipping out on your workout.
- Regular Checkup – Early detection is the key for preventing nearly any medical condition. Be regular on medical tests and consult your physician without fail. After all, we can only work if we are fit and healthy.
These have helped me getting back in shape not completely but I’m on the way to a healthier lifestyle. I enjoy my work more because I’ve tremendous amounts of energy each day to expend, have higher levels of concentration and have become more focused and creative. Hope these would work the same way as these worked for me.
@thumbbell @vipulmeehnia
asha chaudhry
thanks for sharing this one vipul – i totally agree on all points. i just got my annual health check done (which was supposed to be done last year 🙁 ) and even though i exercise regularly (zumba 3 times a week & yoga twice a week) – my report card isn’t worth framing…. 🙁
thankfully nothing major wrong – but i’ve been told to cut down on my long hours (i put in a good 10-12 hrs a day).
since i work from home, i eat short meals at regular intervals – that works beautifully for me.
i tried taking power naps – that also works – but i’m not regular at all – need to do that!!!
and i don’t take short breaks – which is something i need to do!! thanks for the reminder 🙂
i’d like to add a few points:
i) over the weekends switch off work and engage in a hobby. that helps you from burning out. read, write, watch movies, plays, music, dance, do gardening, whatever excites you. it keeps you sane and really helps you get back to work rejuvenated. i admire folks who switch off work and don’t answer emails over the weekend. this is important for your mental fitness
ii) family time – one needs to keep a slot for family time every single day and more so over the weekends. this really adds to the overall wellness 🙂
Vipul Meehnia
Asha I would say that in your case you’re already well informed about what you do and how you manage your health. Most people (entrepreneurs) don’t, at least not before they are told by a doctor (seriously).
And thanks for the additional points too.
Totally agree to you on these. One needs to give time to oneself and family. Good mental fitness is equally essential. I use puzzle game to keep myself focused and sharp.
asha chaudhry
hey vipul,
you must check out what rahul’s doing!!
https://www.therodinhoods.com/forum/topics/join-me-in-a-journey-to-fitness-and-wealth
Vipul Meehnia
I actually did that already! 🙂
Karan Ahuja
I use google fit app and daily walk for more than an hour minimum.
google fit helps me to track when i screwed up automatically – no actions required by me at all – not even switching on the app.
standing desk helps , basic tai chi helps .
stop eating junl completely . just eat raw food is an advice i have heard and want to try .
i tried 7 min workouts but didnt sustain for long ..need to try again .
Vipul Meehnia
Hey Karan,
Thanks for sharing. Do share some 7 min workouts with us as well. I think even I would be giving it a try.
Karan Ahuja
try out 7 min workout app on google play .
its simple but cool.
Vipul Meehnia
Will do! thanks…
asha chaudhry
another one – we all tend to drink copious amounts of coffee throughout the day (i restrict myself to one/max two cups) – we need to substitute that with green tea. it really helps!
Vipul Meehnia
Excellent tip Asha. I now have a cup of tea in the morning only. As yet not started with Green Tea, but avoid caffeine as much as possible.
Amien Kapadia
Great article and choice of topic. Kudos!
1) For anyone that doesn’t have sugar or thyroid issues, I’d recommend trying a high carbohydrate based diet. This will support you regardless of whether you need to have 3 large meals or many small meals throughout the day. Your brain burns through copious amounts of sugar when you are really pushing it and this will give it a sustained fuel source. If you do have sugar issues, consider low GI carbs like oats for example, that release sugar gradually into the body.
2) Water. Drink lots of it. Anytime I hear someone talking about fitness and realize they don’t drink enough water, I start tuning them out because I immediately know that they have no idea what they’re talking about.
Vipul Meehnia
Thanks Amien!
Your first point is something new to me, so I’ve directed our research team to look into it. We’ll probably put something on this for our entrepreneur friends in our coming posts.
Well, I don’t completely agree to your second point. Here is an extract from one of our posts [drinking 8 glasses of water a day is a “thoroughly debunked nonsense”]. It generally depends on how much your body needs, to be hydrated. Even less intake of water is also not advisable. Maintaining a balance is the key.
Amien Kapadia
I had no idea you were in a related industry. That explains a lot. 🙂
That drinking more water contributes to weight loss may be “thoroughly debunked nonsense” as that article so eloquently claims, my focus is on performance, be it mental or physical. Drinking more water enhances every physiological function although as you’ve stated above, this is very subjective to personal needs and goals. For eg, 8 glasses of water (~2L) is actually a bare minimum for me whereas it may be too much for someone who has a body that’s used to working with less.
To include the point about caffeine, it acts as a diuretic and doesn’t let your body stay hydrated even if you’ve been having enough water.
Vipul Meehnia
Totally agree to you on these points Amien.
Alok Rodinhood Kejriwal
Hmmmm… don’t we know all this?
Whats the insight? Whats the one killer inspiration that makes the obvious happen?
Sorry, I thought you would mention something i did not know
Vipul Meehnia
Hey Alok,
Yes we all know this. Infact everyone tends to know everything when it comes to health, especially when its not about our own. Of course we all know what’s right for our health, but ain’t doing anything because we have other important things to do.
Of all, you know better that knowing something and doing it are two different things altogether. So, this post is all about doing what you know. Just a gentle reminder to everyone in the community that health is as important as their business and they need to continue doing if they are doing something about it and if not then they should probably start something.
Nothing more…
Prasad Roodagi
Vipul thank u for focusing on something we think not related to Entrepreneurship or business
Balls in Life…
Health Family Friends…all these r crystal balls and WORK is the only one rubber ball
Life is a jugglery of these balls..out of pressure if we have to leave one ball…leave work ball bcoz its a rubber ball
which comes back to you again, BUT others are crystal ball if you leave once ..they shatter for ever
Cheers…Keep going healthy
Vipul Meehnia
Hey Prasad…
Like your analogy to crystal and rubber balls…
Cheers!
Amien Kapadia
People often forget what is required to function, especially if its obvious. You may drive a Ferrari but all the power and performance becomes irrelevant without fuel.