Owner Health: Let's Get Physical
We’re tired.
The roller coaster ride of the last few years has taken its toll on business owners. We’ve faced more hurdles, challenges and pivots in the last year than I can recall in my 30+ years of landscaping. And the result is owners who are tired, stressed, anxious, unhealthy, and exhausted. Over the next month, we’re going to address the topic of owner health. If you as the owner aren’t healthy, it’s far more difficult for the business to be healthy. We’ll be talking about physical health, mental health and emotional health, as well as decision fatigue. So as we finish off 2023 and look ahead to 2024, let’s make this the year we determine to get healthy and stay healthy!
Let’s start with physical health. When it comes to making positive changes in our lives, our physical health can often be the easiest area to address and in which to make changes. The benefits of getting and staying physically healthy are not new to any of us. We know it’s important, we know it’s good for us, we know it needs to be a priority. But implementing changes can feel overwhelming, especially when we’re already tired.
Exercising
Regarding exercise, my experience has been that Newton’s first law of motion applies to our physical fitness: An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion. It is so easy for me to sit down at the end of the day – usually a long day – and turn on the TV. The problem is that I often find myself in the same spot 2 or 3 hours later, having only moved to grab a snack! This is not to suggest that we can’t relax and rest. Those are absolutely essential (we’ll talk about that later), but once I stop moving, it’s that much harder to get going again.
I find it helpful to exercise either before I begin my day or before settling in for the evening. Scheduling your exercise can be a key to your success. Don’t wait for some free time to appear; it won’t happen. So put it in your calendar and mark the time as busy. If someone wants to meet with you during that time, tell them you’re busy. They don’t need to know that you’re busy going for a walk or a run or to yoga (no judgement if you go to yoga).
Another key to consistency and success is having accountability for your physical exercise. Find someone who will keep you accountable, exercise with you, or at least check in regularly to see how you’re doing. Make sure it’s someone who will actually hold you to your plan and remind you of your goals.
Eating Right
In order for a machine to run at optimal performance, it needs the right fuel. Our bodies are no different. Eating right is essential for our physical health. Here’s a couple of tips that I’ve found helpful.
Create a weekly meal plan. A meal plan will help you eat healthier, save you money on eating out or impulse purchases, and eliminate the daily “what will I eat” dilemma. My wife makes soup every weekend and that becomes her lunch every day during the week. I prefer salad, so we purchase bagged salads and I simply add some protein for an easy and tasty lunch. I have also found that when I’m eating healthy, I crave healthy foods. And when I’m eating junk, I crave junk.
Set a time to stop eating. I’ve found it helpful to set a time where we are done eating for the day. My “problem time” is after 7:30 PM. That’s when I get snacky and can make really bad food choices. If I determine to stop eating at 7:30, and am diligent to stick to that decision, I’m more likely to avoid the pitfall of late-night snacking.
Go to bed earlier. One way to ensure you stop eating is to go to sleep. Not only does going to bed earlier keep you from eating, but you’ll be more rested. We like to call that a win-win!
Resting
It seems people are talking more about resting lately. And for that, I’m thankful. Giving ourselves time and opportunity to rest is essential to our health. My experience has been that men, especially men who are business owners, struggle with this. We may feel that needing rest means we’re weak. Or we may think that if we rest, our business will suffer. The opposite is, in fact, true. So how do we rest well?
Abraham Heschel said, “If you work with your hands, rest with your mind; if you work with your mind, rest with your hands”. I have found this very helpful. As someone who primarily works with his head these days, I find it very restful to do something with my hands. For those of you who work with your hands, let me encourage you to rest with your mind. Learn a new hobby, read a book, take a class.
Take Care of Yourself First
Much like the practice “pay yourself first”, the idea of “take care of yourself first” is not a selfish one. It is ensuring the health and long-term success of you and your business. It’s also being a good example to your staff and your family. Taking care of yourself physically – by exercising, eating right and resting well – will benefit all of you.
Here’s to your health...
