It seems like every year we make a commitment to getting healthy. Yet every year we give up on this and find ourselves at the biscuit tin when the work starts to pile up. When you’re an entrepreneur or in a major position of responsibility, this fate only becomes more likely. If you want to make a real commitment to staying healthy this time, this is how to do it.
Start Standing
Too many people in the developed world spend all day sitting on their behinds in an office chair. For most of us, we’ve seen this as an unavoidable side effect of having a job. The fact is the Smithsonian Institute has proven the benefits of standing up whilst you work. Standing desks are becoming more common in offices around the world.
Of the limited research conducted into so-called standing desks, we can conclude that you will see a reduced risk of obesity, cardiovascular problems, and diabetes. Recent studies have even alluded to the idea that standing up more often could lead to a longer life.
Stop Shortening Sleep
Whenever a deadline is on the horizon, the first thing to go is sleep. Work should never come before sleep. A lack of sleep has been linked to depression, more stress, and less fulfilment in life. Furthermore, a lack of sleep actually reduces productivity. This means you could quite easily find yourself losing out on productivity by increasing your hours.
If you have trouble waking up refreshed, here are two tips for solving the problem:
- Wake and sleep at the same time every day. This will get your body into a routine that it will gladly slip into. And, yes, this applies just as much to weekends as it does to work days.
- Power down your phone and make yourself unavailable in the middle of the evening. Give yourself time to power down and disconnect yourself from the office. This will help you get to sleep when the time comes.
What about Food?
Eating quick to save time is a common practice used by people who don’t have enough hours in the day to get things done. This isn’t always healthy, though. Despite the fact eating at all hours worked whilst you were a student, it’s not going to work in the real world. Food is fuel. Put rubbish into your engine and you’re going to feel like it.
Think about your meals and how they made your feel. If a quick meal made you feel bad, don’t eat it again. Compile a diary of foods that make you more productive and foods that keep you in the bathroom for a little bit too long.
Over time, you can improve your diet and this will lead to enhanced energy levels.
Ease Off the Coffee
Coffee should not become a crutch to keep you awake. Use it no more than once or twice a day to give yourself a quick boost. Most people prefer to use it during the morning, but don’t live on it throughout the day. What goes up must come down, and the same thing applies to your mood.
Conclusion
Ultimately, it all depends on you as a person. Only you know what works best for you. This is why you have to put in the effort to discovering what works and what doesn’t. Pay careful attention to how you feel and write down any significant events. For example, does a coffee at 11am make you feel energised or tired?
Little things like this can help you to craft that bulletproof state of mind that will lead you through the more difficult times at work.
Work at Home Journey 