Self-Care Essential to Successful Business Startup
Updated: Dec 14, 2021
When you’re starting a side hustle, it can be easy to put everything else on the back burner, including exercise, good diet and nutrition, and personal time. However, doing this too long can lead to burnout, and can even have a negative impact on your business. Fitscope is an online fitness program that can make it easy to work healthy physical activity into every day.
Make a Healthy Meal Plan
Putting together a nutritious diet plan will help you in more ways than one. Meal prep will ensure you aren’t tempted to grab fast food when you’re tired or on the go. It will also force you to portion your lean meats, fresh fruits and veggies, and whole grains into premade packets that require minimal effort at mealtimes. If you’re cooking for a family, this approach will also help you feel less stressed about making sure everyone is eating right while you’re getting your business off the ground. Involving the household in the process can also be a good way to instill healthy attitudes about food and serve as bonding time.
Don’t Slack on Exercise
You might be surprised how easy it is for your body to feel run down after missing regular exercise for even a week or two. Don’t let yourself get behind on regular workouts, or you may find it hard to get back into a consistent routine and may resort to drastic measures that can be hard to maintain. Set reasonable goals instead. If you can’t make it to the gym or exercise class on a regular basis, invest in a home gym, walk around your neighborhood every morning, bike to work, or use an online class to help you stay in shape.
Reduce Work-Related Stress
You can eliminate or reduce some job-related stressors by learning good time management skills. According to the American Psychological Association, don’t overschedule yourself, build in time every day for handling unexpected issues, and hire out tasks where you can. This might mean securing a web design team to build your site rather than doing it yourself or have a cleaning company keep your home tidy. Also schedule time to decompress and relax, whether that’s through meditation, listening to music, or reading a good book. This is never “wasted” time; in fact, taking mental health breaks can make you more focused and productive at work, and more present when you’re at home.
Get Solid Rest
Quality sleep is essential to maintaining the hectic life of a business startup, so don’t cut corners. According to the Sleep Foundation, you can start developing healthy sleep patterns by setting regular sleep and wake times and making sure you’re getting quality rest. Sleep in a cool, quiet, dark room, and use earplugs or white noise to drown out ambient sounds that may keep you awake. Reduce the use of electronics before sleep, and resist the urge to work in bed. It can make it harder to fall asleep if you close your eyes and still see budget sheets, to-do lists, and marketing plans running through your mind.
Drink Water
Resist the urge to run on caffeine or overindulge in alcohol or sugary beverages. These can give you artificial energy, or conversely, interrupt your slumber. Water is always your best bet, and most people don’t get enough of it. Dehydration can make you feel sluggish, give you headaches, and result in a host of health problems. You can liven up plain water by using a diffusing bottle that you fill with fresh mint, cucumbers, lemons, or any number of fruits that will give it a little extra pizazz. Invest in a reusable water bottle - it will save you money, be healthier than plastic, and help you reduce how much you contribute to landfills.
Starting a side hustle can take a tremendous amount of time, effort, and energy. You can help increase your odds for success by making self-care a priority. Make time to relax and create a healthy work-life balance. Both you and your business will be better for the effort!
Fitscope is an online home workout option that offers a wide variety of programs to help you maintain your fitness routine at home, at work, or on the go. Visit the site today to learn more.
Jason Lewis has firsthand experience as a senior caregiver, in addition to a background in personal training. He’s passionate about helping seniors stay healthy and injury-free.