A Health Blueprint for Type-A Entrepreneurs

Posted November 19, 2008 in Lifestyle, Productivity 30 Rockin' Comments »

Maintaining a healthy physical and mental routine every day is crucial to remaining productive and hardworking on a regular basis, especially if you want to perform at a high level.

The stress of being an entrepreneur is enough to take a huge toll on your life and business if left unchecked. On top of that, it’s impossible to avoid burnout and even depression without properly taking care of yourself.

With that dire warning behind us, let’s move on to some health tips that you can use to remedy the situation and keep yourself working at peak performance physically and mentally.

Here’s a simple-yet-powerful health blueprint for entrepreneurs:

Get 20 minutes of cardiovascular exercise every day

runner
It’s been shown that even this small amount of exercise has a more powerful effect on your well-being than Prosac or any of the strong anti-depressants. With that kind of endorphin-boost, this is a must for anyone who needs peak mental performance on a regular basis. Oh, and there are a lot of other benefits too, like living longer and looking good.

Eat a decent breakfast

This one almost goes without saying, but not quite. Many entrepreneurs are in such a hurry that eating just takes the back-burner — but that’s not a smart move. Without breakfast you’re likely to take a performance hit so big it will easily cancel out the 10 minutes you gained by skipping breakfast, and probably a lot more than that.

Take a 10 minute walk every 2 hours of computer use

Sitting in front of a computer all day causes your body to release adrenaline and cortisol. Over a short period of time these hormones boost energy and focus, but over the long term (days and weeks at computers) they cause a technology-related burnout. You can avoid this by taking 10 minute breaks every few hours.

By making your break a walk you’ll get the added benefits of a little exercise and some good thinking time.

Avoid caffeine and simple sugars

candy
Both caffeine and sugar have a similar effect on your body — spiked energy for a bit followed by a dive. Caffeine does this by tricking your brain into releasing adrenaline, and sugar does this by directly effecting blood glucose levels. Unfortunately, the human body inherently overreacts to both of these things, leading to the dive. Using either tactic too frequently will sap your long-term ability to stay energized. By avoiding temptation and eating better you will set the stage for more natural energy on a regular basis.

Frequently snack on fruits and veggies

The best way to create a powerful flow of energy all day long is to have a small snack every few hours. Complex carbs, fruits, and veggies are all excellent choices. Eating something every few hours helps keep your metabolism burning consistently, which will provide a lot of energy and will also help you loose weight (depending on how much you eat).

Drink a lot of water

Without getting too scientific, our bodies basically require water to run properly. You know that concentrated thinking that is so valuable? Your brain needs to be hydrated to do that. How much you actually drink should depend on your body weight, but a good rule of thumb is to just carry some water with you and sip on it all day.

Get 8 hours of sleep every night

sleep
I know that many people profess to being able to work hard on just a few hours of sleep, and in a some rare cases that might be true, but for the vast majority of people getting a solid 8 hours is the best way to go. It’s been shown in several studies that sleep deprivation has severe negative effects both physically and mentally. It’s also not possible to ‘catch-up’ on sleep, so it’s critical to develop a regular pattern.

So, how many of these rules do you break? Are you suffering the consequences?

images by martin kingsley, mike baird, jonathan assink, and daveybot.

About the author: Mason Hipp is an entrepreneur, marketing guru, and writer. He blogs about life and business at FreelanceFolder.com and is co-author of the upcoming Freelance Folder Book.

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30 Rockin' Comments

Gabe
November 19th, 2008 at 6:00 pm

Between all the sleeping, exercising, walking around, eating fruits/veggies (which requires buying or growing it and possible preparing it) and drinking water - where does the working part fit in? Throw in a spouse, several kids, two dogs, paying bills, trying to win business, and it instantly becomes obvious why I want to work for myself - the freedom!
Frank Lee
November 19th, 2008 at 6:01 pm

Cool! I do every one of these! Hopefully the jobs will be pouring in now….Well I know I have to market myself and actually look for work but at least I have a good start!

But seriously I do think I am able to focus a lot more because of my healthy lifestyle. I used to be sedentary and overweight and there’s a huge difference in every aspect of your life if you’re healthy, including your work life.
Chris Ritke
November 19th, 2008 at 6:10 pm

Hm, a walk every two hours. I go for 2-3 walks a day (usually 2) - you’re probably right with every 2 hours. Gonna try that. Thanks!
Mason Hipp
November 19th, 2008 at 6:29 pm

Gabe, you’ve brought up a very common line of argument against doing these things, the fact that they seem like a lot of time. Let me dispel that thought though:

Breakfast +10 minutes
Three walks +30 minutes
Exercise +20 minutes
Snack Preparation +20 minutes
Drinking More Water +10 minutes

If you were doing none of these before, you would essentially ‘lose’ 1.5 hours out of your typical daily routine.

So, if you are able to work every single day at peak performance without losing a single hour and a half, then keep doing what you’re doing and ignore this list.

On the other hand, I’ve never met a person capable of working that long, let alone doing it effectively. These tips will seriously boost your productivity, and even if you don’t goof off at all you will probably see some big gains. If you do procrastinate or goof off (like most people you’ll probably see even more benefits.
James Chartrand - Men with Pens
November 19th, 2008 at 6:32 pm

WHAT?! No coffee?!!? Are you mad?

I hear you on all these points, and I think people don’t realize the value of sleep, exercise and eating properly. Seriously. Computers are killers in more ways than one.

Here’s a great reason to exercise if you’re an entrepreneur, too: You blow off steam. That way, you don’t blow up. Period. Stress levels go down, you feel energized, refreshed and creativity is better.

I drink coffee, but I get all the sleep - that’s crucial for me. I go to bed at a normal, decent hour (between 9 and 10pm), and I stay there until I wake naturally. No alarms. No tv in the room, no nothing. Sleep.

I also skate regularly twice a week (when the rinks open with decent hours). Two hours a week, laps with music… I come out of there feeling like a million bucks.

I take guitar lessons just to get out of the house and give my mind a rest.

I get up from the computer often to walk around. If something isn’t working right or I’m having a tough time thinking of the right words, I drop it. I leave it. I walk.

Now I just have to eat. That’s one big issue with me and computers - I forget to eat, I work through hunger and I skip meals. Not good, that.
Gabe
November 19th, 2008 at 6:43 pm

@Mason - don’t forget the 8 hours of sleep instead of just 6, that’s another minus 2. I understand and agree with the point being made, it just seems impossible for me to find 3 hours in my day.
Raph
November 19th, 2008 at 7:34 pm

Also would add that doing some stretching of the neck, shoulders and arms after the 2 hours of computer use, as using a computer will cause a lot of those muscles to tighten significantly.
Mason Hipp
November 19th, 2008 at 8:07 pm

@James — Skating eh? My latest outlet has been Dancing. Salsa, ballroom, and all sorts of others. Natalie and I have been going at least once a week and it’s one of the few things that can really take my mind off business.

@Gabe — Good point, there is that to consider as well. Depending on age and personality you may be able to get away with less sleep, though like I said it still isn’t recommended.

@Raph — Yep, very true.
Melissa Donovan, Copywriter
November 19th, 2008 at 9:08 pm

Breakfast, exercise, and lots of water are essential for me to work effectively. I know I need to start my day with an energizing breakfast and break it up with stretches, music, and calisthenics, plus keep my body hydrated at all times. Otherwise, it’s too easy to fall prey to fatigue and exhaustion and every entrepreneur’s worst nightmare - burnout.
James Chartrand - Men with Pens
November 19th, 2008 at 9:13 pm

@ Mason - Dancing! Awesome. That’s probably a ton of fun - and a workout!
Mike Smith
November 19th, 2008 at 9:24 pm

I keep 30lb dumbbells next to my desk and try to get up every 30 minutes / 1 hour to do a few sets of lifts and then walk around my upstairs for a couple minutes. I definitely agree that it helps. Sat at my desk for 6 hours straight one night and had HORRIBLE leg cramps afterwards.

For the “not being able to catch up on sleep” part though I have to disagree. I am an insomniac and get very little sleep on most nights. There are days though that I’ll crash out for 8-10 hours and wake up feeling like a new man. And then it’s another 4-5 days of 2/3 total hours sleep. Vicious cycle, but ‘catching up’ is possible (at least to me anyways).
jeff zbar
November 20th, 2008 at 6:57 am

Agreed on most points. I make time to eat breakfast (usually scarfing the oatmeal my daughter nibbled at before heading to high school), drink lots of water (trust me, those ‘walkabouts’ throughout the day come when the water finds need for a home other than my bladder), general exercise (do drum sessions 3x/wk count?), and a mental / spiritual release (my band, for three hours every Saturday, except when the Nasty Neighbor calls the cops - Again!).

With kids, a wife and responsibilities of life sharing time with the challenges of business (especially in a slowing economy when clients are become scarce), we still have to make time for us.

Time for another glass of water…
Selene M. Bowlby
November 20th, 2008 at 8:19 am

How bad is it that I don’t do ANY of these things? I do have my caffeine though… oh, wait…. LOL

I’ve actually started working on the water intake last week, and planned on moving a small piece of gym equipment (a poor-man’s stair stepper thingy) into the office so I’d see it and remember to take little fitness breaks.

Thanks for the reminder - my health needs to come first (and quite frankly, I put myself last behind everything else).
Tyrel Kelsey
November 20th, 2008 at 12:15 pm

I break the no sugar and caffeine quite often though I’m trying to slow down. Other than that I try to get a good breakfast in everyday and stay constant with my meal times.
George - LogoDesign.org
November 20th, 2008 at 12:21 pm

Ouch! The only ones I do right are getting enough sleep at night and avoiding caffeine and sugar, I’m really bad about not drinking enough water, not that I dislike water or anything, I’m just *so* busy that that I don’t have the time to stop and drink, LOL, maybe if I slept less….
Mason Hipp
November 20th, 2008 at 12:21 pm

@Mike — That sounds pretty rough. How do you manage to stay productive on 2-3 hours of sleep?

@Selene — None of them?! That’s pretty bad. Seriously though, I used to be that way and the toll it took on me was tremendous. It’s not immediate, but over time things just get worse and worse. You have to put yourself first when it comes to health :-)

@Tyrel — I break the sugar rule myself, not so much the caffeine one. I’m cutting back though because I can literally feel my glucose levels dropping, and it’s not easy to focus with no energy.
molly
November 21st, 2008 at 5:19 am

agreeable agreeable agreeable.

You men …. you are the lucky ducks in this scenario. I am a wife, mommy of a 7month old and try to work full time (or at least 30hrs) per week from home. My little munchkin is watched by Gramsy only 2x per week (6hrs of ME TIME each day). I refuse to get a nannie as my goals as a home-mommy are important.

What do I sacrafice as a result? SLEEP. The biggest thing. The only routine that currently works is working after midnight until 4 or 6am. I don’t do caffeine although I do bend the rules with a cup of green tea now and then and some Yerba Mate’.

I agree with your schedule hands down, no argument, but it only works for those of you who don’t have any other responsibilities such as taking care of the house, preparing meals for everyone, taking care of the kid(s) and/or animals as someone mentioned, also trying to work out all at the same time.

I will say that the times you alloted in your comment is a tiny bit unrealistic… the 20min workout for example, that’s the workout portion. What about changing clothes, tiing shoes, properly stretching pre-workout and post-workout stretching/cooldown. :) I always allot at LEAST 30 -40 min for a 20min workout.

I know I’m sounding negative about your post… but realistically, I did like it a lot. It is the pristine “if everything worked out perfect” post…. when does it ever? :) look forward to more.
jeff zbar
November 21st, 2008 at 7:20 am

Molly, I appreciate your comments and situation, but watch the wide brush there. When we had our first kid, my wife worked full time, as a hospital-based RN. Today, 17 years and two more offspring later, she still works pt outside the home - now as a pediatric nurse practitioner, which means she copped a masters somewhere along the line, leaving dad to watch over the brood 50-50 then as now.

And I KNOW I’m not the only Dad living - and loving - this life we’ve chosen.

Truth be told, I don’t commit to the schedule and times above. And pt work keeps Mom VERY involved (probably more like 60-40, though she’s say 99-1). But some of us dads are every bit as much the caregiver as good ol’ Mom. I cook (and I don’t mean mac-n-cheese for dinner - at least not every night), and I handle some of the chores, including those involving pool chemicals and lawn equipment.

I ain’t no Mr. Mom, more like a Hockey Dad (No, not HER kind of Hockey Dad). But it’s all good. Check out my POV at http://www.mydaddyworksinhisunderwear.com. It’s Under Development and a little raw, but it’s also the foundation for my forthcoming book on exactly this topic.

It’s 6:17am. Time to go make lunches for the kids…
James Chartrand - Men with Pens
November 21st, 2008 at 7:39 am

@ Molly - I hear your frustration, but I’m with Jeff. That was a pretty sweeping statement that men have it lucky. Also, this part…

I agree with your schedule hands down, no argument, but it only works for those of you who don’t have any other responsibilities such as taking care of the house, preparing meals for everyone, taking care of the kid(s) and/or animals as someone mentioned, also trying to work out all at the same time.

I’m a single dad with a teen and a toddler and two cats (if they count). The teen pretty much takes care of herself, and I chose to send my youngest child to day care so that I could give her a better life and so that she can socialize with other children. She goes six hours a day, no more.

I’m up at 5am every day. I work until she wakes up. I take care of her, drive her around, feed her, keep her happy, and then burn through what I can in the time she’s gone. I care for her in the evenings and by the time she goes to sleep, I’m exhausted and hit the hay too.

I don’t have a Gramsy or a friend or an aunt who can watch my child so that I get me time. There’s me, and there’s the fantastic woman at the daycare. I don’t go out on weekends, I can’t attend adult events, and I don’t have a partner to watch my kid while I go get some milk at the store. Been that way for four years. (School’s coming soon, YAY!)

I am fully responsible for the income, safety, comfort and food of three people. I work like a dog to make that happen. But I absolutely refuse to cheat myself by working too late, not taking time to relax or eating crappy food on the go. If I go under and burn out because I’m overtired, overstress and unable to cope, then my family goes under too.

So I think that the assumptions you made… well, you know how the saying goes. Almost everyone has it hard, not just you. We make the choices that work for us.
Molly
November 21st, 2008 at 2:11 pm

Hi Guys! @jeff and @james

Well I certainly appreciate your feedback. :) In re-reading my comment, yes, I guess I sounded a bit one-sided. I do understand for those dad’s who are pretty involved (or like James are full time). As it is my husband helps out a ton, but as our schedules go I am the main caregiver for our son as he also works 50-60hrs/wk. It’s OK, it was our CHOICE to have a kid. My husband helps out a ton too… I wasn’t implying that he doesn’t.

I also wasn’t TRYING to be a martyr about it either. I know there are others out there who are in a similar situation. As it is, we should be so lucky that we do have flexible schedules to allow us to work from home. And James I think it’s great you get your little one out for socialization. Mine is only 7mos old and we do socialization together (swim classes, mom’s group) or he gets it with his cousin at Gramsy’s. I know I’m lucky to have family close to help out.

And Jeff…. I understand that your post is also to be taken with a grain of salt and more like Guidelines, not set rules. We live quite healthy and strongly believe in maintaining our bodies and minds for the sake of health and sanity. I am training for a Marathon currently on top of it all so I get that.

haha. I think I was venting more on the sleep part. I have 2 1/2 years until we start doing any kind of daycare sort of thing… and working late every night can get to me, but that’s how it is right now.

I think maybe what I should have said was,”Great article, but when you have kids it doesn’t take 20min. to do a workout… or 5min to do anything….” …but you know that. And not everyone has kids.

Anyway - great article. I like the site. And a pat on the back for being great dads! m.
James Chartrand - Men with Pens
November 21st, 2008 at 2:33 pm

*chuckles*

Thanks for coming back. See what happens to me when I don’t have enough coffee? ;)

And you’re right. Sometimes it’s real easy to write a post that talks about all the good things and that says to people, “You should do this.”

Then people like you and I sit up and say, “Yeah? Step in my shoes for a while, buddy, and we’ll see how easy it is!”
Venkatesh Krishnamoorthy
November 21st, 2008 at 10:57 pm

I am from India and so can add a bit to these tips. The tips given by Mason, if followed, will have a significant effect of a freelancer’s well-being, who are mostly obsessed with keeping the business afloat by hardwork and forget the basics. The tips are a reminder of the basics. Usually, we read the blog and follow the routine for a week and then let off. We are back to our original, old selves. But you should have the discipline to build these tips into your routine. A small DNA twist perhaps. You will really feel the difference if you take 10 minutes off every 2 hours especially and lots of water, oh yes!!

I would also add simple yoga exercises for the neck and breathing exercises to keep yourself fit. I had a low back pain due to sitting postures and simple 10-minute exercises I learnt from a Yoga guru helped me get over it. I don’t get the pain now.

Further, the tips are simple to follow and you would only be benefited following them.

Thank you Mason for your timely back to basics tips!!!
Robert Reeves
November 22nd, 2008 at 9:42 am

November 22nd, 2008 at 8.12 am
——————————————————————————–

Hi you smart people. I have my two minute cooked break-fast, a quick whisk of two egg’s & one yoke, shoved in the micro-wave sprayed with pam for 1.40 seconds, flip it half way around 80 seconds in a small glass bowl, while my wieght watchers bread is toasting. It comes out fluffy and tastes great. You can add a little fat free parmesan or flavor, your call. Drink lots of water squeezed with lemon juice including a regimen twice a day with apple Cider with Ginger mixed with your favorite juice. Trust me, those‘ with any aches or pains, make the walking a part of your day, you will you feel stronger by-far, feeling Cleaner, Better & Clearer in just few days. Don’t forget your good dose of (Omega 3) General exercise in your local park for 2 to 3 miles, 5 to 6 times a week is a must, hey its makes you feel alive to start your day and puts your stress in the trash. Get your fresh air for your a mental frame of mind & release. ( You have got to get out of the house) You need your space, find something else, relax with music, take the time, to smell the roses. You are the walking talking money making machine, so do your matetnance, create new accounts, network, and show off your wares don’t be bashful. Love life.

Robbie-Reeves CEO

Robert Reeves
CEO (rr@rococostonetraders.com)
1580 Sawgrass Corporate Parkway
Suite 130
Sunrise Fl 33323
954-315-4592
Fax 954-838-7790
Guitarinstructor
November 24th, 2008 at 6:08 am

Without going for any arguments, we can simply admit that these are valuable guidelines for our valuable health as well as for life. I am inspired although i am following a routine that is almost similar to it. Thank you.
Mike Smith
December 11th, 2008 at 4:45 pm

@Mason - I just seen your comment in regards to mine. I’ve been an insomniac since about 13 so I’ve grown to live with it and function normally; its not something new for me. There are a few times here and there where I get a good night sleep and that feels so good - like it lasts me a week sometimes.

I’ve been trying to get off the computer earlier though to help my mind wind down, but now, with my blackberry next to me at all times, I don’t know if it’ll ever stop :) Information overload maybe?

I have made a concious effort though to get back in shape and start working out daily again, along with my 30 lb. dumbbell breaks during work.

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