I have the privilege of working with business professionals on a daily basis, and I get asked a lot of amazing questions. Some very strange that I can’t answer, and some very common questions that I feel that more and more business professionals need to know the answer to.
My client Heather, a successful business owner, recently asked me an outstanding question that I know a lot of professional’s struggle with.
She asked, “How do other business owners and professionals make healthy lifestyle choices with their hectic schedules?”
What a great question this is.
Being a business professional you will encounter what I call Business Professional Roadblocks (BPR). A BPR is a roadblock from making healthier lifestyle choices that is cause by your profession. Some examples of a BPR include spending long hours at work (10+hrs) making crucial decisions for you and your company, sometimes lacking the required energy levels to execute that perfect pitch to bring in new business on top of, having a largely sedentary day as you’ll sit hunched over your desk for an excess on 9-10 hours per day, being sleep deprived as you catch up on some extra work and having those last minute unscheduled meetings as you were about to leave the office. There are many more examples I could list.
9 times out of 10 you would’ve experienced these BPR’s at some stage of your busy professional career.
Making healthy lifestyle choices is the last thing on your mind after spending a long day at work. Dragging yourself to the gym to do a bit of exercise is the last thing you want to do, and the thought of making yourself a healthy lunch the night before is off the charts. All you want to do is eat the most covenant food (usually take away/food court) and crashing into you bed after a stressful day’s work.
Heather asked me this question because her business was struggling and she put it down to her having no energy to keep up with the physical and emotional demands of owning a business. Heather wanted to make healthier choices so she wasn’t the like the typical business professional, sedentary, lacking energy and struggling to breath after walking up a flight of stairs.
Not all business professionals are like that example, but you get the point.
There are 2 simple tricks to living a healthier lifestyle whilst working silly hours.
1: Move More
Sounds simple, right? Incidental exercise is a great way to improving your current lifestyle into a healthier one. What is incidental exercise you say? Well, it can be absolutely any moving you do throughout the day from walking, to cleaning the house etc. Anything that you wouldn’t classify as “exercise”. The average business professional only takes around 2000 steps per day. This is mainly from the movement between your house, transport, and workplace.
Tips for increasing incidental exercise
- Take the stairs, instead of the lift
- Hop off the bus a stop earlier than normal
- Walk to work (If it would take 60mins or less)
- Instead of sending a short email to a colleague walk to their desk and talk to them
When it comes to actual exercise, your lunch hour is a great way of increasing your daily movement. A business professional only needs 30 minutes of moderate exercise to reap the benefits of exercise. That’s half of your lunch break! Schedule in your exercise daily, or every other day and make it re-occurring. Treat exercise like an important meeting. It’s in your calendar at a specific time, and you cannot afford to miss it. Exercising before work is also a great way of moving more.
Why do I say exercise when you may not have the energy levels to even jog?
Exercise releases the feel good neurotransmitter dopamine which is called a pleasure chemical, giving you the sensation of success which can increase your attention and alertness throughout the day helping you feel like you have an increased amount of energy.
2: Make Healthier Food Court Choices
My clients Heather always seemed to be in a rush, so she would rely on the food court downstairs for her daily lunch as it was quick for her to scoff some food down before her next meeting. To have the required energy levels to keep up with all the work you have throughout the day, you must fuel your brain with the right nutrients for it to function properly otherwise you will feel that dreaded afternoon energy crash. Just like Heather did. Eating the quick Chinese meals or McDonalds burger and chips aren’t the best way about fuelling you brain to make crucial decisions.
Healthier food court choices you want to make include:
Easy to prepare salads – Every food court has a salad bar, so make sure your salad is loaded with green fibrous vegetables, and some lean protein to prevent any hunger cravings in the common mid-afternoon crash. When it comes to including carbohydrates, ask for a 1 serving of brown rice or sweet potato.
Sushi – A lot of people will say sushi is bad for you, but you’re a business professional that needs quick access to food. Sushi can be make healthier. Ask for brown/black rice, and make sure there is some sort of protein inside. For example, Black rice tuna and avocado is a great choice. (My favourite to!)
Use these two top tips today and I promise you will notice a huge difference in you energy levels and overall well-being.
JJ Coutts