We always hear about the importance of sleeping, eating better and going to the gym. It’s true to an certain extent but here’s a different way of looking at it in order to keep yourself healthy and live life with a greater sense of appreciation.
1) Breathing Right
Especially for those who are in frequent fight or flight mode, chances are they’re breathing in through the mouth, short breaths in and out (more effort and energy), only the chest expands and the shoulders tenses up. Is this you?
Diaphragmatic breathing is a great technique to introduce into your daily routine to combat the problem. Also known as deep breathing that is performed by contracting the diaphragm which allows air to enter the lungs and the belly expands.
– Lay your back on the floor (ideally with a mat)
– Rest both of your legs onto a bed or sofa (knees 90 degrees)
– Use cushion for head support (optional)
– One hand on your chest, the other on your belly
– Close your eyes (optional)
– Inhale slowly through the nose so that your stomach moves your hand out (imagine balloon is blowing up) whilst the chest should remain still as possible
– Exhale out through the mouth and repeat
Alternative: Lay on a flat surface with your knees bent (supported with cushion)
Start practising 5-10 minutes when you wake up in the morning, after a hectic schedule or meeting, whilst you’re warming up at the gym and especially before bed. With continued practise, it will become easier and automatic.
2) Move & Get Stronger
Your metabolism is directly related to your level of activity you do throughout your life. This is why it’s important to pay attention maintaining your strength at minimum to prevent muscle atrophy, keeping your tendons and joints healthy and one of the ways to help prevent gaining body fat. Rather than focusing on getting slimmer, it’s ideal to get stronger by incorporating weight training into your exercise schedule.
Support that with experimenting on moving around is one of the best ways for anti-ageing. Start power walking during your breaks or perform some basic bodyweight exercises such as lunges, pull ups, squats, push ups and even incorporate some primal movements like crawling, hanging, climbing…bring back the fun into your life. Which leads nicely onto…
3) Play Time
A serious question, when was the last time you played? Do you know on average how much you laugh daily compared to when you were a child? Keep reading to find out the answer.
Have you challenged yourself? There’s no reason at all why we can’t play just because we’re ‘grown ups’. If we followed these rules, the word ‘entrepreneur’ wouldn’t exist since they love to take risk, being out their comfort zone and aim big. Now use that mindset and challenge your body. Rock climbing, run an obstacle race event, mountain biking, join a martial arts club…heck, jump of a plane! Release endorphins (good chemicals) and feel alive.
4) Stretch To Win
When you work, work hard and when you rest, rest harder. This applies to your brain (business) and body (exercising). There’s a time and a place where you’ve just got to bite the bullet and get the project done on time or finishing off the final set of your workout programme, even though the subconscious noise is telling you to just hop in the shower and leave it for another day.
There needs to be a stimulant in order to take yourself to a higher level, but then recovery is even more important. Switching off from technology, taking mini vacations, are great recovery methods to step away for a minute. Stretching however, is one of the best ways to balance out the constant grind you go through with your body.
5) Shout & Laugh
Very simple but hard to execute these days. We live in a society where we can only shout through technology and social media. Our laughs are dictated by the way we express ‘laugh out loud’. Walking down the high street and casually shouting may not be the ideal scenario but find ways to let your hair down. Playing a team sport is a great excuse to scream and shout.
Remember to not get too serious in life, especially during down time. Maybe it’s in your nature to stay away from the attention, but have you ever heard having a giggle is bad for you? Entrepreneur’s journey can be lonely and isolated so that’s a bigger reason to socialise, interact and express yourself.
Word is going round that on average a child laughs over 300 times daily compared to an adult who scrapes a wee 5 times. Pretty ludicrous. Whether it’s true or not, it does make some sense and many of us can relate to.
Strength, health & wealth.
