8 Ways to Stay Fit Even on Your Busiest Days Entrepreneurs will always place work first, but staying healthy can be just as important. These tips work on the road as well.
By Jeff Boss •
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If you're into challenges, then trying to stay fit as an entrepreneur is for you. While ingesting piles of food all at once for fear of losing valuable time is one way to stay satiated, it's not likely the healthiest. Add on travel, deadlines and time zones to an entrepreneur's already hectic schedule and cranking out pushups soon becomes last on the to-do list.
However, staying in shape doesn't have to be such a chore. In fact, it's not. It's a choice. There are endless resources and websites out there that offer free and not-so-free workouts that are ideal for flexible travel schedules. However, if you're tired of surfing the web in search of the "best" workout routine, you can now rest. Below are eight useful methods to still enjoy that 10,000 calorie salad that sounds healthy yet is really anything but:
1. Hotel gyms
No, they're not ideal. Short of a treadmill and a bike, you're pretty much left up to your own creative devices to assemble any semblance of a workout. Rest assured, there is a solution.
Related: Going the Distance: How Improving Your Health Helps Improve Your Bottom Line
2. Bodyweight
You don't hear about people tearing a muscle doing pushups or pullups. Plus, bodyweight exercises build strength and definition and are always available. TRX suspension systems can be used anywhere and everywhere. All you need is an excuse. Recommended website: GymnasticsWod.
3. Kettlebells
Or, as some people like to pronounce, "cattleballs." While the simplicity of moving around an iron bell with a handle seems inadequate at best, the benefits of using kettlebells surpass anything else on the market: small (comparatively speaking), portable and adaptable towards any fitness goals. Recommended website: Strongfirst.
4. Clubbells
Similar to cattleballs, clubbells are another unconventional way to build strength, endurance and get that "startup body" (whatever that is) that everyone aspires for. Recommended website: ClubbellTv.
Related: Exercise Isn't Just Good for You. Your Startup's Success May Depend on It.
5. Sandbag
I'm referring to the noun here, not the verb. Sandbags are yet another means to get fit but also a bit more manageable to travel with for the simple reason that you can turn a hotel room pillow case into something with weight inside. Recommended website: Onnit.
6. Running
Better known as "old faithful," running is ideal because no matter where you go, it's there. Recommended website: CrossFit endurance
7. Groups
In the military, many units do their physical training (PT) together as a way to build camaraderie, not to mention sustain motivation for getting up at "zero-dark too-early." From the entrepreneurial perspective though, group PTs are a great way to not only stay fit but also raise startup awareness and even cash.
8. Stairs
There's nothing like a good leg burn to make you not want to leave your desk in the morning, and stairs offer just that, not to mention a cardio hit. No stairs? No problem. Find something to jump up on a couple hundred times and yup, there's the burn.
There are plenty of excuses not to work out, but everybody -- entrepreneurs especially -- needs an emotional release. Stress levels compound over the course of a day, week or month, and if there is no outlet to burn off steam, then health deteriorates along with performance and consequently, your business.
Henry Ford once said, "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right." What do you think?
Related: 4 Fit Tips for Entrepreneurs to Stay Healthy on the Road
