3 Essentials for Building a Fit Plan Right for Entrepreneurs Busy entrepreneurs can't afford not to find the time to work out.
By Julian Hayes II Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Many entrepreneurs struggle to fit a consistent fitness regimen into their busy lives.
Adopting a consistent health and fitness regimen doesn't mean you have to sacrifice creating the business of your dreams. To seamlessly mesh your entrepreneurial life with a healthier lifestyle, first you must create a focused and realistic plan.
Here are three questions you must ask yourself to stay fit while building a successful business.
1. Does this fitness plan fit within my daily routine?
Forcing yourself to stay compliant with a fitness regimen that doesn't fit your daily lifestyle is the equivalent of fitting a square peg in a round hole. This isn't ideal because you run the risk of resenting your healthy lifestyle due to feeling like its taking precedence over everything else.
Your business and hobbies don't need to take a backseat to your desires for a healthier lifestyle.
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Instead of viewing fitness as a separate entity, utilize this simple three-step process to seamlessly integrate fitness into your daily routine.
- Assess your workday for the entire week, and schedule your daily expected work hours in your calendar.
- Using a different color, schedule your miscellaneous events and hobbies (friends, family, etc.) in your calendar.
- Lastly, choose a few days and times to exercise, based off of what you can realistically commit to.
2. Do I (actually) enjoy this plan?
Unfortunately, many people have fallen into the trap that you have to eat and exercise in a particular way, or results won't happen.
In entrepreneurship, there are multiple pathways to building a thriving business. And just like entrepreneurship, achieving success in fitness is possible through multiple pathways.
For example, in nutrition, there's a multitude of different options. The majority of those nutritional options are going to work because all of them preach the same, underlying fundamentals of eating healthy foods while minimizing processed foods.
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But some are more popular than others, often because of the marketing machine behind them. Most important to keep in mind is that the perfect healthy eating regimen will mesh with your preferred lifestyle while supporting your business goals.
If you don't want to eat Paleo, don't do it. Plenty of people stay in exceptional shape for years without utilizing this particular diet. Focus on enjoyment and the simplicity of your regimen before obsessing over the minute details.
3. Does my fitness plan support the life and business that I'm trying to create?
As an entrepreneur, you started this journey because you wanted to create a business that would support your dream lifestyle. You wanted a life where you could have the freedom to travel and be with your family and friends when they needed you.
View your fitness through the same lens as your business. Think long-term.
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Can you actually see yourself with this particular fitness regimen six months down the road? Does this particular plan allow you to run your business the way you envisioned it? Does this particular regimen allow you to live the life you desired and maintain rich relationships?
If not, then you need to make some adjustments. Fitness shouldn't dictate your life. Properly incorporating fitness will support and enhance every facet of your life. It won't become an obstacle to creating the life and business that you desire.
