Success And Health: A Love-Hate Relationship

Health and success are entities that don’t always exist in harmony. Whether mental health, physical health or general well-being, if you haven’t afforded time into your routine to maintain these before your career hits it’s peak, it can seem an almost impossible task later.

Arguably, the most successful of us all, are entrepreneurs. They may have more flexible schedules, but are also under the immense pressure of sustaining their own business, which they cultivated from conception. Interestingly, a study in the Journal of Occupational & Organisational Psychology found that entrepreneurs showed significantly lower overall physical and mental morbidity, lower blood pressure, as well as higher well-being. They also reported fewer trips to the doctors and days called off work for illness.

A surface explanation for this is that both success and health require habitual actions, which can be controlled by applying discipline to your routine. The main trait of an entrepreneur has been pinpointed to be their self-discipline, thus it is not about ‘finding’ the time for health, but instead ‘allocating’ the time. Habits are rooted in the daily, often overlooked decisions, so here are some everyday tips that will allow your health and success to become synonymous again.

Create A Schedule For Your Food And Exercise

When thinking about improving health, a balanced diet and regular exercise are the first components that come to mind. But, ensuring you are making healthy decisions can become increasingly difficult when relying on will-power. If wandering round the supermarket on an empty stomach, or bailing on a spinning class you promised to attend, sounds familiar, creating a time-controlled schedule could help hold you to account for your health. By setting aside time to: prepare bulk meals, eat these meals, and partake in physical activity, you can refocus your energy on the important things for the rest of the day. You could schedule your exercise for mornings or lunchtimes as it’s proven that releasing endorphins increases productivity which in turn builds success.

Put Yourself First And Learn To Say No

It may seem that success is measurable through the number of tasks you are able to get done, but overloading yourself with work increases stress and inefficiency. We may avoid potential conflicts by saying yes, but if the requests you are agreeing to cannot be fulfilled, it is far worse to retract and turn your yes into a no, than to be outright about it in the first place. Make sure the no is authoritative and there is an explanation behind it, and remember the saying ‘quality over quantity’ never fails to prevail in the world of work.

Make Health Checkups A Priority

It is all well and good making healthy choices when it comes to food, exercise and mentality, but humans aren’t invincible, therefore, regularly checking your health with professionals is important. Getting an appointment can fall to the bottom of your to-do list, when it requires taking time off to fit in with your doctors working hours. Home blood tests are just one solution that not only fits around a busy schedule, but also, provides online results that are accessible and can test for multiple issues in one go.