6 HEALTHY HABITS FOR ENCORE ENTREPRENEURS

If one of your new year’s goals was to get healthy, then this article will be of help to you.

As an Encore Entrepreneur who started her business in 2015, then went full time in 2018 and am now 60 years old, it is more important for me to be and stay healthy.

Throughout the years, I have been sharing content on my blog as well as featuring guests on my podcast on ways in which to get and stay healthy both mentally and physically.

As a matter of fact in Wednesday’s episode of Out & About with Antionette, is my interview with Antoinette Capri and we discuss healthy habits and resiliency during this COVID isolation.

It wasn’t too long ago when I was still working a 9-5 with a daily commute of 3 hours which was stressful to say the least, the only thing that I wanted to do was eat and go to sleep. Obviously exhausted at the end of a long work day, frustrated by the stress of driving home, the last thing I wanted to do was exercise.

However, since then, I have learned a lot and these are just a few points that I found to be helpful for me and I wish to share with you.

1. Learn something new every day. My grandmother, who passed away at the age of 98, used to say, “what I don’t know would make a whole new world.” As an Encore Entrepreneur, in order to stay healthy, you have to exercise your brain muscle. Listen to a podcast, an audiobook, read a physical book or email article, or even turn on YouTube University to watch a DIY video in your area or niche of interest.

2. Build in “downtime”. On average a person spends around 3 hours a day watching TV, more if they are binging on Netflix. In order to stay healthy, focus on staying busy away from the television, laptop or TikTok. If you do feel the need to be plugged in, try to find programming that is for your body like TaiChi, Yoga or dancing.

3. Speaking of Yoga, make exercise a priority. A healthy body will help cultivate a healthy mind. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans say that adults should get 2.5 hours a week or more of moderate-intensity aerobic activity and two strength training sessions per week. Even if you’re crazy busy, find 10 minutes here and there. Get up from your desk and stretch, bend, walk or ride a stationary bike. Not only will it help you to stay physically healthy, it will help with alleviating stress and getting your endorphins pumped up to manage any challenges.

4. Eat less junk and processed food. Food is fuel for our body and the higher quality fuel you put in your body, the better you’ll perform. I don’t diet and don’t recommend that you do either, however, as a Type 2 Diabetic I understand the importance of eating good food from nature and less processed junk and especially fast food. This not only helps your body, but it improves your energy endurance and mood, helping to stay focused and motivated.

5. Sleep more. Many Encore Entrepreneurs grind late into the night and feel they need to rise early but healthy entrepreneurs know that sleep is vital to their success. Whether you rise early, which is definitely not me, make sure that you find a consistent sleep routine with 8 hours of rest and stick to it. If necessary, grab a quick power nap to recharge your brain – my son does so daily at the age of 26!

6. Creating balance Healthy entrepreneurs treat health as a lifestyle. As an Encore Entrepreneur you probably have kids out of the home or in the basement working, but you still need to balance personal time with professional time. Spend time with your spouse or call a friend or relative during the day just to get away from the daily to-do’s. Remember life is short, “here today…gone today” and you can’t make up the lost time when you lose someone close to you.

Being an Encore Entrepreneur can be fun and exciting, but with it good health goes hand-in-hand.