5 Simple Wellbeing Tips for CEOs & Entrepreneurs

Despite all of the hype and press coverage regarding wellbeing, busy entrepreneurs and CEOs rarely have the time or energy to prioritize their health. When you are out there, grinding away, promoting yourself and your business, it is tough to make time for yourself. However, if you are in business for the long run, you need to make sure that you don’t burn yourself out. Sooner or later, if you don’t prioritize your health, you will be forced to take care of yourself due to some form of illness – often stress-related.

In this article, we will look at some practical wellbeing tips to stay on top of your health while still giving 100% to your business.

Disclaimer – please consult your doctor before making any lifestyle or dietary changes.

Outsource

Outsourcing may seem like an odd topic of discussion regarding wellbeing, but bear with us! Outsourcing can be a great way to grow your business while mitigating financial risk. In addition, outsourcing can provide many of the benefits of having an additional employee. With outsourcing, you don’t have to invest all the time, effort and red tape navigation involved in recruiting, training and employing someone. In addition there, generally are no permanent contracts, and it is a great way to delegate work and free up more of your time to focus on what’s important.

Outsourcing receptionist duties, for example, can drastically reduce the interruptions that you have to endure daily from unwanted calls. With the number of spam calls increasing year on year in both the US and the UK, they can be a real distraction. 

It is rarely possible to ignore calls; however, as for many businesses, calls are the most important form of sales lead, and a missed call can be a missed business opportunity.

With a phone answering service such as Moneypenny, you can hire a 24/7 receptionist service, allowing you to focus on the work at hand, and spend more time with friends and family without having to listen out for your phone constantly. Distractions can be a real issue, and although they are often part of your job and a typical working day, research has shown that a single interruption can take, on average, 23 minutes to recover from. In addition, research has shown that a single distraction can increase errors and anxiety levels – not good for business or your wellbeing.

As well as receptionist duties, you may wish to consider using a virtual assistant or outsourcing highly skilled video editing and graphic design projects.

Connect

Social connections are vital for wellbeing and mental health. With time an issue for many entrepreneurs, it can help to multi-task your wellbeing endeavors. For example, if you join a local fitness or yoga class, you can connect with people while at the same time participate in some all-important physical activity.

Countless studies show that exercise is excellent for mental health, and so are social relationships. If you can exercise and connect with people simultaneously, you can improve your wellbeing in the most time-efficient manner possible. One more thing to consider about exercise is that exercise outdoors, or so-called “green exercise,” has been shown to produce greater mood and self-esteem improvements compared to the same exercises carried out indoors.

Mindful Work

Everyone knows about the mental health benefits of meditation and mindfulness. However, many of us don’t have time to sit down and meditate for 20 minutes every day.

A great workaround is to use a Pomodoro Timer app or browser add-on. A Pomodoro timer splits your working day into 25-minute “sprints” with 5-minute intervals. After four intervals, you get a longer break, usually 20 minutes. Have a notepad and pen handy, start your timer and get to work.

Every time your mind wanders, bring your attention back to work at hand. However, if you think of something important, jot it down on your notepad before bringing your attention back to the work in front of you. 

When you have finished the sprint, quickly check your emails, perform 10 seconds of slow, mindful diaphragmatic breathing, and go for a quick walk to get a coffee or snack. Being mindful doesn’t always mean sitting down and focussing on your breath. By paying attention to the work at hand, you can train your mind not to wander and not to ruminate. Rumination is generally very bad for our mental wellbeing, and focusing on the present moment, is key to overcoming the habit. The Pomodoro technique can act as a mindfulness practice that actually increases productivity.

Get a Standing Desk

Numerous studies have concluded that sitting all day is very bad for health. Sitting all day is bad for posture. It promotes shallow breathing, which in turn can lead to higher levels of stress and anxiety. Sitting can also cause serious back problems, short hip flexor muscles and often leads to weak glute muscles and inflammation of the piriformis. Sitting can also slow down digestion and lead to issues such as bloating, constipation and reflux.

Standing is much better for posture and burns around ten calories extra per hour. Movement is critical, however. Using the Pomodoro technique as described above, you can ensure that every 25 minutes, you walk, stretch, or do some bodyweight exercise to ensure that your body does not stiffen up. 

Movement is also essential for the lymphatic system to work properly, and movement, in general, is thought to be good for both physical and mental wellbeing. If you can’t afford a standing desk and work remotely, an ironing board can work pretty well! A stability ball may also be a good idea, and alternating between the two can help strengthen your core while maintaining correct posture and breathing mechanics.

Cold Showers

One time-efficient way to improve your wellbeing is to opt for a cold shower in the morning. Anecdotal evidence suggests that cold showers can increase energy, focus and even promote feelings of euphoria.

Studies have shown that cold showers increase levels of norepinephrine, which is a hormone that can promote an anti-inflammatory effect in the body and increase levels of energy. Cold showers also cause blood vessels in the limbs to constrict, shunting blood towards the core and the body’s organs. One study also concluded that people who incorporated a cold shower into their morning routine also reported significantly fewer sick days. Cold exposure also forces the body to produce “cold shock proteins,” which in turn may help ward off neurodegenerative conditions.

If the cold isn’t for you, then luckily, there is lots of evidence to suggest that using saunas, which produce “heat shock proteins,” can have similar benefits in terms of wellness and longevity.

Adaptogens

Always talk to a professional dietician or doctor before adding supplements to your diet. Adaptogens are herbal medicines that can reduce stress levels. While there is still some stigma surrounding herbal medicines in the UK and US, in other countries such as Germany, they are classed as “phytomedicines” and are regularly prescribed by doctors.

Specifically, adaptogens help the body adapt and resist high-stress levels, increase physical and mental energy, improve sleep, and even support the immune system.

Popular adaptogens include ashwagandha and Rhodiola Rosea. Rhodiola Rosea is a perennial that grows in some of the harshest conditions on Earth, such as Siberia. The herb has been used for thousands of years in mountainous regions of Siberia, with locals proclaiming it to have benefits for preventing sickness and fatigue.

In one study on Rhodiola Rosea, the authors concluded that:

“Rhodiola Rosea extracts and salidroside can impose cellular and systemic benefits similar to the effect of positive lifestyle interventions to normal physiological functions and for anti-cancer. The unique pharmacological properties of Rhodiola Rosea extracts or salidroside deserve further investigation for cancer chemoprevention, in particular for human urinary bladder cancer”.

Conclusion

While there is no substitute for good rest and adequate sleep, sometimes, we have to compromise a little. Remember, however, that burnout is a serious problem across the western world and making time for exercise and building and nurturing social connections is crucial. 

Outsourcing can help business owners find more time for recreational activities, and mindful work can help us to stay in the present moment. While scientific studies suggest that adaptogens can help prevent some stress-related illnesses, it remains essential that you look to eat a nutritious diet full of whole foods whenever possible.