Taking Care of Your Body Is Part of Being a Good Leader

It’s that time of the season when it seems like everyone I talk with is under the weather. So, naturally, I’m doubling down on taking care of my own health through a combination of vitamins & nutrition (there’s nothing like a chicken soup for the soul), exercising, and relaxing.

And since this topic has been on my mind, this week I wanted to dive into the importance of taking care of your body. As business owners one of the best things we can do for ourselves, our businesses, our teams, and our clients is staying healthy and well for as many years as possible. And speaking of this, one of my clients, Dr. Darrel Collins, is hosting a special webinar “What Your Executive Physical May be Missing” on November 20th. If you are a founder or executive in the Atlanta area, make sure to register here.

Mind, Body, Soul

We’ve all heard about this trinity of mind, body, and soul. And you probably know the saying “a healthy mind in a healthy body” which obviously originates from Latin.

So, if we’ve known about the importance of body health since at least 2nd century AD, why are we still not making it a priority to take care of our bodies?

Don’t answer this. It’s a rhetorical question.

Why Most of Us Don’t Exercise

Well, let’s answer it, actually.

Life has changed a lot since the 2nd century. While in the past most people were involved in physical labor, nowadays most of us have sedentary lives which means that we need to be very intentional when it comes to movement and physical health.

And there are so many excuses we have, starting with time. Somehow we don’t have time for movement.

I actually had this excuse yesterday. It was the day of the webinar I was hosting and I had left a few things for the last minute. Then, I had a few meetings and by the time I was done with work, it was already 5 pm.

And it’s really easy to say how tired I am at 5 pm and just relax in front of the tv. Which interestingly introduces a paradox. I don’t have time to exercise but I have time to watch 3 or 4 episodes of “Lost in Space”?

After years of battling with exercising and trying to stay consistent with this, I now believe that there’s only one answer to the question of why most of us don’t exercise and it’s that we don’t have a strong enough reason. In other words, it’s not a priority.

Benefits of Exercise

Yet exercising has so many benefits. A strong body truly contributes to a strong mind (i.e. physical wellbeing helps with mental wellbeing). One example we all know about is the endorphins that get released with running. I personally experienced this last Friday. It was too cold to run outdoors and I almost skipped the run entirely. But I decided to go for a steady jog on the treadmill and after an easy 5K in 45 mins, I felt sooooooo good. I even told Jores to remind me of this feeling when I wonder whether to go running or not.

Study after study shows how beneficial exercise is for us physically, mentally, and even spiritually. Just to list some of the benefits here:

• Reduces chronic stress

• Improves sleep quality

• Increases bone density which is so important for us, women

• Lowers blood pressure and improves oxygen delivery in the body

• Triggers feel-good chemicals that lift your mood

• Lowers dementia risk

• Builds resilience and internal locus of control

• Helps you connect with the present moment

Now I feel like grabbing my weights and doing 645 Week 9 Day 1 (leg day, btw). But let me finish this article (and Jores is still doing his workout).

Leading by Example

I know what you are thinking about. You are really busy between the business, family, and other personal responsibility and you truly have no time to exercise and take care of your body.

Really?

I know this is a cliché but as Robin Sharma says in “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari”, saying you don’t have time to take care of your health and wellbeing because you are too busy is like saying you don’t have time to gas up because you are too busy driving.

Why Every Business Owner Should Exercise

I truly believe that as business owners we have the moral obligation to take care of our physical health. There are so many people who depend on us and look up to us.

Think about it. As a leader in your business, you are constantly in the limelight. Your employees are looking up to you for guidance and assurance. And when you show up in your best possible version, including in a healthy body, you set the example and give them permission to do the same.

One of the interesting things about us humans is that we “listen” with our eyes more. Or let me put it this way, we observe and learn from behavior, not based on what we are told we should do.

And this is especially true for kids. So, as a business owner who is also a parent, it becomes even more important for you to set the example.

Take care of yourself for them (your kids, your loved ones, your employees, your customers, your community).

My Current Exercise Routine

It will be hypocritical of me to talk about exercising and leading by example if I was not doing this myself.

A few weeks ago I mentioned how for the first time I’m getting the hang of this thing called consistency. So, if you are wondering how I take care of my body and health right now, here’s what I do in a nutshell.

I do my best to exercise 6 days a week since my work is very sedentary. I work from home and get out very rarely. I also live in a condo, so not that much natural movement.

These days I alternate between running and weight lifting. I do 5K runs every other day (read this as jog/walk or jogs or run/walk; my best so far is 34:04). The rest is the 645 program on BODi (highly recommende it, btw). It’s a really nice program with 4 days of weightlifting, 1 day of mobility, and 1 day of cardio. You are supposed to do these in a week but I stretch it to two weeks because I alternate it with the runs.

I also try to start my day with a 5-10 minute stretch/yoga. It’s one of the first things I do in the morning right after I drink a bit of water. Then, the main workout is usually before lunch.

Do I keep up with it every day? No. But I’ve become pretty consistent. This is a picture of what my workouts look like so far this month (the checkmarks are the days I exercised).

Food Matters More Than You Think

Now, one thing I found out for myself is that food matters a lot when it comes to physical health. Especially when you are trying to drop some pounds like me.

Jores and I cook at home most of the time and don’t buy too much junk food, so we are doing pretty well in this department. Though we do have one vice – red wine with dinner.

One thing that helps me is soups for lunch. And this season is really good for soups, so I’ve been very excited about it and the chance to finally get under 190 lbs.

Another thing is portions. I remember the first time I was here in Canada (fresh from Bulgaria). I was so surprised by the huge portions in the restaurants. I’d go for lunch with colleagues and take half of my meal for dinner that day.

Now? I can go to a restaurant, order appetizer and a main dish and finish it on my own while also enjoying a glass of wine.

So, yes, portions is very important.

Entering the Holiday Season

And it becomes even more important given the fact that we are entering the holiday season. Halloween, US Thanksgiving, and Christmas are just around the corner.

It can be really challenging to take care of your physical health, exercise, and eat well during this season. The weather is also getting colder here in Canada and in huge parts of US with less sunshine, so skipping the workout is even easier cause it’s too chilly to change into exercise clothes and too tempting to cuddle up and watch Harry Potter.

I get it.

I will cuddle up and watch Harry Potter. I will also enjoy good food and good wine. And so rest and relaxation. Because these are important parts of the season.

But I will also make sure I keep on exercising and being mindful and how much and what I eat.

Starting Small

You know, this is one of the reasons I love being a business owner and running my own business. Because I get to create my schedule around my priorities. And staying as healthy as possible is one of my priorities.

So, as we are entering this magical part of the year, I highly encourage you to pause and take time to take care of your body and physical health. Because they will help with the mental health as well (and we all need it around family 😉).

Health and wellbeing are huge parts of being a leader. Do your priorities and actions reflect this?

If not, what can you do to change this?

I know you know this, but start where you are. Start small. Keep it consistent.

And if you’d like more support, I want to invite you to the newly re-launched Visionary Founders Club where you can meet and chat with other business owners who might be as busy as you are and who are doing their best to stay strong and healthy. Because becoming a visionary leader includes taking care of your wellbeing – physical, mental, and spiritual.