Written by: Sarah Alysse Rosner, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
There are so many challenges entrepreneurs face, from managing finances to developing systems, but one area often overlooked is health. Nourishing our body and movement and getting ample rest is essential for our businesses to be successful. If we began to choose healthier habits to implement into our business practices, there would be an uptick in sales and overall happiness. In this article, I’m going to make suggestions, but you should make decisions that feel right for your current lifestyle.
Regarding nourishment, we need to start focusing more on consuming protein, good fats, and a variety of carbohydrates. If we are to analyze what the average human consumes, we will discover that bread, grains, and processed foods are what makeup half of our daily nutrition. As a health and fitness consultant, I have my clients start a food and gut journal to see what they are currently consuming daily. Once they have identified food triggers, they choose what they want to let go of and how they can add new food to their nutritional plan.
Some ideas on where to start your own journey:
Meat: Find good sources of protein by looking for labels like organic, grass-fed, cage-free, hormone-free, and organic. Be careful of companies that say they are those labels but actually treat their animals cruelly.
Fats: Processed foods always taste good in the moment but cause havoc to our stomachs. One recommendation, take a look at the first 5 ingredients, research them, then make the decision if they are good for your body. If you can make a switch, try healthy fats like avocados, nuts, chia seeds in moderation, certain types of fish, extra virgin olive oil, full-fat yogurt (Fage is my favorite), dark chocolate, and olive
Carbohydrates: When clients make the decision to reduce their grains, they usually add in more fibrous vegetables and fruits. This can be challenging because many of us are used to grains giving our body a quick energy boost, but in reality, we crash faster. Check out the clean 15 to see what you can into your nutrition plan today.
Movement is extremely beneficial for one’s physical and mental health. Since the pandemic, there’s been a decrease in movement but let’s talk about how we can improve your practice daily. Start walking every morning. You may be saying I don’t have time to walk, only scheduled in a workout session. If that’s true, you are stopping your soul from thriving that day. Those walks are a way to tap into your physical and mental state. During that time, you have the power to shift or enhance your mindset.
Challenge yourself to do the following on those walks:
Take deep breaths
Express gratitude
Listen to music or an inspirational podcast
If you suffer currently or have experienced insomnia, then this next section will really be helpful for you. As a business owner, you may find yourself even more attached to the computer than your average employee. The reason for this is that you want to make your business as successful and impactful as possible. What if I told you that your product would sell faster if you made more time for yourself and sleep? Don’t believe me, try answering these questions and doing these exercises to see if your sleep habits improve over the next couple of months.
In the area of sleep, I want you to ask the following questions:
When do you eat dinner?
What time are you going to bed?
How do you feel right before you go to sleep?
Are you sleeping through the night?
Once you have asked yourself all those questions, start taking action in the troubling area. An example would be I go to bed way late because I’m energized about what is happening in the morning. When you dig deeper, you find out it’s because you are working until 7 pm at night, so work is staying on your brain. Maybe trying to shut down the computer at 6 pm will be a great way to start your evenings.
Here are some exercises to try if you can’t fall asleep:
Make a weekly sleeping schedule
Silence phone after 7 pm
4-7-8 Breathing technique
Physical items to help you go to sleep:
Cold compress on your forehead
Wear a sleep mask
Read a book
As you make these three areas a priority, I hope that you blossom not only in your business but also in life!
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Sarah Alysse Rosner, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Sarah Alysse is a corporate stress management coach that helps companies cultivate a low stress environment so that their employees can be happier and more productive. She’s the creator and CEO of Live Well Enhance You which formed out of a need for her Pilates clients to find balance in their lives. She branched into the corporate market to assist employees in creating out of the box wellness solutions. She utilizes her BFA Musical Theater Performance background to coach others how to be confident and understand the connection between the brain and body. Spanning over a decade, Sarah has collected an abundance of certifications from Integrative Institute of Nutrition, STOTT Pilates, to National Academy of Sports Medicine. She’s been featured on WGN's Living Healthy and WGN Around Town’s segment as a Stress Management Expert. Also, she has been promoted on Business Insider, Yahoo Finance, Authority, Kivo Daily, LA Wire, The Chicago Journal, NY Wire, NY Weekly, IdeaMensch, and US Reporter. In addition, she’s the host of the Stress Free SOULutions podcast.
