4 Steps for Sticking to an Exercise Routine Which Can Boost Your Business to the Next Level!

Entrepreneurs and small business owners have one of the most time and energy consuming jobs a person can have. They throw themselves into their business, giving it their all and focusing entirely on its growth. This means that they can start to let their health slide when things start to get hectic around the office.

Ask a doctor what the #1 thing is that you could do to improve your health and they will probably respond, “exercise”. The problem is that many small business owners and entrepreneurs just don’t feel like they have the time. The thing about an exercise routine is that it doesn’t just help keep you fit, it also maintains energy levels, decreases stress, and increases general well being. For overworked entrepreneurs, these health benefits can give them the extra boost they need to push their business to the next level. This is why everyone should be at the gym, or whatever your exercise method of choice, to burn a few calories and get their body into tip top shape as often as possible, maybe even every day. The last thing you want is to spend all those years building up your business only to realize that your health is falling apart once you finally become successful! Believe me, I know – it happened to me! Luckily, I was able to get myself back on track and my productivity skyrocketed!

#1: Choose Activities that You Love

One of the best ways to stick to an exercise routine is to choose a method of exercise that you love.

Personally, I love hot yoga. It keeps me fit and helpfully de-stresses me. It is something that I genuinely look forward to. It had a huge impact on my life when I started to regularly go a couple of years ago. If I ever stopped going, I would miss it terribly. Not only that, but I would also feel my stress levels rise and my insomnia kick in! This makes it far easier for me to stick to my routine!

Do you already have a method of exercise that you love? If not, go online and find some of the most popular ways and give them a try. Yoga can be a relaxing and challenging way to keep fit. There is always the traditional method of hitting the gym to lift some weights or the treadmill. You could give jogging a try. Worst case scenario, try having a brisk walk every night, as it can be a great way end the day. Just a short workout a day can help you de-stress and allow you to put your focus back on your business.

#2: Set Goals

One of the reasons why many people can’t seem to stick to an exercise routine is because they don’t set any concrete goals. As an entrepreneur, you probably do everything with an eye on the results, you set your goals and pursue them tirelessly. If you aren’t aiming towards a specific goal, such as losing 15 lbs or building some muscle, then going to the gym can feel like a waste of time.

Spending a few minutes every morning meditating on your goals for the day, including exercise goals, can really bring your workday into focus. Take this time to set your intentions for the day, including making some time to take care of yourself physically.

Just like how a Virtual Assistant can be incredibly useful at helping you keep on track, a personal trainer can be a very useful tool for setting and keeping your fitness goals. It might be worth the investment to go online and find a professional trainer to help you develop your exercise routine.

#3: Free Up Some Time

One of the major reasons why busy small business owners like us have trouble enjoying exercise and fitness is because there is just too much to do! The entire time that you are working out, you could be thinking about all of the little tasks that need to be done when you get back to the office. Writing social media, sorting through emails, returning calls – these small recurring tasks can eat up our day and distract us from more important work, such as taking care of ourselves.

A Virtual Assistant can be an invaluable tool in freeing up hours of your week, by hiring them to do the tasks that you don’t personally need to do. For example, if you need a blog post written, that could take upwards of two hours of your day. A Virtual Assistant can have that blog post on your desktop to review while you spend that same time doing a yoga class.

#4: Schedule It

For a busy entrepreneur or small business owner to fit an exercise routine into your day, they need to treat it like they would any other important part of their workday and schedule it at a regular time on a weekly basis. If you are waiting until you complete your work to head to get the gym, you will never get there. There is always something else to do, some task that will get in the way. In order to get your fitness in, you need to treat it like every other scheduled task in your work day. Personally, I schedule my workouts on my calendar and for early morning before I get to work, but everyone is different.

Of course, it isn’t just the gym or other kinds of workouts that need to be scheduled. Doctor appointments are something that are easy to let side when you are in the middle of a busy season. You might think, “Eh, I feel fine. Delaying for a month or two won’t hurt.” The only problem is that month or two might eventually turn into three or four. And then, suddenly, you might discover that you haven’t seen your doctor in a year. Checkups are a necessary component of monitoring your health, so you should always carve out some time to have one when necessary.

Using a project management system can be tremendously helpful in scheduling your day/week/month to make sure you will get everything fit in that you need to. A Virtual Assistant can help you with project management, setting you up with a program like TeamWork that will allow you to create entries for every necessary event, appointment, meeting, or task that needs to be done.

Dealing with stress is just par for the course for a small business owner and entrepreneur. Exercise can be one of the best pressure valves to help release that pent-up stress. All you need to do is find your favorite kind of exercise, set some fitness goals, free up some time, and then schedule it. Although I can’t help you with the first two, I can certainly give you a hand with others! Contact me today and we can talk about how a Virtual Assistant can help you free up your time, allowing you to get out and stay out there – healthy!