Start your Business Fit and Healthy

When I say, start your business fit and healthy, I don’t mean you to be an Olympic athlete.

But being a couch potato will not cut it either. Remember, over 90% of startups fail..

You will not be one of them.

If you are going to give yourself the best possible chance of building your business idea into a sustainably profitable business, it is going to take hard, smart work.

To do this, you need to take all the elements I have discussed on this website to make it happen.

Have a morning schedule

Make damn sure you are working with your natural ability. Get yourself a mentor right from the start. Build a plan of action before you turn a sod. Make sure your head is in the right space. Have a morning schedule. Have plans B and C. Research outsourcing. Have your systems and processes organized. Have a written guide to how your decision-making is going to operate. Always be conscious of your self-discipline and how to focus on the right thing at the right time.

Now I am going to give you an element most startups give no thought to at all, by encouraging you to start your business fit and healthy

Start your business fit and healthy

This does not mean you have to be a fitness fanatic. No, not at all. I want you to make this part of your daily schedule right now. First up. Before you do anything I want you to start a simple fitness plan.

I want you to get up maybe an hour earlier than normal and go for a walk. You can do this. Not a jog or a marathon. A simple walk around the block in the beginning. After a time, I want you to stretch it out further so that each morning when the weather permits; you walk at least 2 miles.

Here's an ebook I read some time ago that resonated with me. It might put things into perspective.

My morning walk in Italy 2006

It might take months before you achieve this depending on what your fitness level is when you start. The other thing is this is not a race. Be the turtle. Take it one day at a time. You will get there.

Straight up, I will make you a guarantee. You will be much better when you complete this every morning or at least 3-4 times a week than you did at the beginning. Trust me.

This simple action is life-changing.

Increase your memory

Research this and you will find it is good for your respiratory system. It is great for your pulmonary system. Good for your bone density, flexibility and the biggy. It is scientifically proven it increases your brain's hippocampus and memory.

These are just some of the benefits a good walk will do for you. What about problem-solving? Try taking the problem on a 2-mile walk and see how many times you come back with a solution. Amazing. How do I know this? Because this little gem was given to me by my very wise mentor so many years ago. I simply paying it forward folks.

The passeggiatta

Often on a nice day, my mentor and I would take a 2-mile walking business meeting. Try this. Works gangbusters. And oh so pleasant on a brilliant spring morning.

The evening passeggiatta in Italy.

Remember, if you have read my about me page I lived in Italy for two years. The Italians in most villages do this daily. They call it the passeggiatta. Each afternoon, you would see them congregating in the square or the street waiting for neighbours and then off they would go ambling never hurried. Some would walk in silence, some making small talk. It is almost a ritual. But it works for them and it will work for you. The thing is, I was never sure if the Italians knew exactly what they were doing or the benefits they were getting. To them, it was a way of life.

You feel and look much younger

If you make it a way of life, it will bring so many benefits to your personal life and your business life I guarantee.

As a side issue, you will look and feel much younger than you are. If the big pharmaceuticals could bottle this they would :)

This costs nothing

The other thing is it costs nothing. Zip, has no gym subscription fees. Totally free. I’m not saying give up the gym if it is your thing. No way. What I want you to do is add this to your life.

I made this part of my morning schedule many many years ago. It was the best thing I ever did, all things considered.

Make the time

I remember I started with a little trepidation, not because I was averse to exercise in particular walking. No, my issue was the time I needed to take out of my otherwise busy day to take a 45-minute passeggiatta.

A cold morning walk on the way to achieving 2 miles. Go you good thing.

With discipline, I made a vowel to walk on as many days (weather permitting) as possible. The ideal is to walk every day, but we all know that is not possible. If you can walk 3 - 4 times a week, you will get the benefits I have discussed. Eh, don’t take my word for it. Do your research and work it out for yourself.

Start taking a morning walk

I urge you to take this on board and before you get into the planning and setup of your business, give yourself the best opportunity for success. Start taking a morning walk. This is vitally important.

Your fitness will improve remarkably and you will feel ready to take on the day. Ready to start your business fit and healthy.

A game changer

My experience with this goes back and I can truly say it was a game changer. You will not see the benefits instantly. Therefore, I say give this the discipline it deserves and slowly it will happen. The change in you happens slowly, but it happens. You will look and feel vibrant. People will comment for sure.

The warm-up

Doing a warm-up before you start your walk is a good idea.

If you have a Fitbit or a smartwatch, use this to track your steps.

There is nothing like a sense of achievement when you have conquered the walk and clocked up 15000 steps. What I like to do before I start is to have a five-minute warm-up. I stretch my hamstrings calves and back. It’s a little thing, but it helps. If you do this religiously, it will ward off muscle strain, especially when you are not used to walking far. We are a sedentary society and need to consciously attempt to get more movement into our life. This is a simple way to fix this issue.

Do this one thing

How has this got to do with starting your business? It has everything to do with getting your business off and running with the correct mindset and body-ready shape to take on the stress of running a business. If you do this one thing, you will have increased your percentage of creating a successful business using your natural ability and business idea.

Tips: When you are walking it has been my experience to pick out a quality podcast. Put your earphones in and listen as you walk. I have been doing this over the years and it is amazing how many times I am nearly home before I realize I have walked 2 miles. If I would recommend one, it would be this one.

Happy mind, happy life, with Dr. Rangan Chatterjee

Another tip is to when you finish your walk do a 5 minute warm down. Nothing strenuous, the same stretches as the warm-up. I throw in a touch-the-toes exercise. A little thing, but it is the little things that make the difference.

Remember, you have to be specific to be terrific.

Summary

Take the time to get your day off to a fantastic start by walking 2 miles in the morning at least 3-4 times a week.

It takes discipline. Give yourself the best opportunity to create a successful business by adapting this simple exercise into your life. If you start your business fit and healthy you will be better prepared both physically and mentally to take on the rigours to start your business. Please read the mindset page and if you would like to subscribe to my newsletter you will find more interesting information and an opportunity to ask your specific questions.

Experience isn't the best teacher, experience is the only teacher.