As a busy entrepreneur, you need to find precious moments to stay healthy, so you may give your business the most to achieve those Big Business dreams. A few simple tips can make this easier than ever before, especially if you tend to spend a fair amount of your work day behind your desk.

If you are an entrepreneur or a busy business owner, you likely carry the weight of your business, team members and many other day-to-day worries on your shoulders. Further, if your work requires you to spend considerable amount of time on your desk, such issues seem aggravated, as one doesn't get a chance to move around or release the stress.

Intensive work routines, especially where considerable portion of time is spent behind the desk, not only increase incidence of obesity and overweight, but also lead to joint pains and postural pains. This may be due to deconditioning of the muscles of the body, and bad postural habits. So one way or the other, a desk job may be affecting your health and fitness levels to a great extent. Eventually, all of us working behind the desks over long hours will suffer from the Chair Disease, probably within a decade!

We have put together a few simple tips for busy entrepreneurs, who feel the need to stay healthy and fit, yet find it hard to do so, given the compulsions of their businesses.  

Exercising to stay fit - exercise need not be demanding on your time, after all!

• Take micro breaks between work. Get out of your chair every 30 minutes or so. You may start by keeping the bin at a distance from your desk, so you are required to take those extra steps.
  
• Park your car at the furthest spot away from the foyer or elevators.
  
• Take your calls while walking around the office or even within your cabin.
  
• Keep an exercise ball handy in your office. If you run your own business, you will likely have the flexibility to sit on the exercise ball rather than a regular work chair for some part of the day. This helps improve your core strength. Do consult your physiotherapist in case you have a history of back pain.
  
• Keep a stress ball or smiley ball on your desk. Squeezing and releasing it will improve blood flow to the hand and will help rejuvenate tired hands during and after a stressful day. 
  

Breathing right - a simple yet sure way to drive away work stress

 
A couple of minutes of breathing exercises will help you remove toxins and unwanted stress and anxiety that exaggerate your wrong postural habits. Destressing prevents unwanted muscle spasms or tight bands at various parts of your body, specially neck, upper and lower back.

• Practice Bhastika, a form of breathing, which has been found to relieve stress
  
• Breathing pattern involves exhaling out forcefully from the nose, keeping your mouth closed
  
• One cycle includes a minute of slow breathing (30 reps/min) and three minutes of fast breathing (60 reps/min)
  
• At the end of one cycle, take a deep breath while opening up your chest, shrug your shoulders, look up towards the ceiling, keeping your eyes closed feel the energy travel up your body, filling your head with oxygen and white light. Hold for 10 seconds, bring the head back to neutral and exhale slowly
  
• Repeat the entire set three times.
  
  

Eating right - simple nutritional tips for the busy entrepreneur

• Never skip breakfast. While sleeping your metabolism slows down, and eating a few hours shortly will help boost your metabolism.
  
• Avoid caffeine and sugar. Munch carrots or apples rather than cookies.
  
• Drink lots of water. Studies have shown that drinking 8-10 glasses of water keeps you alert and also helps with weight loss.
  
• Hydrate your body with herbal teas instead of coffee. Add a little honey or cinnamon for that extra zing.
  
• Flavoured water is another interesting option. And that doesn’t include soft drinks.

For the hungry soul:

• Make that yogurt more delicious by adding a granola bar and fruit to it! It can be a complete meal by itself.
  
• Quinoa salad is another healthy option.
                                                               
• Munch on fruits, roasted nuts and seeds like flaxseed, sunflower seeds, instead of biscuits. These will keep you more alert through the day.

Maintain a log book of your simple daily check list of what you need to carry, eat and do. This will help you adopt a healthy lifestyle. After all a great person has said, “It is health that is real wealth, and not pieces of gold and silver”.

It's time to reclaim your life and take your health to the next level of wellness! If you have any questions or wish to seek advice, link with Vandana Sethi on GlobalLinker.