Entrepreneurs are used toworking long hours and occasionally ignoring their health, all for the sake ofmaking their small business a success. With the holiday season quicklyapproaching and leftover Halloween candy, Thanksgiving pies and Christmasgoodies all racing through our heads, now is the time to establish healthyholiday habits that will make your New Year’s resolutions last well beyond thefirst slice of pumpkin pie.
Chances are excellent thatas a business owner you spend a lot of time on your feet, checking on supplies,employees and everything else. It might be a good idea to purchase a pedometer,an inexpensive device that attaches to your belt or pocket to record the totalnumber of steps you take daily. Walking is great exercise. Strive for 10,000steps each day and increase your number by taking a longer route to thephotocopier or the bathroom. Walk during the rare occasions when you take a coffeebreak. Go talk to a colleague or employee instead of sending an e-mail. Takethe stairs instead of the elevator. Remember: You burn four calories for every10 stairs you climb.
As a business owner, it’s upto you to create a fitness-friendly atmosphere at the office. The benefits suchas offering fitness-club discounts or other health-focused initiatives willoutweigh the cons, especially in the long run, with lower health-insuranceclaims for employees.
You might even encourageyour employees to establish a weight loss goal. Offer incentives, such as a dayoff or an extended lunch period. A long-term fitness goal will motivateeveryone to continue to exercise; it will also promote a unity and teamwork.
Healthy potlucks
The holiday season is notoriousfor endless food binges and potlucks. Instead of dumping high-calorie andfattening holiday leftovers, such as cakes, pies, candy and cookies, onunsuspecting coworkers and employees, consider healthy alternatives. Freshfruits, vegetables, dip or high-fibersnacks are palpable replacements. A serving of fruit averages only 60 caloriesand contains little or no fat. A single serving of sweets may contain up to 350calories and 25 grams of fat.
Water, water everywhere
Above-average water intakekeeps your metabolism stable and wards off intense hunger cravings. In manycases, people mistake thirst for hunger and often end up binging to quenchtheir thirst. As a business owner, encourage your employees to drink healthy bykeeping the employee fridge stocked with an endless supply of bottled water andjuice.
Finally, the key to stayinghealthy is, of course, eating healthy and exercise; we hear it all the time.However, as a small-business owner, you should continue to promote a healthylifestyle to your employees. During this time of the year, it might be a goodidea to have a nutritionist visit the office and give a pep talk to workersabout how to eat healthy and still enjoy the holidays. Establish a goal andwork as a team to achieve it—whether it is to lose 10 pounds or to exercisemore—and support your employees in developing and maintaining a healthylifestyle.
Just because it’s winterdoesn’t mean that we have accept lethargy and food excesses without question.Perhaps, instead of entering New Year’s Day with the standard resolutions aboutlosing weight, quitting smoking and starting to exercise, you might alreadyhave achieved them.
– Courtesy of the NationalFederation of Independent Businesses. For more information on this topic, visitwww.nfib.com.
