Three times Olympian and Founder of Roar Fitness, Sarah Lindsay shares essential fitness rituals for fitness.
The entrepreneurial journey is not an easy one as those of us who have walked down that path will know, so good health is essential to ensure you have energy, focus and overall wellbeing to cope with the demands of your work and running a business.
“As a 3x Olympian and former athlete, as well as an entrepreneur myself and owner of ROAR Fitness for the past 8 years, I’m very committed to my own health and wellness rituals to ensure I’m in the best place to show up for my business and my team every day,” says Lindsay.
Whilst I advise you to look at all on a personal basis for yourself and your individual needs, these are the things that have benefitted myself a great deal, which you may find useful too:
- Sleep is essential – Look at your sleep patterns. Are you getting enough sleep? Is it quality deep sleep? There is plenty written on this topic, especially for successful people, but it all depends on what works for you and your life, and it doesn’t mean you have to go to bed early and wake up at 5am. You just need to ideally sleep 8 hours, and no less than 6 hours, to allow your body to recover and function effectively, no matter what time of day. Related to this is screen time, as there is lots of research showing this prevents you from switching off and getting quality sleep. Turn off devices early to have time to wind down and to aid in getting the best possible sleep.
- You must manage your stress – The first thing you do in the morning will set the tone and your mental state for the rest of the day, so manage it well. For example, I don’t look at my phone for the first hour of the day as I don’t know what may be in my emails or likewise on social media. Avoid it and set the tone for your day yourself. This could be a run, a walk, meditation or enjoying “you time” with a coffee. Have a short period of time at the beginning of the day where you organise yourself and get in a great place to start the day.
- Always stay hydrated – This may sound basic and something you’ve heard many times, but being hydrated is so important for so many health reasons and overall cognitive function. Ensure you’re drinking plenty of water or fluids throughout the day.
- Have healthy fats in your diet – Fueling your body with nutritious foods is vital for maintaining energy levels and cognitive function. When it comes to all important cognitive function, you need to get your nutrition right and low fat isn’t the answer – remember all fats are not bad.
- Take your vitamins and supplements – Once again, this will be a personal approach for you and your health needs, but everyone should have their own vitamin and supplement protocol to support their health and wellness. The reality is today you cannot get all you need from your food, so you will need some extras adding in.
- Have a health routine and stick to it – This will look different for different people, but having a routine for health and fitness is very important. Get a routine. Be consistent. Even if it comes to sleep or hydration, whatever is important to you needs to be a routine so you can benefit from the effects of it.
- Set Boundaries – Related is the importance of establishing boundaries between your work and personal life to maintain balance and prevent burnout. Set specific work hours and prioritize time for relaxation, hobbies, and spending time with loved ones as part of your schedule and routine.
- Enjoy the journey – One of the best bits of advice I ever received came from someone I hugely respect who told me to enjoy each day and the journey as he didn’t, and he wishes he did as he never realised the importance of it until later. 15-20 years of building or scaling a business is a long time if you’re not enjoying it or finding time for you along the way. Start by even finding the small positives and wins along the way and focus on those and not just the negatives and the stress.
- Ensure you have regular downtime and breaks – I’ve found when you’re deep in the day to day, it’s hard to look at the bigger picture for your business. When I take time off or go on holiday, I always get more creative, have new ideas for my business and look at things from a different perspective which benefits my business so much.
- Make your health and fitness non-negotiable – I prioritise my morning routine with my own rituals including getting my 10,000 steps in, enjoying some coffee “me” time and only allowing what I want into my head during that time. Be strict on this with yourself and ensure this is something that works for you. It is not selfish – it’s ensuring you look after you, so you can show up and look after others in your life.
