Wanderlust: Expat Life & Style in Thailand June / July 2017: The Business Issue | Page 50
Though it's
tempting, avoid
masking fatigue
with caffeine
THE FREEDOM DILEMMA
& HOW TO CONQUER IT
While the advantages of business ownership can be
great, they often come at the expense of wellbeing. Here,
Ror Alexander gives advice for entrepreneurs who want to
run a start-up while remaining happy, fit and healthy.
N
ow more than ever, people are
opting out of the 9-to-5 rat
race to become their own
bosses. This means entering a differ-
ent kind of race that we could call the
start-up circuit: Run from meeting to
networking event and back home or
to a co-working space to hunch over
a laptop; repeat all week.
It’s no wonder, with brain batter-
ies too drained to even think about
healthy meals and exercise, that
budding business men and women
quickly slip into stress, anxiety, lethar-
gy, burnout and even depression.
The good news? You can bypass
a lot of these troubles just by paying
a little attention to your health. Let’s
take a look at the top five pain-points
you may encounter as you balance
50 WANDERLUST
building your empire with staying
physically and mentally well.
1
I’M TIME
POOR
Striving toward the perfect “beach
body” is never easy. And it is even less
realistic for busy business people.
This is why many entrepreneurs cut
out exercise all together: They see it
as a luxury they’ve had to sacrifice to
launch a company.
But exercise doesn’t have to be
all-or-nothing. There is a way in-be-
tween: If you view exercise as a
stress-busting activity — one that will
increase your productivity and cre-
ativity — you can switch to a fitness
plan requiring minimal effort, just
enough to reap the benefits.
Approximately 20 to 30 minutes of
high-intensity interval training three
days a week should suffice, but you
can always try to fit some movement
in the mornings, too. For example, take
a brisk walk outside before you start
your day to increase your heart rate,
soak in some vitamin D, and prepare
your body and mind for the day ahead.
In short, as your work-life changes,
so too should your workout routine.
LOW ON
2 I’M
ENERGY
Many modern entrepreneurs spend
the majority of their days seated at
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