Tag: Internet

Internet Entrepreneurs Can Enjoy Healthy Lifestyles

A Daily Routine That Blends Work With Health

by Michael D. Hume, M.S.

I used to travel a lot for work, and spent a lot of nights in hotels in far-away places. The work days were long – twelve to sixteen hours – and the stress was high. In order to maintain some kind of vitality on the road, I had to stick like glue to some daily disciplines I called the NEWSS: nutrition, exercise, water, sleep, and supplements. And it was very difficult.

My daily routine began late the previous night, when I laid out my supplements for the next day. I tried to get to sleep as early as possible, though it was often not possible before about 11 p.m. I was out of bed every morning at 4:30 (so I rarely got the eight hours of sleep I really needed), and into the hotel gym by five. I had a maximum of 45 minutes to work out, then hit the showers, grab as healthy a breakfast as I could, and get to the first morning meeting by seven. I carried water with me at all times, and faithfully counted my intake to ensure I got two liters a day. I took supplements at regular intervals, including a good one for energy late in the day (around the time the “evening shift” began). I had work and social duties every evening, and it was difficult to limit my alcohol intake, but I stuck to red wine and tried to drink a glass of water with each glass of wine. Meal selections were out of my control, and it was rare to be able to limit myself to low-carb, healthy choices – after all, the programs I was running were very special events for the other participants, so meals were celebrations.

I kept careful track of all this in a journal, and rated myself at the end of each week in terms of what percentage of my goal I was able to achieve on each NEWSS category. Sleep was the toughest category with that job – I rarely scored above 70%. Otherwise, difficult as it was, I made sure I was hitting at least 80% on my health goals each week. That, plus the progress I was able to make during periods of the year when I wasn’t traveling for work (including regular chiropractic visits and semi-annual detox cleanses) made it possible to hang in with that job for over a decade of high-level performance.

This year, I started an internet business and have been making a transition to a different routine. Several of my friends and colleagues have asked me how I spend my days now, so I thought I would share a description of my daily routine – at least what it’s like these days. I expect to continue to learn, grow, and improve both my self and my routine, but here’s a current snapshot.

First, a couple of key differences between my new job and my old one: I still travel, but only when and where I want to, and so far this year to places where I own a home. I can take my business anywhere. Also, my working hours do vary a bit, but the longest day on my laptop has never approached the sort of days I routinely turned in before. And I get to see a lot more of my wife!

These days, I roll out of bed around seven or eight a.m., and I’m blessed to say the sun is now my alarm. I dress for exercise, get the day’s supplements together, then do my stretches while listening in on a daily conference call at 8:30 (I belong to a great community of online entrepreneurs whose help has been invaluable). Meanwhile, Friend Wife has been readying herself and commuting to her traditional job, so I usually say a quick wireless hello to her as she’s arriving at her office… then it’s off to my morning workout. I make sure I’ve consumed nothing but water and supplements, since studies show your workout is up to three times more effective if you do it before you’ve started your dietary intake for the day (jump-starts your metabolism).

After my morning workout, I down a great protein shake with my breakfast supplements, then it’s straight into cyberspace. I have my home office set up in a part of the house that’s not real convenient to the kitchen (in all my homes), so it’s easy to avoid the temptation of break-time fridge grazing. Instead, I keep some healthy snacks in a little fridge in the office, and I limit what’s allowed to go into that fridge. I do try to keep some healthy fuel in my tank throughout the day, eating small meals or snacks at least every three hours.

My first “shift” usually goes about four hours, from about 10:30 to about 2:30. I try to avoid making or returning phone calls during that period, just to stay focused. The same goes for email – if I’m working on a project that requires focus, I put off going to my email until that project’s wrapped up. It’s amazing – I always have a nice list of chores I need to accomplish each day, but most days it’s easy to knock them out in four hours, and the time flies by.

To maintain my focus and discipline, I have a set lunch time every day. It happens to be 3 p.m., which coincides with a favorite news program. I typically set an alarm for 2:30, so that I can wrap up my work and grab a healthy lunch to enjoy while I’m watching TV.

I usually run errands and return phone calls, or do whatever household chores I need to do, roughly 4-6 p.m. I have my evenings mostly free these days, and some evenings the wife and I have an activity planned – otherwise, around six, I often go for a second workout. The evening workout is usually lighter than my morning exercise, and I try to make sure I’ve let my lunch settle for at least two hours before working up my heart rate. After a shower, it’s time for my spiritual workout: I grab a cup of decaf or a glass of wine and watch the sunset. That hour-or-so is time I spend just visiting with The Almighty, admiring the miracle of a beautiful western sunset and trying to dismiss all thoughts of work or care. I am picky about humans I share that time with – it’s usually limited to my wife.

Honestly, we tend to eat out many evenings. But the choices are always in my control, so I can always get a healthy dinner (or make a deliberate choice to cheat, which we all do from time to time). If my wife’s out of town, I nibble a light dinner during sunset.

I often jump back on the computer after the sunset, but I’m finding it’s more out of joy for what I do than necessity. If I miss that late shift, I certainly don’t feel guilty. But that’s also time to catch up with friends and family on some favorite social networking sites. If my wife and I are in the same location, I’d rather spend that time with her. Occasionally, I’ll do some more serious work in the evening, such as stretching and improving my business.

Certain things interrupt this routine – for instance, occasionally I need to visit the doctor for a routine check-up or adjustment, and sometimes I just need to go out and play golf with my son. Today, in fact, I’m off in a few minutes to have wisdom teeth removed! But it’s always easy to get back into the routine the next day.

I have to say, I’m loving life these days, and my new routine is part of that. It’s a blessing to be in business for myself. In addition to the freedom to live a truly healthy lifestyle, I love the satisfaction of knowing I’ll reap the rewards for my hard work and talent, I’ll have no one but myself to blame if things go wrong, and no one can lay me off. In fact, no one can limit my potential but me.

This is great for my health… physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.