Entrepreneurs Live Longer!

Friday, February 23, 2007 at 02:32pm by Brian Armstrong in Health

Is your corporate job keeping you overweight? When I started my first company back in 2001, I never thought that it would help me get in better shape. Many people are surprised to hear this but it really has had a profound effect on my life. It was one of those totally unexpected ‘bonuses’ that came as a result of quitting my job and becoming my own boss. How does quitting your job improve your health? Here are a few ways:

1. You Actually Get Enough Sleep

If you’re like most Americans, you don’t get enough sleep. Many factors contribute to this, such as the long hours many companies require, rush hour traffic requiring you to leave earlier and earlier, and all those great programs on late night television (just kidding!). In all seriousness though, sleep deprivation is a big problem. As a result, many employees ending up drinking many cups of coffee or drinking caffeinated soda every morning to try and stay awake. It usually doesn’t work and can take its toll on your body.

While caffeine can make it difficult to fall asleep, it sure doesn’t make it fun (or productive) to be awake. The National Commission on Sleep Disorders estimates that sleep deprivation costs U.S. companies $16 Billion each year. Terrible disasters such as the Chernobyl nuclear reactor meltdown and the Exxon Valdez oil spill were both linked to extremely sleep deprived workers.

When working for myself, do you think I feel guilty about taking a nap in the afternoon? Of course not! I’m my own boss and I know what’s best for own body. It’s been a long time since I worked for someone, but being in a constant state of sleep deprivation is one thing I certainly won’t miss.

2. Exercise

Most people who I see enter high stress jobs (such as investment banking, consulting, and those in the medical field) end up gaining quite a bit of weight in their first year. I’m always amazed when I see overweight paramedics driving around.

They of all people should know to be healthy! Employees gain weight partially because of stress, but it’s also because they can’t find time to exercise. I can remember coming home from a long day at the office back when I had a “real job”. After making it through rush hour and arriving home, I would make a beeline for the couch and collapse.

About the last thing in the world I wanted to do at that point was drag myself to the gym. I was just too exhausted. But now that I work for myself, I exercise four or five times a week! My favorite time to exercise is before lunch (10 or 11am) when I have lots of energy and an empty stomach. Since I’m my own boss I can schedule my workouts for whenever I’d like, and when you exercise in the morning the gym is less crowded. If you go to a yoga, cycling, or martial arts class, for example, you’ll get more one on one time with the instructor. Everyone else has to exercise in the evening (the busiest time) which creates psychological barrier to working out.

3. Eating Right

The final way that being self-employed improves your health is by making it easier to eat right. When I worked in the corporate world, we were always on the run. I’d rush out of the house each morning, being lucky to grab a burnt piece of toast as I was headed out the door. Inevitably, by lunch time I’d be starving and we’d run down to a local restaurant or the food court where the meal options weren’t quite ideal.

I was always famished by lunch, and would gorge myself, leading to a very sleepy afternoon. Finally, I’d make it home in the evening and often stop to grab some fast food. You see, I was using food to relieve stress (also known as self-medicating). After a tough day, it was far too easy to cheat and eat something unhealthy because it had been a hard day and “I deserved it”.

Fast forward to today where I no longer use food to make myself feel better. My days are more enjoyable and less stressful so I simply use food to get more energy and stay productive. I do this by eating small meals throughout the day. Many health professionals recommend this as the healthiest way to eat.

Eating small meals has the advantage that (1) you are never hungry and (2) you never get sleepy after eating. Whenever I’d eat a big lunch at work, my eyelids were feeling pretty heavy in the afternoon. Now I have high energy and higher productivity by snacking as I work during the day. Since I have time to go to the grocery store now and cook, I spend less money on food, eat healthier, and haven’t been to a fast food restaurant in more than a year!

Brian Armstrong is the author of Breaking Free: Fire Your Boss, Toss Your Alarm Clock, and Double Your Income With an Easy Transition Into Self-Employment.

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