by While working in a self-driven industry can seem a bit overwhelming at first, you can take charge by improving your habits to have a greater impact on your clients as well as improve your business. Here are the top six things health and exercise professionals like you can do daily to improve your business:
1. Exercise or move intentionally every day
Just because you train people every day doesn’t mean you get to neglect your own fitness, no matter how successful your business is at any time. Moving your body daily will help you manage stress and enhance your own health so you’re able to focus on your work. Look at your schedule each week and pre-plan when you will work out each day. Go a step further and schedule your own workouts in your calendar so no appointments can be made at those times. Remember, your workouts don’t always have to be complex and take hours each day. Something as simple as a brisk walk can help reduce your stress and improve your energy level.
2. Consistently eat and hydrate well
You should take care of yourself as much as you want your clients to take care of themselves. This includes eating a diet rich in whole foods and maintaining optimal hydration. Not only does this help you enhance your own health, it can help you maintain a steady energy level throughout the day. This, in turn, helps your clients benefit from your abundant energy (which can make their workouts even better and increase retention).
If meal preparation and planning feels too time-consuming, keep it simple during your work days by having two or three options of each of the following readily available: vegetables, proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Mix and match between your two or three options for each and rotate through them to keep your meals interesting. Make cooking a breeze by making sheet-pan meals in which you cook everything on one pan (for example, baked chicken, roasted vegetables and sweet potatoes topped with avocado oil). Add seasonings and sauces to enhance flavor and prevent palate fatigue. Consistency is key, so aim to eat well and stay hydrated as often as possible.
3. Get adequate sleep by creating—and following—a bedtime routine
As a health and exercise professional, you may work long hours, which makes sleep and recovery time even more important. It’s worth making an effort to get adequate sleep each night to help you stay as healthy and energetic as possible.
Begin by making your bedtime and wake-up time consistent to form a sleep pattern. Make every effort to have a bedtime routine that helps you wind-down after a full day, which can include things like taking a hot shower, practicing deep breathing, meditating, writing in a journal or reading. Try to avoid electronics and anything emitting blue light for at least 30 to 60 minutes before bed.
4. Check-in with your clients regularly
Even if you have scheduled check-ins with your clients at set intervals, it is still important to touch base with them between check-ins. Every working day, select a handful of clients to send a thoughtful message to ask how they are doing or feeling. It can be something as simple as saying, “What did you think of yesterday’s workout?” or “I thought of you when I saw this recipe. Have you tried preparing your vegetables like this before?” Keep the check in thoughtful and ask open-ended questions to get them engaged.
5. Make a daily list of your three most important tasks
If you have a to-do list full of tasks, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, which can lead to distraction, causing you to not get a single thing done on your to-do list. Instead, list just three of your most important tasks each day. This helps you prioritize the things you need to complete each day while avoiding the feeling of overwhelm. If you complete more tasks beyond the three you listed, consider that a bonus (but it is not necessary).
6. Work on your business, not only in it
Have you ever found yourself feeling so overwhelmed with client work that you hardly have enough time to create content or material for your clients? Unfortunately, if you’re not able to work on your business, it will be difficult to continue to grow it. Remedy this problem by setting aside 15-30 minutes (or more) each day to work on your business. This can include writing email templates, creating social media content, filming videos or anything else you think might benefit your clients. Make time working on your business a nonnegotiable to continue to grow your business.
Try some of these tips out today and see how much more focused you feel. Take care of yourself first and you will see how much of an impact that has on your business and the overall success of your clients as well.
