Your Body Is Part of Your Business Plan

Healthy body, healthy business. When you’re building a beauty business, it’s easy to spend your days thinking about products, clients, content, social media, websites, sales and everything else that comes with being an entrepreneur.

But there’s another part of your business that deserves just as much attention.

You.

Not long ago, I was reminded of this in a very personal way.

I injured my knee while hula hooping. I wasn’t doing anything reckless. I was actually trying to stay active and take care of myself. But the movement aggravated a sciatic nerve issue that I had already been working through for about a year.

Then I learned that I was also beginning to deal with anemia.

Suddenly, my body was asking for a different kind of attention.

And that’s something I believe every beauty entrepreneur needs to understand:

You cannot separate the health of the entrepreneur from the health of the business.

Entrepreneurship Can Make You Forget About Yourself

When you’re responsible for your own business, there’s always something else you could be doing.

One more email.

One more product description.

One more social media post.

One more order to prepare.

One more video to record.

One more idea to research.

Before you realize it, you’ve been sitting at your computer for hours. You haven’t stretched. You haven’t had enough water. You haven’t eaten properly. And although you promised yourself you would get to bed earlier tonight, you’re still working long after you should have shut everything down.

Sound familiar?

I’ve certainly had to look at some of these habits myself.

I still maintain healthy eating habits. I generally eat one main meal a day and reach for fruit when my sweet tooth starts calling.

But sleep?

That’s still a work in progress.

I’m learning that taking care of yourself isn’t something you finally get around to after you’ve finished building your business.

It has to become part of how you build the business.

A Healthy Body, Warrants a Healthy Business, Listen When Your Body Whispers

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that our bodies communicate with us constantly.

Sometimes the message is fatigue.

Sometimes it’s stiffness after sitting too long.

Sometimes it’s discomfort that tells you you’ve overdone something.

Sometimes it’s simply realizing that your energy isn’t what it normally is.

The challenge for entrepreneurs is that we’re very good at saying:

“I’ll deal with it later.”

Later can easily become next week, next month or next year.

We learn to push through because we’re trying to meet a deadline, launch a product or generate income.

But your body doesn’t understand your marketing calendar.

It simply responds to what you’re asking it to do.

Pay attention to those early signals and, when something persists or changes, get appropriate medical guidance rather than trying to diagnose or push through it yourself.

Movement Doesn’t Have to Be Extreme

My knee injury happened while exercising, but that doesn’t mean the lesson is to stop moving.

The lesson is to learn what kind of movement your body needs right now.

There may be seasons when you can handle vigorous workouts. There may be other seasons when walking, gentle stretching, yoga or physical therapy exercises recommended by your healthcare professional are more appropriate.

Don’t compare today’s body with the body you had ten or twenty years ago—or even last year.

Work with the body you have today.

If you spend hours working at a desk, consider building small movement breaks into your workday. Stand up. Walk around the room. Stretch. Step outside for a few minutes.

Five or ten minutes away from the computer is not going to destroy your productivity.

It may actually improve it.

Food Is Fuel for the Entrepreneur

Healthy eating doesn’t have to become another complicated project.

Think about nourishment rather than perfection.

Your body needs adequate protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals and hydration to function properly. If you’ve been told you have a nutritional deficiency or anemia, work with your healthcare professional to understand what your particular body needs rather than assuming food or supplements alone will correct it.

Create simple habits that fit your lifestyle.

Keep fruit available instead of automatically reaching for sweets. Keep water nearby while you’re working. Plan meals before you’re exhausted and hungry. Choose foods that nourish you and that you actually enjoy eating.

And remember that “healthy” doesn’t necessarily mean eating less.

It means giving your body what it needs.

Sleep Is Business Maintenance

This is the area where I’m still talking to myself.

Going to bed at a reasonable hour sounds simple until you’re an entrepreneur with another idea running through your head at midnight.

But sleep isn’t wasted time.

It’s maintenance.

We wouldn’t expect our computers, phones or equipment to operate indefinitely without recharging them. Yet entrepreneurs sometimes expect exactly that from themselves.

Try establishing a time when the business closes for the evening.

Write tomorrow’s priorities down so your brain doesn’t have to keep rehearsing them.

Dim the lights.

Step away from the screen.

Create a simple nighttime ritual that signals:

Today’s work is finished.

The business will still be there tomorrow.

Build Wellness Into Your Business Schedule

Don’t leave your health to whatever time remains after work.

Put it on the schedule.  Make ” healthy body, healthy business” your mantra

Your daily wellness regimen might include:

• Drinking water throughout the day.
• Eating nourishing meals at regular times that meet your individual needs.
• Getting up from your desk periodically.
• Taking a short walk or doing gentle movement appropriate for your body.
• Resting when your body signals that it needs rest.
• Keeping medical appointments instead of postponing them because you’re busy.
• Creating a realistic stopping time for work.
• Developing a consistent bedtime routine.
• Giving yourself periods when you are not consuming business information.
• Making room for something you enjoy that has absolutely nothing to do with making money.

None of these things sound revolutionary.

That’s the point.

Healthy living is usually built from small things practiced consistently.

Your Business Needs a Healthy CEO

We talk a lot about business plans, marketing plans, content plans and financial plans.

Perhaps we also need a personal wellness plan.  After all, a healthy body can definitely contribute to a healthy business.

Ask yourself:

What habits will help me remain physically and mentally capable of running the business I’m trying so hard to build?

Because success isn’t simply about reaching a revenue goal.

It’s being well enough to enjoy what you’ve created.

My recent experiences with my knee, my sciatic nerve and the early signs of anemia have reminded me that ambition and self-care cannot live in separate worlds.

I’m still learning.

I’m still adjusting.

And yes, I’m still working on getting myself into bed at a decent hour.

But that’s part of the journey too.

As beauty professionals, we spend so much time helping other people feel better, look better and care for themselves.

We deserve to practice some of that same care in our own lives.

Build your business.

Create your products.

Serve your clients.

Write the book.

Record the podcast.

Launch the website.

Dream big.

But while you’re building everything else, remember to take care of the person doing the building.

Your body isn’t an interruption to your business plan.

Your body is part of the plan.

That’s it for this week,

Honor Your Craft.  Build Your Online Business.

Juliette

Beauty Business Blueprint

Where Beauty and Business Meet.