5 Health Habits These Successful Entrepreneurs Swear By If Seth Godin drinks a healthy smoothie and Mark Cuban exercises an hour every day, you can, too.
By Anna Johansson Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
In your desire to find monetary or entrepreneurial success, it's easy to lose focus on your personal health. You'll have less time and different priorities than you did in your life before business, so scheduling a space for healthy habits can be intimidating.
Related: Do Wellness Programs Make Employees More Productive? The Obvious Answer Is Yes.
However, if you want a better chance at long-term success, it's in your best interest to make your personal health a top commitment. Staying healthy can help you stay disciplined, improve your productivity and of course, keep you alive longer -- facts most successful entrepreneurs realize.
Take a look at the health habits of these five successful entrepreneurs as examples -- and potential inspiration to create your own new health routine:
1. Jack Dorsey meditates for 30 minutes a day.
Jack Dorsey, the CEO of both Twitter and Square, provided insight into his daily routine in a Product Hunt AMA, detailing that he meditates for 30 minutes a day, following his wake-up time, around 5 a.m. Mindfulness meditation is more for your mental and emotional health than for your physical health, but it's a beneficial addition to your routine. Mindfulness helps to clear your head so you can focus more efficiently throughout the day. It reduces stress and anxiety, as well.
2. Avram Miller sticks to a consistent sleep schedule.
Avram Miller, former corporate VP of business development at Intel, and current board vice chairman of Sommetrics, swears by the value of sleep. As he told Inc., "I used to think that sleep was a waste of time. Now I believe that it is one of the three pillars of health, the other two being exercise and diet. I also believe it's important to have a regular schedule. I pretty much eat at the same time, go to sleep at the same time and sleep the same amount every day." Missing out on sleep can make you irritable, less productive and more susceptible to various illnesses. And as mattress company Layla Sleep has posted on its site, loss of sleep deprivation can even intensify physical pain.
Related: Improving Company Culture Starts With Wellness
3. Seth Godin drinks a healthy smoothie every day.
Best-selling author and blogger Seth Godin revealed to author Tim Ferriss that he has the same thing for breakfast every day: a smoothie made from frozen bananas, hemp powder, almond milk, dried plums, and walnuts. You don't have to eat the same thing for breakfast every morning, but it pays to have a routine; Eating a complete breakfast loads you up with the energy and nutrients you need to think clearly and work harder throughout the day. Eating healthier is also a habit we can all get behind, since nutrition and productivity are closely linked.
4. Mark Cuban gets an hour of exercise a day.
Billionaire, Shark Tank host and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban knows the importance of staying in shape. While he admits to missing an occasional day of exercise due to travel for business, he tries to do at least an hour of cardiovascular exercise a day, six or seven days a week. Now nearly 60 years old, Cuban role models an impressive routine. As mentioned earlier, we need only 75 to 150 minutes of activity per week to get the health benefits exercise offers, so the consistency is what matters most.
5. Gretchen Rubin wakes up early for personal time.
Gretchen Rubin, best-selling author of The Happiness Project, gets up at 6 a.m. every day. But what's truly important isn't the "waking up early" part, but what happens when she does wake up early. In her own words on her blog, Rubin's said: "I get up at 6:00 a.m. every day, even on weekends and vacation, because I love it. I get an hour to myself, at my computer, before my family wakes up for the day. It's quiet, the light is dim and the world feels very serene." Nabbing some time to yourself, before you get sucked into your career or familial responsibilities, can help you stay in good mental health and feel relaxed enough to conquer whatever challenges the day has in store for you.
Related: 5 Reasons Why it's the Right Time to be in Fitness and Health Industry
