Improve Your Performance at Work

You may think that work should be your number one priority no matter what but remember that when you’re not at your physical best, your mind is not going to be at its best either. Poor health leads to poor performance, so being physically fit is often the best business decision you can make! When you’re not healthy, you can end up depressed and anxious, which contributes to poor performance in the workplace.

As an entrepreneur, you’re often performing at a high level at all times and don’t have the luxury of taking as much personal time to decompress. But because your success is tied so closely to your personal performance, your health is doubly important. In short, it’s a vicious cycle and, according to the founder of Spartan Coaching Program, Xenios Charalambous, that’s why maintaining your physical health is so important to your life, in general. After all, it’s really hard to feel good about yourself or your accomplishments when you feel lousy day-to-day.

So, what can you do as an entrepreneur or a busy professional to maintain optimal health to inspire peak performance? If you’re not already in your healthiest state, don’t worry because Charalambous didn’t start off that way either.

As he said, “This feeling isn’t going to happen in the beginning, you have to wait for the results. It can take years, but it’s worth it—it comes when you see the first results.” It’s what he loves most about his work, the feeling of helping people achieve physical fitness that can help their mindset shift. And you know a good mindset can help change your business! “It’s such a good feeling, to help people transform their bodies and minds to experience this feeling,” he said.

1. Personalized Nutrition is Key

Do you get enough nutrition throughout your day at work? Don’t let your busy day being a superstar entrepreneur stop you from getting the right nutrition. Forget about unsustainable fad diets. Cutting out all simple carbohydrates or all sugar is not an attainable goal for most individuals. After all, are you really going to skip out on that delicious cake when you’re celebrating a milestone at work?

When you develop a personalized nutrition plan that is realistic and designed around your wants or needs, you will be able to maintain the nutrition plan and ultimately see results. Charalambous suggests a diet based on your preferences, food allergies, and any health considerations that you have. “Do you have high blood pressure or diabetes? Are you a vegetarian or a vegan? You need to make a meal plan that fits your lifestyle and needs if you want energy,” he said. Once you have a meal plan, it will be easy to plan meals for the week over the weekend, so you’re not losing precious time trying to plan each meal in between a busy day.

2. Don’t Skip the Exercise

You can purchase a gym membership or spend a lot of money on exercise classes, but it won’t do a thing if you’re skipping exercise when you’re busy or doing the exercises wrong because you’re in a hurry. That’s why it’s important to design an exercise plan that fits your life.

How do you keep yourself going even when the stress of being busy building your career is holding you back? Think of it this way: you’re going to be able to be more productive if you focus on getting some amount of activity every day. Pick a gym close to your place of work, or consider an exercise program that you can do at home to save time on travel. Charalambous suggests designing a program based on your personal experience, your schedule, your injuries and your comfort level, and holding yourself accountable with personal bets. As he said, no one else is going to be able to motivate you like you can motivate yourself. “A personal bet with yourself is a good way to hold yourself accountable and actually achieve what you set out to,” he added.

3. Personalize, Personalize, Personalize

The one thing Charalambous learned on his own fitness journey is that what works for him, won’t necessarily work for everyone else. There is no one size fits all exercise and nutrition plan, so if you don’t have improved energy, and you can’t immediately work harder and faster, it’s not because you’re failing. It may simply be because you don’t have the right plan for you.

Consider a few key things. What motivates you? What makes you feel better? Charalambous said, “My motivation was: if this guy is more successful than me, I have to become better than him.” Find your own version of this and you’ll see better results.

Something else to remember is to be patient. You know how when you’re starting a business, even if you don’t see profits in the first few months, that’s okay? Consider your health the same way! And wait for your body to begin feeling and performing better. “Be persistent. I was always persistent in the things I wanted in life, which helped me achieve more than anyone thought I would—more than I thought I would. This feeling isn’t going to happen in the beginning, you have to wait for the results. It can take years, but it’s worth it—it comes when you see the first results,” said Charalambous. It’s a good tip to remember when you’re running your business too!

4. Value Yourself for Good Mental and Physical Health

The other key to understand is that there is a definite psychological aspect to being healthy. Depression, anxiety, and stress will increase your desire for sweets or binge eating, making you feel sluggish at work. It will also thwart your attempts at staying on track, whether it’s with your health or your business goals.

Once your mental health is balanced, it will be easier to develop good habits, like going to the gym regularly and eating healthy foods. In turn, your physical health will contribute immensely to your mental stability, overall happiness, and success as an entrepreneur.

Charalambous’s advice here is to learn to value yourself as much as you value things like your career and success. “Valuing yourself is important, it leads to bigger, better things. I started to realize how much more I respect my body and myself. Once I started respecting myself, other good things started to happen in my life,” he said.

At the end of the day, remember that you have to believe in yourself and in your goals. Other people may not believe you can do it, but once you believe in yourself you can achieve anything. This is true for business and for your health. Charalambous added, “No one is going to help you do it. If you don’t believe in yourself, you’re never going to achieve as much as you can if you believe in yourself. No one thought a teenager from Cypress could become a fitness influencer in the UK, but here I am. Forget what other people say. Feed off that and let it motivate you to prove them wrong!”

As an entrepreneur, your health can affect your business, so remember, stay in good physical and mental shape and you’ll be on your way to success in your career in no time!

About Xenios Charalambous:

Fitness Expert & Celebrity Trainer Xenios Charalambous presents the world’s most results-oriented fitness program, Spartan Coaching, which helps people transform and empower themselves to be the best version of themselves, both physically and mentally. We achieve this by providing the most up-to-date and scientifically proven methods with our latest technology.

For more information, please visit www.xeniosfitness.com