Responsibility

No matter how many times I look at the most successful and most celebrated people in the world, whether they’re in business, sport, health, or wealth, they all have one glaring thing in common.

No matter where they come from, what circumstances have been thrust upon them, or the setbacks they have suffered, they always take one hundred percent personal responsibility for the situation they find themselves in and work tirelessly to improve their position.

Ask yourself… Are you doing the same? Hopefully, you are doing so with your business, but what about your health?

Take heart disease for instance…

There are many risk factors that predetermine that you will have issues with your heart in the future; high cholesterol, increased hip to waist ratio, high blood pressure, BMI of 30+. Also add to the mix the inherent risks that come from running a business and the potential that your genetics may play in how the dice will roll.

For each of these issues, however, it is a fact that all things being equal, those who make the poorest lifestyle choices result in being the worst affected.

So, rather than accepting your fate, perhaps you would be wise to work a little harder on your lifestyle and adopt some new habits that could ward off any potential future issues.

There are several things you can do that will help lessen the impact of, or reduce the likelihood of, developing heart disease or at least putting it back a few years.

Try…

•   Reducing your alcohol intake. Alcohol intake of more than 14 units per week (equivalent to a small 125ml glass of wine per day) will increase your risk of heart disease, and is likely to raise your BMI, increase your heart rate, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

•   Sleeping more. Did you know that the risk of a heart attack can increase by 10 percent in the following days when you lose an hour’s sleep in daylight-saving time? So, imagine what impact all those late nights and the reduced levels of sleep are doing to your chances?

•   Hydrating yourself better. A dehydrated system will increase blood viscosity, meaning your blood travels more like treacle than liquid and this increases blood pressure. So, stay hydrated. If when passing urine, it’s not clear and copious, drink more water.

•   Exercising three times per week. Or at least walk 10,000 steps per day. The systems in our bodies were designed to move and move regularly! The more any system is challenged in a healthy manner, the more efficiently it will work and the less likely you are to suffer from heart related illnesses; not to mention the impact regular exercise and movement can have on stress levels.

By Ben Gray, written for Suffolk Director Magazine.