Why founders should approach their health as rigorously as world-class athletes.
Building a business is incredibly hard, and the startup ecosystem is a competitive and high-pressure environment. Start-up life entails stress, anxiety, and sleep deprivation. However, peak performance cannot be achieved simply by working harder for longer. It’s counterproductive, and many founders agree that simply pushing through bears diminishing returns. If we look to professional sports it’s clear that the formula for success is much more holistic.
High performance athletes can be a source of inspiration for founders. For one, founders, like athletes, are uniquely driven individuals. “Founders, like elite athletes, are expected to manage stress and anxiety under pressure . . . while mitigating the risk of burnout, exhaustion, and failure,” says Simon Marshall, a former professor of performance psychology and resilience at the University of California San Diego. (1) The difference between success and failure often comes down to mindset. What makes the elite ‘elite’ is also the ability to manage stress. (2)
The Importance of Physical Health
The human body is not designed to work 100+ hour weeks, sleep in the office, and eat poorly.
Professional athletes prioritize their physical health because they understand that their bodies are their most important asset. For founders, the same principle applies. Physical health is the foundation upon which mental and emotional resilience is built. Regular exercise, a balanced diet, and adequate sleep are non-negotiable components of maintaining physical health. These habits not only enhance physical stamina but also improve cognitive function, mood, and overall well-being.
Exercise: Regular physical activity boosts energy levels, enhances mood through the release of endorphins, and improves cognitive function. Founders should incorporate exercise into their daily routines, whether it’s a morning jog, or a workout at the gym. This not only helps in managing stress but also prepares the mind and body for the rigors of the day ahead. In our practice, we recommend founders to find a personal trainer to build an adequate workout routine while minimizing the risk of injury.
Nutrition: A balanced diet rich in vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients is crucial. Proper nutrition fuels the body and mind, enabling founders to stay focused, think clearly, and make better decisions. Postponing caffeine intake to 90 minutes after waking up and avoiding sugar are simple ways to stabilize energy levels and prevent a concentration slump later in the day. When it comes to maintaining optimum focus throughout a hectic day, I find that Andrew Huberman's focus toolkit offers great inspiration. (3)
Also, while the foods we eat should be the fundament of our nutrition, there is a lot we can do to support our health with supplements. Especially in the process of building a start-up, where life gets in the way. Travel days, business dinners, take-out. These are the nutritional realities many founders face multiple times a week. So having an established supplement routine to ensure adequate intake of the most important building blocks can help relax in some aspects.
Sleep: Sleep is often sacrificed in the name of productivity, but this is a short-sighted approach. Quality sleep is essential for recovery, memory consolidation, and emotional regulation. Founders should aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night and establish a regular sleep schedule to ensure they are well-rested and ready to tackle the challenges of the day. This means, understanding your sleep patterns first. I find that tracking sleep is very helpful to identify areas for improvement. The Oura ring is a sleek, no-hassle device and I appreciate the clean interface. But any sleep tracker will work to understand whether you can improve on latency or deep sleep. Often it’s just little adjustments, i.e. dinner time, room temperature and breathing patterns that have a big impact on sleep quality.
The Importance of Mental Health
Humans are emotion-driven decision-makers. When you’re in an environment that your brain detects as stressful, your frontal cortex is chemically blocked. This is also known as the fight or flight response. In short: Stress impairs decision-making. Stress is bad for business. Our emotional and physical responses are inherently linked. After an emotionally draining day, our ability to deal with physical challenges drops, and vice versa. It all comes from the same bank account. You cannot build resilience without both emotional and physical recovery. And you need to find that balance in the long term.
Mindfulness and Meditation: Just as athletes incorporate mental training into their routines, founders can benefit from practices like mindfulness and meditation. These techniques help in managing stress, improving focus, and maintaining emotional balance. Even a few minutes of daily meditation can make a significant difference in reducing anxiety and increasing resilience. Having said that, I’m a big fan of Jocko Willink. And I heard him say on a podcast, that he has never meditated a day in his life. But he lists a few things that have a similar impact on him, i.e. surfing and BJJ. Things that allow us to selectively narrow or widen our focus serve as meditation objects and will have a similar effect. The importance is finding what works.
Mental Health Support: Seeking support from mental health professionals, such as therapists, mentors or coaches, can provide founders with the tools to navigate stress and maintain a healthy mindset. Regular check-ins with such a person can offer valuable insights and coping strategies, ensuring that founders are not alone in their journey.
The Importance of Recovery
Building resilience requires appropriate recovery. Founders can fall into the trap of believing that relentless work and sacrifice are the keys to success. This mindset overlooks the fundamental principle that sustainable success is built on a foundation of health and well-being. Just as professional athletes prioritize their physical and mental health to achieve peak performance, founders must adopt a similar approach. Neglecting health in pursuit of business goals can lead to burnout, poor decision-making, and ultimately, failure.
Rest Days: Athletes schedule rest days to allow their bodies to recover and prevent injury. Founders, too, should take regular breaks to recharge. This could mean taking a couple days off or simply ensuring that they have downtime each day to unwind and disconnect from work.
Hobbies and Interests: Engaging in activities outside of work can provide a much-needed mental break and boost creativity. Whether it’s reading, playing a musical instrument, or spending time with family and friends, these activities help in maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
Conclusion
The importance of health for founders cannot be overstated. The journey of building a business is fraught with challenges, and maintaining peak performance requires more than just hard work. It necessitates a holistic approach that encompasses physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Just as elite athletes invest in their health to achieve success, founders must prioritize their health to navigate the competitive and high-pressure world of startups. (4) By doing so, they can build resilience, make better decisions, and ultimately achieve long-term success.
Prioritizing health is not a sign of weakness; it’s a strategic advantage. Founders who invest in their well-being are better equipped to lead their teams, innovate, and drive their businesses forward. The path to success is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. And like any marathon, it requires preparation, endurance, and above all, a commitment to health and well-being.
Further reading / listening / inspiration
https://www.ft.com/content/79638486-e1ec-4a96-a151-812f24402602
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1082998/full